Ansible can be used like Makefiles to define tasks for building and deploying applications. It offers advantages over Makefiles like increased readability through YAML syntax and the ability to easily run tasks on remote servers. Various Makefiles tasks like cleaning builds, copying files and dependencies, and creating symlinks can be defined as Ansible tasks/plays with variables to make them reusable across different projects. Ansible allows consolidating these tasks in one place for improved collaboration compared to complex Makefiles.

1. Using Ansible
as Makefiles
to unite your
developers

2. Ansible is mostly used for:
• Provisioning
• Configuration Management
• App Deployment
• Continuous Delivery
• Security & Compliance
• Orchestration

3. Application

4. Application
Frontend

5. Application
Backend
Frontend

6. Application
Backend
Frontend
Operations

7. Application
Backend
Frontend
Operations

11. Why Ansible
instead of
Makefiles?

12. Readability

13. BUILD_DIR=../build
# Clean old build(s)
clean:
rm -rf $(BUILD_DIR)
vars:
- build_dir: ../build
tasks:
- name: Clean old build(s)
file:
path: "{{ build_dir }}"
state: absent
Makefile Ansible

14. BUILD_DIR=../build
SRC_DIR=../src
# Copy all app files
copy-app:
cp -R $(SRC_DIR) $(BUILD_DIR)
vars:
- build_dir: ../build
- src_dir: ../src
tasks:
- name: Copy all app files
copy:
src: "{{ src_dir }}"
dest: "{{ build_dir }}"
Makefile Ansible

15. BUILD_DIR=../build
# Create symlink of local.xml
symlink-localxml:
ln -fs /path/to/local.xml
$(BUILD_DIR)/local.xml
vars:
- build_dir: ../build
tasks:
- name: Create symlink of local.xml
file:
src: /path/to/local.xml
dest: "{{ build_dir }}/local.xml”
state: link
Makefile Ansible

16. BUILD_DIR=../build
SRC_DIR=../src
declare -A APP_DEPENDENCIES=
([“SRC”]=vendor [“DEST"]=vendor)
([“SRC"]=node_modules/app.js [“DEST”]=js)
# Copy app dependencies (PHP & JS)
copy-dependencies:
for item in "$${!APP_DEPENDENCIES[@]}" ; do
cp -rT --preserve=mode,timestamp,links
”./$${item['SRC']}"
“${BUILD_DIR}/$${item[‘DEST']}";
done
vars:
- build_dir: ../build
- app_dependencies:
- { src: vendor, dest: vendor }
- { src: node_modules/app.js, dest: js }
tasks:
- name: Copy app dependencies (PHP & JS)
copy:
src: "./{{ item.src }}"
dest: "{{ build_dir }}{{ item.dest }}"
follow: yes
with_items: app_dependencies
Makefile Ansible
Not sure if that works,
Makefiles are complex indeed ;D

17. BUILD_DIR=../build
SRC_DIR=../src
declare -A APP_DEPENDENCIES=
([“SRC"]=vendor ["DEST"]=vendor)
(["SRC"]=node_modules/app.js ["DEST"]=js)
# Clean old build(s)
clean:
rm -rf $(BUILD_DIR)
# Copy all app files
copy-app:
cp -R $(SRC_DIR) $(BUILD_DIR)
# Create local.xml symlink
symlink-localxml:
ln -fs /path/to/local.xml
$(BUILD_DIR)/local.xml
# Copy app dependencies (PHP & JS)
copy-dependencies:
for item in "$${!APP_DEPENDENCIES[@]}" ; do
cp -rT --preserve=mode,timestamp,links
”./$${item['SRC']}"
“${BUILD_DIR}/$${item['DEST']}" ;
done
vars:
- build_dir: ../build
- src_dir: ../src
- app_dependencies:
- { src: vendor, dest: vendor }
- { src: node_modules/app.js, dest: js }
tasks:
- name: Clean old build(s)
file:
path: "{{ build_dir }}"
state: absent
- name: Copy all app files
copy:
src: "{{ src_dir }}"
dest: "{{ build_dir }}"
- name: Create local.xml symlink
file:
src: /path/to/local.xml
dest: "{{ build_dir }}/local.xml”
state: link
- name: Copy app dependencies (PHP & JS)
copy:
src: "./{{ item.src }}"
dest: "{{ build_dir }}{{ item.dest }}"
follow: yes
with_items: app_dependencies
Makefile Ansible

18. Questions ?

19. Thank you ;D
@thiagoalessio
github.com/thiagoalessio