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Ansible Coding Standards

Introduction​

In this tutorial, we will focus on Ansible coding standards. These standards are important when writing Ansible code as they ensure readability, maintainability, and repeatability of your code.

Why Coding Standards?​

Coding standards are a set of guidelines used when writing the code. They ensure that the code is easy to understand, maintain, and debug. In Ansible, following coding standards can provide the following benefits.

  • Readability: Properly formatted and structured code is easier to read and understand.
  • Consistency: Consistent code makes collaboration easier, as others can understand your code quickly.
  • Efficiency: By following standards, you can avoid common mistakes and make your code more efficient and error-free.

Ansible Coding Standards​

Now, let's dive into some of the most important Ansible coding standards.

1. Indentation and Formatting​

Ansible uses YAML syntax, which relies on indentation to determine the structure of data. Here are some guidelines:

  • Use two spaces for indentation, not tabs.
  • Use spaces around variables. For example, {{ variable }} instead of {{variable}}.
  • Break up long lines (more than 120 characters) for better readability.

2. Naming Conventions​

Choose clear and descriptive names for your Ansible objects (like tasks, variables, files, etc.)

  • Use lowercase letters and underscores for variable names, file names, and task names.
  • Use uppercase letters for constants.

3. Task Organization​

Each task should do one thing and do it well. This makes your code easier to maintain and debug.

  • Use the name attribute to describe what a task does.
  • Limit each task to a single module.

4. Comments​

Proper commenting can make your code much easier to understand. When writing comments:

  • Start with a capital letter and end with a period.
  • Place the comment on a new line above the code that it refers to.
  • Comments should explain why something is done, not what is being done.

5. Use of Variables​

Variables make your playbooks reusable. Here are some best practices:

  • Use meaningful variable names.
  • Avoid hardcoding values. Instead, extract them into variables.
  • Use role defaults rather than setting variables in the playbook where possible.

6. Error Handling​

Good Ansible code should handle errors gracefully.

  • Use the failed_when parameter to define what constitutes a failure.
  • Use the ignore_errors parameter sparingly. It's usually better to handle the error.

7. Use of Ansible Vault​

Ansible Vault is a feature that allows you to keep sensitive data such as passwords or keys in encrypted files, rather than as plaintext in playbooks or roles.

  • Always use Ansible Vault to secure sensitive data.
  • Avoid committing unencrypted sensitive data to your code repository.

Conclusion​

Ansible coding standards are crucial for writing clean, efficient, and maintainable Ansible code. By following these guidelines, you can ensure that your code is easy to understand, debug, and maintain. Remember, the goal of adhering to these standards is to write code that is not just functional, but also clean and consistent.

In the next tutorial, we will dive deeper into Ansible best practices. Stay tuned!