Ansible Automation Ansible Collections 2

Question 1

What does the `collections:` keyword at the play or role level do in an Ansible playbook?

Accepted Answer

Sets the search path so short (non-FQCN) module names resolve to those collections

Answer

The `collections:` keyword acts like a namespace import, telling Ansible where to search for modules and plugins referenced by short names in that play or role.

Question 2

Which command builds an Ansible Collection into a distributable .tar.gz archive?

Accepted Answer

ansible-galaxy collection build

Answer

`ansible-galaxy collection build` creates a tarball (e.g., namespace-collection-1.0.0.tar.gz) in the current directory ready for publishing or offline distribution.

Question 3

How do you publish a built collection artifact to Ansible Galaxy?

Accepted Answer

ansible-galaxy collection publish namespace-collection-1.0.0.tar.gz

Answer

`ansible-galaxy collection publish <tarball>` uploads the built collection archive to Galaxy using the API token configured in ansible.cfg or via --token.

Question 4

What is the role of the auto-generated `MANIFEST.json` file inside a built Ansible Collection archive?

Accepted Answer

It contains a file manifest with checksums used to verify collection integrity

Answer

MANIFEST.json is generated automatically by `ansible-galaxy collection build` and contains a list of all included files along with their checksums for integrity verification.

Question 5

In an Ansible Collection, where should custom Jinja2 filter plugins be placed?

Accepted Answer

plugins/filter/

Answer

Filter plugins belong in plugins/filter/ (singular) within a collection, following the standard collection plugin directory layout.

Ansible Automation Practice Test

Ansible Automation Practice Test

Ansible Automation Ansible Collections 2