Ansible Modules List: 50 Most Used Modules Quick Reference

The 30 Most Used Ansible Modules

Ansible has thousands of modules, but you'll use a core set 90% of the time. Here are the 30 most essential modules with practical examples.

See also: Ansible Modules: Complete List & Guide to Built-in Modules (2026)

File Management Modules

1. ansible.builtin.copy

Copy files from control node to managed hosts.

- name: Copy config file
  ansible.builtin.copy:
    src: nginx.conf
    dest: /etc/nginx/nginx.conf
    owner: root
    group: root
    mode: '0644'
    backup: true

2. ansible.builtin.template

Deploy Jinja2 templates with variable substitution.

- name: Deploy virtual host
  ansible.builtin.template:
    src: vhost.conf.j2
    dest: /etc/nginx/sites-available/mysite
    mode: '0644'
  notify: Reload nginx

3. ansible.builtin.file

Manage files, directories, symlinks, and permissions.

- name: Create directory
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: /opt/myapp/logs
    state: directory
    owner: appuser
    group: appuser
    mode: '0755'
- name: Create symlink
  ansible.builtin.file:
    src: /opt/myapp/current
    dest: /var/www/myapp
    state: link
- name: Remove a file
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: /tmp/old-file.txt
    state: absent

4. ansible.builtin.lineinfile

Manage individual lines in files.

- name: Set SSH port
  ansible.builtin.lineinfile:
    path: /etc/ssh/sshd_config
    regexp: '^#?Port '
    line: 'Port 2222'

5. ansible.builtin.blockinfile

Manage multi-line blocks in files.

- name: Add iptables rules
  ansible.builtin.blockinfile:
    path: /etc/iptables/rules.v4
    block: |
      -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -j ACCEPT
      -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j ACCEPT

6. ansible.builtin.stat

Get file status information.

- name: Check if config exists
  ansible.builtin.stat:
    path: /etc/myapp.conf
  register: config_file
- name: Create default config
  ansible.builtin.copy:
    src: default.conf
    dest: /etc/myapp.conf
  when: not config_file.stat.exists

7. ansible.builtin.fetch

Download files from remote hosts to control node.

- name: Fetch log file
  ansible.builtin.fetch:
    src: /var/log/myapp.log
    dest: ./logs/{{ inventory_hostname }}/
    flat: true

Package Management Modules

8. ansible.builtin.apt

Manage packages on Debian/Ubuntu.

- name: Install packages
  ansible.builtin.apt:
    name:
      - nginx
      - postgresql
      - redis
    state: present
    update_cache: true
    cache_valid_time: 3600

9. ansible.builtin.dnf

Manage packages on RHEL/CentOS/Fedora.

- name: Install packages
  ansible.builtin.dnf:
    name:
      - httpd
      - mariadb-server
    state: present

10. ansible.builtin.pip

Manage Python packages.

- name: Install Python packages
  ansible.builtin.pip:
    name:
      - flask
      - gunicorn
    virtualenv: /opt/myapp/venv

11. ansible.builtin.package

OS-agnostic package management.

- name: Install git (any OS)
  ansible.builtin.package:
    name: git
    state: present

See also: Ansible Cheat Sheet: Quick Reference Commands & Syntax (2026)

Service Management Modules

12. ansible.builtin.service

Manage system services.

- name: Start and enable nginx
  ansible.builtin.service:
    name: nginx
    state: started
    enabled: true

13. ansible.builtin.systemd

Manage systemd services with additional features.

- name: Reload systemd and start service
  ansible.builtin.systemd:
    name: myapp
    state: started
    enabled: true
    daemon_reload: true

Command Execution Modules

14. ansible.builtin.command

Execute commands without shell processing.

- name: Check disk usage
  ansible.builtin.command: df -h /
  register: disk_usage
  changed_when: false

15. ansible.builtin.shell

Execute commands through the shell.

- name: Find large files
  ansible.builtin.shell: find /var/log -name "*.log" -size +100M | head -10
  register: large_files
  changed_when: false

16. ansible.builtin.raw

Execute commands without Python (for bootstrapping).

- name: Install Python on minimal host
  ansible.builtin.raw: apt-get install -y python3

17. ansible.builtin.script

Transfer and execute a local script on remote hosts.

- name: Run setup script
  ansible.builtin.script: scripts/setup.sh
  args:
    creates: /opt/myapp/.installed

See also: Ansible Development: Write Custom Modules, Plugins & Collections

User and Group Modules

18. ansible.builtin.user

Manage user accounts.

- name: Create application user
  ansible.builtin.user:
    name: deploy
    groups: sudo,docker
    shell: /bin/bash
    create_home: true
    generate_ssh_key: true

19. ansible.builtin.group

Manage groups.

- name: Create application group
  ansible.builtin.group:
    name: myapp
    gid: 1050
    state: present

20. ansible.posix.authorized_key

Manage SSH authorized keys.

- name: Add SSH key
  ansible.posix.authorized_key:
    user: deploy
    key: "{{ lookup('file', '~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub') }}"

System Modules

21. ansible.builtin.cron

Manage cron jobs.

- name: Schedule backup
  ansible.builtin.cron:
    name: "Daily backup"
    minute: "0"
    hour: "2"
    job: "/opt/scripts/backup.sh >> /var/log/backup.log 2>&1"

22. ansible.builtin.hostname

Set the system hostname.

- name: Set hostname
  ansible.builtin.hostname:
    name: "web-{{ inventory_hostname_short }}"

23. ansible.builtin.sysctl

Manage kernel parameters.

- name: Enable IP forwarding
  ansible.builtin.sysctl:
    name: net.ipv4.ip_forward
    value: '1'
    sysctl_set: true
    state: present
    reload: true

24. ansible.builtin.mount

Manage mount points.

- name: Mount NFS share
  ansible.builtin.mount:
    path: /mnt/shared
    src: nfs-server:/exports/shared
    fstype: nfs
    opts: rw,sync
    state: mounted

Network and Web Modules

25. ansible.builtin.get_url

Download files from HTTP/HTTPS/FTP.

- name: Download binary
  ansible.builtin.get_url:
    url: https://example.com/app-v2.0.tar.gz
    dest: /tmp/app.tar.gz
    checksum: sha256:abc123...

26. ansible.builtin.uri

Make HTTP requests (API calls, health checks).

- name: Check API health
  ansible.builtin.uri:
    url: http://localhost:8080/health
    method: GET
    status_code: 200
  register: health_check

Archive and Source Modules

27. ansible.builtin.unarchive

Extract archives on remote hosts.

- name: Extract application
  ansible.builtin.unarchive:
    src: /tmp/app.tar.gz
    dest: /opt/myapp/
    remote_src: true

28. ansible.builtin.git

Clone and manage Git repositories.

- name: Clone application repo
  ansible.builtin.git:
    repo: https://github.com/org/app.git
    dest: /opt/myapp
    version: main
    force: true

Debug and Control Modules

29. ansible.builtin.debug

Print messages and variables.

- name: Show variable
  ansible.builtin.debug:
    msg: "Server {{ inventory_hostname }} has IP {{ ansible_default_ipv4.address }}"

30. ansible.builtin.assert

Validate conditions.

- name: Verify enough disk space
  ansible.builtin.assert:
    that:
      - ansible_mounts | selectattr('mount','equalto','/') | map(attribute='size_available') | first > 1073741824
    fail_msg: "Less than 1GB free on /"
    success_msg: "Disk space OK"

Module Categories Overview

| Category | Key Modules | Count in Ansible | |----------|------------|-----------------| | Files | copy, template, file, lineinfile | 15+ | | Packages | apt, dnf, pip, package | 20+ | | Services | service, systemd | 5+ | | Commands | command, shell, raw, script | 5+ | | Users | user, group, authorized_key | 5+ | | System | cron, hostname, sysctl, mount | 20+ | | Network | uri, get_url, firewalld | 15+ | | Cloud | ec2, azure, gcp modules | 300+ | | Containers | docker_container, k8s | 30+ | | Database | mysql_db, postgresql_db | 15+ |

FAQ

How do I find all available modules?

ansible-doc -l                    # List all modules
ansible-doc -l | grep docker     # Filter by keyword
ansible-doc ansible.builtin.copy # Module documentation

What is FQCN and should I use it?

FQCN (Fully Qualified Collection Name) like ansible.builtin.copy is required in modern Ansible. It prevents naming conflicts and makes dependencies clear.

How do I write a custom module?

Create a Python script in a library/ directory. It must accept JSON input and return JSON with changed, failed, and msg fields.

Conclusion

Master these 30 modules and you'll handle 90% of automation tasks. Each module's full documentation is available via ansible-doc.

For detailed tutorials on every module, visit AnsiblePilot.

File Management

# copy — Copy files to remote
- copy: { src: app.conf, dest: /etc/app.conf, mode: '0644' }
# template — Jinja2 templates
- template: { src: config.j2, dest: /etc/app.conf }
# file — File properties / create / delete
- file: { path: /opt/myapp, state: directory, mode: '0755' }
# lineinfile — Manage single lines
- lineinfile: { path: /etc/hosts, line: "10.0.1.10 db.local" }
# blockinfile — Manage text blocks
- blockinfile: { path: /etc/ssh/sshd_config, block: "PermitRootLogin no" }
# get_url — Download files
- get_url: { url: "https://example.com/file.tar.gz", dest: /tmp/ }
# unarchive — Extract archives
- unarchive: { src: /tmp/app.tar.gz, dest: /opt/, remote_src: true }
# fetch — Download from remote to local
- fetch: { src: /var/log/app.log, dest: /tmp/logs/ }
# stat — Check file properties
- stat: { path: /opt/myapp }
# find — Search for files
- find: { paths: /var/log, patterns: "*.log", age: "30d" }
# synchronize — rsync wrapper
- synchronize: { src: /opt/src/, dest: /opt/dest/ }

Packages

# apt — Debian/Ubuntu
- apt: { name: nginx, state: present, update_cache: true }
# yum/dnf — RHEL/Fedora
- yum: { name: httpd, state: present }
- dnf: { name: httpd, state: present }
# pip — Python packages
- pip: { name: flask, state: present, virtualenv: /opt/venv }
# package — OS-agnostic
- package: { name: git, state: present }
# apt_repository — Add repos
- apt_repository: { repo: "ppa:nginx/stable" }

System

# service/systemd — Manage services
- service: { name: nginx, state: started, enabled: true }
- systemd: { name: nginx, state: restarted, daemon_reload: true }
# user — User accounts
- user: { name: deploy, groups: [sudo], shell: /bin/bash }
# group — Groups
- group: { name: developers, state: present }
# cron — Scheduled tasks
- cron: { name: "backup", minute: "0", hour: "2", job: "/opt/backup.sh" }
# hostname — Set hostname
- hostname: { name: web1.example.com }
# sysctl — Kernel parameters
- sysctl: { name: net.ipv4.ip_forward, value: "1" }
# mount — Manage mounts
- mount: { path: /data, src: /dev/sdb1, fstype: ext4, state: mounted }

Commands

# command — Run command (no shell)
- command: /opt/scripts/deploy.sh
# shell — Run through shell (pipes work)
- shell: cat /etc/hosts | grep db
# raw — Raw SSH (no Python needed)
- raw: apt-get install -y python3
# script — Run local script remotely
- script: scripts/setup.sh
# expect — Interactive commands
- expect: { command: passwd user, responses: { "password": "secret" } }

Cloud

# amazon.aws.ec2_instance
- ec2_instance: { name: web1, instance_type: t3.medium, image_id: ami-abc }
# amazon.aws.s3_object
- s3_object: { bucket: myapp, object: backup.gz, src: /tmp/backup.gz }
# community.docker.docker_container
- docker_container: { name: nginx, image: "nginx:latest", ports: ["80:80"] }

Networking

# uri — HTTP requests
- uri: { url: "https://api.example.com/health", status_code: 200 }
# wait_for — Wait for port/condition
- wait_for: { port: 8080, host: localhost, delay: 5, timeout: 60 }
# firewalld — Firewall rules
- firewalld: { port: 80/tcp, permanent: true, state: enabled }

Info Gathering

# setup — Gather facts
- setup: { filter: "ansible_*_mb" }
# debug — Print info
- debug: { msg: "{{ ansible_hostname }}" }
# assert — Validate conditions
- assert: { that: "ansible_memtotal_mb >= 2048", fail_msg: "Need 2GB RAM" }
# set_fact — Set variables
- set_fact: { deploy_time: "{{ ansible_date_time.iso8601 }}" }
# include_vars — Load variables
- include_vars: { file: "{{ env }}.yml" }

FAQ

How to find the right module?

ansible-doc -l | grep keyword

What about deprecated modules?

Modules like yum → ansible.builtin.dnf, old docker_container → community.docker.docker_container. Check docs for migration paths.

Related Articles

• Jinja2 templating in Ansible • using when in Ansible playbooks • organizing hosts with Ansible inventory • Docker Compose with Ansible • amazon.aws collection walkthrough