How to deploy files with Ansible templates

How to deploy files with Ansible templates

Generate configuration files from Jinja2 templates with host-specific variables using Ansible.

Prerequisites

• Ansible installed with a working inventory.

Step-by-Step: Deploy Templates with Ansible

1. Create a Jinja2 template file (e.g., templates/nginx.conf.j2):

   server {
       listen 80;
       server_name {{ server_name }};
       root {{ document_root }};
   
       location / {
           try_files $uri $uri/ =404;
       }
   }

2. Define the variables in the inventory or playbook:

   vars:
     server_name: example.com
     document_root: /var/www/example

3. Use the template module in a task to render and deploy the file:

   - name: Deploy Nginx configuration
     template:
       src: nginx.conf.j2
       dest: /etc/nginx/sites-available/example.conf
       owner: root
       group: root
       mode: '0644'
     notify: Reload Nginx

4. Define a handler to reload Nginx when the template changes:

   handlers:
     - name: Reload Nginx
       service:
         name: nginx
         state: reloaded

How to Verify Template Deployment

Run the playbook in check mode with diff to see what would change:

ansible-playbook site.yml --check --diff