Variables and facts

Anyone who has ever attempted to create some sort of automation code, whether via bash or Perl scripts, knows that being able to define variables is an essential component. Like other programming languages Ansible does contain features such as variable substitution.

Variables

To start, let's first define the meaning of variables and use in the event this is a new concept.

Variable (computer science), a symbolic name associated with a value and whose associated value may be changed

Using variables allows you to set a symbolic placeholder in your automation code that you can substitute values for on each execution. Ansible accommodates defining variables within your playbooks and roles in various ways. When dealing with OpenStack and/or cloud technologies in general, being able to adjust your execution parameters on the fly is critical.

We will step through a few ways of how you can set variable placeholders in your playbooks, how to define variable values, and how you can...