Developing plugins

Plugins are another way of extending or modifying the functionality of Ansible. While modules are executed as tasks, plugins are utilized in a variety of other places. Plugins are broken down into a few types, based on where they would plug in to the Ansible execution. Ansible ships some plugins for each of these areas, and end users can create their own to extend the functionality of these specific areas.

Connection type plugins

Any time Ansible makes a connection to a host to perform a task, a connection plugin is used. Ansible ships with a few connection plugins, including ssh, docker, chroot, local, and smart. Additional connection mechanisms can be utilized by Ansible to connect to remote systems by creating a connection plugin, which may be useful if faced with connecting to some new type of system, such as a network switch, or maybe your refrigerator some day. Creating connection plugins is a bit beyond the scope of this book; however, the easiest way to get started...