Setting Environment Variables for Managed Nodes in Ansible

Ansible Playbook sets variables for managed hosts through <span>environment</span>.

- name: test environment
  hosts: all
  become: true
  gather_facts: true
  environment:
    test_path: testpath
    PATH: "/usr/local/custon_software/bin/:{{ ansible_env.PATH }}"
  tasks:
  - name: get env
    ansible.builtin.shell: /bin/env
    register: shell_result
  - name: print env
    ansible.builtin.debug:
      var: shell_result.stdout_lines

In this example, Ansible adds a <span>test_path=testpath</span> variable to the managed host and modifies the <span>PATH</span> variable to <span>/usr/local/custon_software/bin/:$PATH</span>.

Setting Default Values for Modules in Ansible

If a module is frequently called, Ansible can set default values for the module using <span>module_defaults</span> to improve efficiency.

- hosts: localhost
  module_defaults:
    ansible.builtin.file:
      owner: root
      group: root
      mode: 0755
  tasks:
    - name: Create file1
      ansible.builtin.file:
        state: touch
        path: /tmp/file1

    - name: Create file2
      ansible.builtin.file:
        state: touch
        path: /tmp/file2

    - name: Create file3
      ansible.builtin.file:
        state: touch
        path: /tmp/file3

<span>module_defaults</span> can be used at the Playbook, block, and tasks level.

Parameter values specified in tasks will override the default values.

Default values can be removed using an empty dictionary:

- name: Create file1
  ansible.builtin.file:
    state: touch
    path: /tmp/file1
  module_defaults:
    file: {}

Setting default values may lead to unexpected issues, such as affecting the execution of tasks involving dynamic imports and static imports.

For more information, visit: https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/playbook_guide/playbooks_module_defaults.html.