Write a Variable to File — Ansible module copy vs template

How to save the value of a variable to file using the Ansible copy vs template modules. Included the comparison and a step-by-step example.

How to write a variable to file with Ansible?

From a simple value or the result of complex command execution on the target node often we have the need to write the result to a file.

I’m going to show you a live demo with some simple Ansible code.

I’m Luca Berton and welcome to today’s episode of Ansible Pilot.

Ansible modules: copy vs template

• ansible.builtin.copy

It deals with whitespace and newlines.
The quotes are important.

• ansible.builtin.template

For advanced formatting or if the content contains a variable, use the `ansible.builtin.template` module.

The `copy` and `template` Ansible modules have the ability to write variables to a file.

Long story short: use the `template` module instead of the `copy` module.