Managing multiple environments with Ansible can be achieved using the repo script tool. The repo script allows fetching different versions of Ansible roles, playbooks, and other components from separate Git repositories into a single work directory for each environment. A manifest file defines which components to fetch from which repositories and revisions for a given environment. This allows shifting components from lower to higher environments in a controlled manner while keeping the history of individual components in their original Git repositories. The repo script provides commands to manage, sync, and apply changes across all managed components.

1. Managing multiple environments
with Ansible
Jiri Tyr

2. About me
● Using Ansible since 2014
● Ansible contributor
○ Modules: yum_repository , jenkins_plugin , ldap_attr, ldap_entry
○ Jinja2 filter: comment
○ Bug fixing (mount module)
○ Code reviews
● Author of more than 100 publicly available Ansible roles
○ https://github.com/jtyr
○ https://galaxy.ansible.com/jtyr

3. The principle of managing multiple envs

4. The principle of managing multiple envs
● Multiple environments (DEV, QA, STG, PRD)
● The same roles, playbooks, modules, ... in different version in different envs
● Each component has different development velocity
● Shift the components from lower to higher environments in controlled manner
DEV QA STG PRD
Role 1 t22 t10 t5 t3
Role 2 t19 t16 t11 t7
Playbook t10 t7 t4 t2

5. How to achieve it?

6. How to achieve it?
● Single monolithic Git repo?
○ No way!
● Git submodules?
○ Too tricky...
● Separate Git repos?
○ Hm...
○ What tool to use?
■ ansible-galaxy?
■ But that's only for roles! What about playbooks, inventories, modules, plugins, ...?

7. The solution is...

8. Android repo script
● Tool used for managing Android repositories
● Wrapper around Git
● Fetches whatever Git repos into a single work directory
● Individual repos stay as Git repos with all their history
● Integrates with Gerrit code review system
● Using Manifest file (XML)
○ Android Repo Manifest Management tool (armm)

9. Manifest file
<manifest>
<remote name="jtyr-github" fetch="https://github.com/jtyr" />
<default remote="jtyr-github" revision="master" sync-j="4" />
<project name="ansible-test_playbook" path="." />
<project name="ansible-test_role1" path="roles/role1" revision="refs/tags/t1" />
<project name="ansible-test_role2" path="roles/role2" revision="b2d50df" />
<project name="ansible-yaml_inventory" path="tools/yaml_inventory" groups="base">
<linkfile src="yaml_inventory.py" dest="hosts" />
</project>
</manifest>

10. How to use it?

11. How to use it?
# Get the repo script and make it executable
sudo curl -s 'https://gerrit.googlesource.com/git-repo/+/stable/repo?format=TEXT' |
base64 -d > /usr/local/bin/repo
chmod +x /usr/local/bin/repo
# Create the work directory and fetch all components
export ENV=dev
mkdir -p /tmp/ansible/env/$ENV
cd /tmp/ansible/env/$ENV
repo init -u https://github.com/jtyr/ansible-repo-test_manifest.git -b $ENV
repo sync --no-clone-bundle

12. Repo script commands
# Show all possible repo commands
repo help --all
# List all projects
repo list
# Show which files have been modified
repo status
# Show changes across all projects
repo diff
# Sync only particular project
repo sync my_project
# Run command across all projects
repo forall -p -c 'git add -A; git commit -m "My change"; git push'

13. Demo time...

14. Summary
● Keep Ansible components in separate Git repos
● Create an extra Git repo with a Manifest file for each environment
● Use the repo script to build the work directory

15. Thank you for your attention!
Questions?