How do i copy files, create files & change files in ansible?

petulia3478

Link: http://docs.ansible.com/ansible/file_module.html
Link: http://docs.ansible.com/ansible/copy_module.html

Ansible has two modules called copy & file, which are just part of a collection of File Modules that are available. The copy module can transfer files and directories, and the file module can change file attributes like permissions, owner, and group

copy module

Transfer a file, notice the double quotes, quotes are important, similar to running the old rsh type commands.

$ ansible perth -m copy -a "src=/etc/hosts dest=/tmp/hosts mode=600"
ip-xxxx.us-west-2.compute.internal | SUCCESS => {
    "changed": true, 
    "checksum": "a983aaa274e450705ec89584822af919e93741ef", 
    "dest": "/tmp/hosts", 
    "gid": 1001, 
    "group": "awsgrp", 
    "mode": "0600", 
    "owner": "awsuser", 
    "path": "/tmp/hosts", 
    "secontext": "unconfined_u:object_r:user_home_t:s0", 
    "size": 159, 
    "state": "file", 
    "uid": 1001
}

file module

Change permission, owner and group on file, notice the double quotes

$ ansible perth -b -m file -a "dest=/tmp/hosts mode=600 owner=adm group=adm"
ip-xxxx.us-west-2.compute.internal | SUCCESS => {
    "changed": true, 
    "gid": 4, 
    "group": "adm", 
    "mode": "0600", 
    "owner": "adm", 
    "path": "/tmp/hosts", 
    "secontext": "unconfined_u:object_r:user_home_t:s0", 
    "size": 159, 
    "state": "file", 
    "uid": 3
}

Create a directory structure and change permissions, owner and group

$ ansible perth -b  -m file -a "dest=/tmp/web/files mode=755 owner=adm group=adm state=directory"

Delete a directory or file

$ ansible perth -b -m file -a "dest=/tmp/web/files state=absent"