Ansible Delete File & Remove File: file Module absent State Guide

By Luca Berton · Published 2024-01-01 · Category: database-automation

How to delete and remove files in Ansible with the file module (state=absent). Delete files, remove directories recursively, manage symlinks and permissions.

Ansible provides several modules for file operations: file (create/delete/permissions/links), copy (create files with content), stat (check existence), and command/shell for moves and renames. This guide covers every common file operation.

Create Files and Directories

Create an Empty File

- name: Create empty file
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: /opt/app/config.yml
    state: touch
    owner: appuser
    group: appuser
    mode: '0644'

Create a File with Content

# Using copy module
- name: Create file with content
  ansible.builtin.copy:
    content: |
      # Application Configuration
      database_host: db.example.com
      database_port: 5432
      log_level: info
    dest: /opt/app/config.yml
    owner: appuser
    mode: '0644'

# From a variable
- name: Write variable to file
  ansible.builtin.copy:
    content: "{{ my_config | to_nice_yaml }}"
    dest: /opt/app/config.yml
    mode: '0644'

Create Directory

- name: Create directory
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: /opt/app/logs
    state: directory
    owner: appuser
    group: appuser
    mode: '0755'

# Create nested directories
- name: Create directory tree
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: /opt/app/data/cache/sessions
    state: directory
    # Creates all parent directories automatically

Create Multiple Directories

- name: Create application directories
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: "{{ item }}"
    state: directory
    owner: appuser
    group: appuser
    mode: '0755'
  loop:
    - /opt/app/config
    - /opt/app/data
    - /opt/app/logs
    - /opt/app/tmp

Delete Files and Directories

Delete a File

- name: Delete file
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: /tmp/old-config.yml
    state: absent

Delete a Directory (Recursively)

- name: Delete directory and all contents
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: /opt/old-app
    state: absent

Delete All Files in a Directory

# Find and delete files, keep directory
- name: Find all files in directory
  ansible.builtin.find:
    paths: /opt/app/logs
    file_type: file
  register: log_files

- name: Delete all log files
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: "{{ item.path }}"
    state: absent
  loop: "{{ log_files.files }}"

# Or with patterns
- name: Delete old log files
  ansible.builtin.find:
    paths: /opt/app/logs
    patterns: "*.log"
    age: 30d
  register: old_logs

- name: Remove old logs
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: "{{ item.path }}"
    state: absent
  loop: "{{ old_logs.files }}"

Rename and Move Files

# Rename/move a file
- name: Rename file
  ansible.builtin.command: mv /opt/app/config.yml.bak /opt/app/config.yml
  args:
    removes: /opt/app/config.yml.bak
    creates: /opt/app/config.yml

# Rename a directory
- name: Rename directory
  ansible.builtin.command: mv /opt/myapp-old /opt/myapp-new
  args:
    removes: /opt/myapp-old
    creates: /opt/myapp-new

# Copy + delete (for cross-filesystem moves)
- name: Copy file to new location
  ansible.builtin.copy:
    src: /opt/app/config.yml
    dest: /mnt/backup/config.yml
    remote_src: true

- name: Remove original
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: /opt/app/config.yml
    state: absent

Symbolic Links

Create Symlink

- name: Create symbolic link
  ansible.builtin.file:
    src: /opt/app/releases/2.1.0
    dest: /opt/app/current
    state: link

# Symlink for binary
- name: Link binary to PATH
  ansible.builtin.file:
    src: /opt/app/current/bin/myapp
    dest: /usr/local/bin/myapp
    state: link
  become: true

Update Symlink (Atomic Deploy)

- name: Deploy new version
  ansible.builtin.unarchive:
    src: "myapp-{{ version }}.tar.gz"
    dest: /opt/app/releases/{{ version }}/

# Symlink update is atomic — no downtime
- name: Switch to new version
  ansible.builtin.file:
    src: /opt/app/releases/{{ version }}
    dest: /opt/app/current
    state: link
    force: true    # Overwrite existing symlink
  notify: restart app

Remove Symlink

- name: Remove symbolic link
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: /usr/local/bin/myapp
    state: absent

Permissions and Ownership

Change Permissions (chmod)

- name: Set file permissions
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: /opt/app/bin/start.sh
    mode: '0755'

# Symbolic mode
- name: Add execute permission
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: /opt/app/bin/start.sh
    mode: 'u+x'

# Recursive permissions
- name: Set directory permissions recursively
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: /opt/app/data
    state: directory
    recurse: true
    mode: '0755'

Change Ownership (chown)

- name: Change file ownership
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: /opt/app
    owner: appuser
    group: appgroup
    recurse: true
  become: true

Common Permission Patterns

# Private key
- name: Secure SSH key
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: /home/deploy/.ssh/id_ed25519
    owner: deploy
    group: deploy
    mode: '0600'

# Config file (owner read/write, group read)
- name: Set config permissions
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: /etc/app/config.yml
    owner: root
    group: appuser
    mode: '0640'

# Executable script
- name: Set script permissions
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: /opt/app/bin/start.sh
    mode: '0755'

# Shared directory
- name: Set shared directory
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: /opt/shared
    state: directory
    mode: '2775'    # setgid bit
    group: sharedgroup

Check if File/Directory Exists

- name: Check if file exists
  ansible.builtin.stat:
    path: /opt/app/config.yml
  register: config_file

- name: Create config if missing
  ansible.builtin.template:
    src: config.yml.j2
    dest: /opt/app/config.yml
  when: not config_file.stat.exists

# Check directory
- name: Check if directory exists
  ansible.builtin.stat:
    path: /opt/app/data
  register: data_dir

- name: Initialize data directory
  ansible.builtin.command: /opt/app/bin/init-data
  when: not data_dir.stat.exists

Copy Multiple Files

# Using with_fileglob
- name: Copy all config files
  ansible.builtin.copy:
    src: "{{ item }}"
    dest: /etc/app/conf.d/
    owner: appuser
    mode: '0644'
  with_fileglob:
    - "files/configs/*.conf"

# Using loop
- name: Copy specific files
  ansible.builtin.copy:
    src: "{{ item.src }}"
    dest: "{{ item.dest }}"
    mode: "{{ item.mode | default('0644') }}"
  loop:
    - { src: app.conf, dest: /etc/app/app.conf }
    - { src: logging.conf, dest: /etc/app/logging.conf }
    - { src: start.sh, dest: /opt/app/bin/start.sh, mode: '0755' }

FAQ

How do I create a file with content in Ansible?

Use the copy module with content parameter: ansible.builtin.copy: content="my content" dest=/path/to/file. For templates with variables, use ansible.builtin.template instead.

How do I delete a file in Ansible?

Use the file module with state: absent: ansible.builtin.file: path=/path/to/file state=absent. This works for both files and directories (recursive delete).

How do I rename a file in Ansible?

Use ansible.builtin.command: mv /old/path /new/path with removes and creates arguments for idempotency. There's no dedicated rename module — the command module with mv is the standard approach.

How do I create a symbolic link?

Use the file module with state: link: ansible.builtin.file: src=/target dest=/link state=link. Use force: true to overwrite existing symlinks.

How do I change file permissions recursively?

Use the file module with recurse: true: ansible.builtin.file: path=/opt/app state=directory recurse=true mode='0755' owner=appuser.

How do I check if a file exists in Ansible?

Use the stat module and check register_var.stat.exists: register the result, then use when: not result.stat.exists or when: result.stat.exists in subsequent tasks.

Conclusion

Operation	Module	Key Parameter
Create empty file	`file`	`state: touch`
Create with content	`copy`	`content:`
Create directory	`file`	`state: directory`
Delete file/dir	`file`	`state: absent`
Rename/move	`command`	`mv` with creates/removes
Symlink	`file`	`state: link`
Permissions	`file`	`mode:`
Ownership	`file`	`owner:`, `group:`
Check exists	`stat`	`.stat.exists`

Category: database-automation

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