16. Error Handling

• Command:failed_when and changed_when

• Use Case: Fine-tune task outcomes based on specific conditions.

•     tasks:
        - name: Handle errors gracefully
          command: /path/to/failing_script.sh
          failed_when: "'FAILED' in result.stdout"
  

17. Dynamic Playbook Inclusion

• Command:include_tasks and import_tasks

• Use Case: Include or import tasks dynamically based on conditions.

•     - name: Include tasks based on OS
        include_tasks: "{{ ansible_os_family }}_tasks.yaml"
  

18. Vaulted Files

• Command:ansible-vault create vaulted_file.yaml

• Use Case: Encrypt entire files containing sensitive data.

•     ansible-vault create vaulted_file.yaml
  

19. Rollback Strategies

• Command:--start-at-task and --step

• Use Case: Implement rollback strategies by starting from specific tasks or enabling step-by-step execution.

•     ansible-playbook deploy.yaml --start-at-task="rollback_task"
  

20. Remote Facts Gathering

• Command:gather_facts

• Use Case: Gather facts about remote hosts for dynamic playbook behavior.

•     - name: Gather facts
        gather_facts: yes
  

21. Delegation and Local Actions

• Command:delegate_to and local_action

• Use Case: Delegate a task to a different host or execute a task locally.

•     - name: Copy files to remote host
        copy:
          src: /path/to/local/files
          dest: /remote/path/
        delegate_to: "{{ inventory_hostname }}"
  

Real-Time Use Cases (Continued)

1. Blue-Green Deployments:

   • Implement a blue-green deployment strategy using Ansible to minimize downtime during application updates.

2. Secrets Rotation:

   • Use Ansible to automate the rotation of secrets and credentials across your infrastructure securely.

3. Continuous Compliance:

   • Integrate Ansible with compliance tools to ensure continuous adherence to security policies and regulatory requirements.

4. Ephemeral Environments:

   • Automate the creation and teardown of ephemeral environments for testing and development purposes.

5. Auto-Scaling Infrastructure:

   • Implement auto-scaling by dynamically adjusting the number of servers based on workload using Ansible.

6. Multi-Tier Application Deployment:

   • Automate the deployment of multi-tier applications, including frontend, backend, and database components.

22. Asynchronous Actions with Polling

• Command:async and poll

• Use Case: Execute a task asynchronously with a defined poll interval.

•     - name: Run a long-running task asynchronously
        command: /path/to/long_running_script.sh
        async: 300
        poll: 60
        register: async_result
  

23. Dynamic Variable Assignment

• Command:set_fact

• Use Case: Dynamically assign variables based on conditions.

•     - name: Set variable based on OS
        set_fact:
          my_variable: "{{ 'Linux' if ansible_distribution == 'Ubuntu' else 'Other' }}"
  

24. Callbacks

• Command:ANSIBLE_STDOUT_CALLBACK

• Use Case: Customize output callbacks for better visualization.

•     export ANSIBLE_STDOUT_CALLBACK=actionable
  

25. Custom Facts

• Command:ansible_facts

• Use Case: Define custom facts for specific hosts.

•     - name: Set custom facts
        set_fact:
          my_custom_fact: "some_value"
  

26. Integration with Source Control (Git)

• Command:git module

• Use Case: Clone and update Git repositories as part of your automation.

•     - name: Clone a Git repository
        git:
          repo: "https://github.com/example/repo.git"
          dest: "/path/to/local/repo"
  

27. Handling Timeouts

• Command:ansible.builtin.async_status and ansible.builtin.fail

• Use Case: Implement a timeout mechanism and handle accordingly.

•     - name: Run a task with timeout
        command: /path/to/timeout_script.sh
        async: 300
        poll: 0
        register: result
  
      - name: Handle timeout
        async_status:
          jid: "{{ result.ansible_job_id }}"
        register: job_result
        until: job_result.finished
        retries: 3
        failed_when: "'Timeout' in job_result.failed"
  

Real-Time Use Cases (Continued)

1. Container Orchestration Integration (Docker, Kubernetes):

   • Use Ansible to automate tasks related to container orchestration, such as deploying Docker containers or managing Kubernetes resources.

2. Network Automation:

   • Extend Ansible capabilities to automate network device configurations and monitoring tasks.

3. Continuous Monitoring Setup:

   • Automate the deployment and configuration of monitoring solutions for continuous infrastructure and application monitoring.

4. Application Configuration Templating:

   • Utilize Jinja2 templating to dynamically generate application configurations based on environment variables or other parameters.

5. Cross-Platform Management:

   • Manage and configure a diverse set of servers with different operating systems using Ansible's cross-platform capabilities.

6. Environment-specific Parameterization:

   • Use Ansible to parameterize environment-specific configurations, ensuring consistency across various deployment environments.

28. Vaulted Variable Files

• Command:ansible-vault create vars/vaulted_file.yaml

• Use Case: Encrypt variable files containing sensitive data.

•     ansible-vault create vars/vaulted_file.yaml
  

29. Inventory Plugins

• Command: Various inventory plugins

• Use Case: Use dynamic inventory plugins for fetching inventory information from external sources (e.g., AWS, Azure).

•     ansible-inventory -i aws_ec2.yaml --list
  

30. Custom Callback Plugins

• Command:ANSIBLE_STDOUT_CALLBACK

• Use Case: Develop and use custom callback plugins for tailored output.

•     export ANSIBLE_STDOUT_CALLBACK=my_custom_callback
  

31. Dynamic Subgroups

• Command:groups

• Use Case: Dynamically create subgroups in the inventory based on specific conditions.

•     [web_servers]
      server1
      server2
  
      [app_servers]
      server3
  
      [all:children]
      web_and_app_servers
  

32. Advanced Looping

• Command:loop, loop_control

• Use Case: Use advanced looping with control statements for more complex scenarios.

•     - name: Loop with condition
        debug:
          msg: "Item is {{ item }}"
        loop: "{{ range(10) }}"
        loop_control:
          loop_var: item
          continue_loop: "{{ item % 2 == 0 }}"
  

33. Jenkins Integration

• Command: Use Ansible playbooks in Jenkins pipelines.

• Use Case: Integrate Ansible into Jenkins jobs for seamless automation in CI/CD pipelines.

Real-Time Use Cases (Continued)

1. Multi-Cloud Deployment:

   • Use Ansible to deploy and manage resources across multiple cloud providers (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) for a hybrid or multi-cloud infrastructure.

2. Automated Disaster Recovery:

   • Develop Ansible playbooks for automating disaster recovery procedures, ensuring quick and reliable recovery in case of system failures.

3. Environment Drift Detection:

   • Implement Ansible to detect and remedy configuration drift across servers, ensuring consistency in large-scale environments.

4. Integration with Service Discovery Tools:

   • Seamlessly integrate Ansible with service discovery tools (e.g., Consul, etcd) for dynamic inventory updates and configuration management.

5. Custom Credential Management:

   • Use Ansible Vault for encrypting credentials and implement custom credential management practices for enhanced security.

6. Custom Module Development for API Interaction:

   • Develop custom Ansible modules to interact with external APIs, expanding automation capabilities beyond built-in modules.

34. Parallel Execution Control

• Command:serial

• Use Case: Control the number of hosts Ansible manages in parallel to avoid overwhelming resources.

•     - name: Execute tasks serially
        command: /path/to/task_script.sh
        serial: 2
  

35. Ansible Vault File Edit

• Command:ansible-vault edit

• Use Case: Edit an encrypted file directly without decrypting it first.

•     ansible-vault edit encrypted_file.yaml
  

36. Selective Variable Loading

• Command:--extra-vars

• Use Case: Load specific variables dynamically during playbook execution.

•     ansible-playbook deploy.yaml --extra-vars "env=production"
  

37. Inventory Filters

• Command:--limit, --exclude, --inventory

• Use Case: Limit or exclude hosts dynamically during playbook execution.

•     ansible-playbook deploy.yaml --limit web_servers
  

38. Custom Dynamic Inventory Script

• Command: Custom Python script

• Use Case: Develop a custom dynamic inventory script for fetching host information from non-standard sources.

•     ansible-inventory -i custom_inventory.py --list
  

39. Fork Control

• Command:--forks

• Use Case: Control the number of parallel processes Ansible uses for running tasks.

•     ansible-playbook deploy.yaml --forks 5
  

40. Managing Role Dependencies

• Command:ansible-galaxy

• Use Case: Manage dependencies of Ansible roles, ensuring smooth integration.

•     ansible-galaxy install -r requirements.yaml
  

Real-Time Use Cases (Continued)

1. Multi-Stage Deployment Pipeline:

   • Implement Ansible in a multi-stage deployment pipeline, covering development, testing, and production environments.

2. Self-Healing Systems:

   • Leverage Ansible to build self-healing systems by automating the detection and correction of common issues.

3. Advanced Configuration Templating:

   • Use Jinja2 templating with advanced features to dynamically generate complex configuration files based on various parameters.

4. Custom Logging and Auditing:

   • Develop custom logging and auditing mechanisms in Ansible to track changes and activities across your infrastructure.

5. Continuous Infrastructure Monitoring and Remediation:

   • Combine Ansible with monitoring tools to continuously monitor infrastructure and automatically remediate issues.

6. Distributed Systems Management:

   • Manage distributed systems by orchestrating tasks across multiple nodes, ensuring consistent configurations.

Conclusion

By exploring these advanced Ansible commands and real-time use cases, you can further refine your automation strategies. Ansible's extensive capabilities enable you to address intricate challenges in IT operations, making it a valuable tool for orchestrating complex environments. 🔄🛠️ With these advanced Ansible commands and real-time use cases, you can address complex scenarios and build robust automation solutions. Ansible's flexibility and extensibility make it a valuable tool for managing and orchestrating infrastructure at scale. 🌐 This Ansible cheat sheet, along with real-time use cases, serves as a handy reference for both beginners and experienced DevOps engineers. With its simplicity and flexibility, Ansible empowers teams to automate a wide range of tasks, enhancing efficiency and reliability in IT operations.💻