Creating a Custom Ansible Lookup Plugin in Python for Reading a File

Extending Ansible’s Capabilities with a Custom File Retrieval Python Lookup Plugin.

Introduction

Ansible, a powerful automation tool, offers a wide range of built-in modules and plugins that simplify infrastructure management. However, there are scenarios where you may need to extend Ansible’s capabilities by creating custom plugins tailored to your specific needs. In this article, we will explore creating and using a custom Ansible file lookup plugin, which allows you to retrieve file contents from your Ansible controller’s file system during playbook execution.

What is a Lookup Plugin?

Ansible lookup plugins are used to retrieve data dynamically during playbook execution. They allow you to fetch information from various sources, such as databases, APIs, or external files, and use that data in your Ansible tasks.

Links

• https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/dev_guide/developing_plugins.html#lookup-plugins
• https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/plugins/lookup.html#lookup-plugins