Ansible Collections Flashcards

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

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

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.

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

Answer: ansible-galaxy collection build

`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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

Answer: plugins/filter/

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

In the context of Ansible Collections, what does the 'namespace' part of a FQCN represent?

Answer: The author or organization that owns the collection, forming the first segment of the FQCN

The namespace (e.g., `community` in `community.general`) identifies the author or organization and is the first segment of every Fully Qualified Collection Name.

How do you configure a custom collection installation path so Ansible searches it automatically?

Answer: Set COLLECTIONS_PATHS in ansible.cfg or the ANSIBLE_COLLECTIONS_PATHS environment variable

COLLECTIONS_PATHS in ansible.cfg (or the ANSIBLE_COLLECTIONS_PATHS env variable) defines a colon-separated list of paths Ansible searches for installed collections.