Ansible slurp Module: Read File Content from Remote Hosts (ansible.builtin.slurp)

By Luca Berton · Published 2022-01-25 · Category: troubleshooting

Ansible slurp module guide: read file content from remote hosts as base64. Learn b64decode, parse JSON, and compare configurations.

Ansible slurp Module: Read File Content from Remote Hosts (ansible.builtin.slurp)

Ansible slurp: Read Files from Remote Hosts

Ansible slurp is a module that reads files from remote hosts and returns their content as base64-encoded data. This guide shows you how to use slurp to read and decode remote files like /proc/cpuinfo, configuration files, and more.

Ansible Read file from remote hosts

ansible.builtin.slurp
Slurps a file from remote nodes
Fetching a base64-encoded blob of the data in a remote file.

Today we're talking about the Ansible module slurp. The full name is ansible.builtin.slurp which means is part of the collection of modules "builtin" with ansible and shipped with it. This module is pretty stable and out for years and supports Linux and Windows targets. The purpose is to slurp a file from a remote location. Please note that the read operation is going to fetch a base64-encoded blob containing the data in a remote file.

Parameters

src string - Remote file path

This module has only one parameter "src", which is also mandatory. The parameter "src" specifies the source files in the remote hosts. It must be a file, not a directory.

Links

ansible.builtin.slurp

## Playbook

Read a file from remote hosts with Ansible Playbook.

code

---
- name: slurp module Playbook
  hosts: all
  become: false
  vars:
    remotefile: "/proc/cpuinfo"
  tasks:
    - name: slurp remote file
      ansible.builtin.slurp:
        src: "{{ remotefile }}"
      register: slurpfile

    - name: print remote file
      ansible.builtin.debug:
        msg: "{{ slurpfile['content'] | b64decode }}"

execution

ansible-pilot $ ansible-playbook -i virtualmachines/demo/inventory read\ file\ from\ remote\ hosts/slurp.yml
PLAY [slurp module Playbook] **************************************************************************
TASK [Gathering Facts] ****************************************************************************
ok: [demo.example.com]
TASK [slurp remote file] **************************************************************************
ok: [demo.example.com]
TASK [print remote file] **************************************************************************
ok: [demo.example.com] => {
    "msg": "processor\t: 0\nvendor_id\t: GenuineIntel\ncpu family\t: 6\nmodel\t\t: 158\nmodel name\t: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-9750H CPU @ 2.60GHz\nstepping\t: 10\ncpu MHz\t\t: 2591.998\ncache size\t: 12288 KB\nphysical id\t: 0\nsiblings\t: 1\ncore id\t\t: 0\ncpu cores\t: 1\napicid\t\t: 0\ninitial apicid\t: 0\nfpu\t\t: yes\nfpu_exception\t: yes\ncpuid level\t: 22\nwp\t\t: yes\nflags\t\t: fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush mmx fxsr sse sse2 ht syscall nx rdtscp lm constant_tsc rep_good nopl xtopology nonstop_tsc cpuid tsc_known_freq pni pclmulqdq monitor ssse3 cx16 pcid sse4_1 sse4_2 x2apic movbe popcnt aes xsave avx rdrand hypervisor lahf_lm abm 3dnowprefetch invpcid_single pti fsgsbase avx2 invpcid rdseed clflushopt md_clear flush_l1d\nbugs\t\t: cpu_meltdown spectre_v1 spectre_v2 spec_store_bypass l1tf mds swapgs itlb_multihit srbds\nbogomips\t: 5183.99\nclflush size\t: 64\ncache_alignment\t: 64\naddress sizes\t: 39 bits physical, 48 bits virtual\npower management:\n\n"
}
PLAY RECAP ****************************************************************************************
demo.example.com           : ok=3    changed=0    unreachable=0    failed=0    skipped=0    rescued=0    ignored=0
ansible-pilot $

idempotency

ansible-pilot $ ansible-playbook -i virtualmachines/demo/inventory read\ file\ from\ remote\ hosts/slurp.yml
PLAY [slurp module Playbook] **************************************************************************
TASK [Gathering Facts] ****************************************************************************
ok: [demo.example.com]
TASK [slurp remote file] **************************************************************************
ok: [demo.example.com]
TASK [print remote file] **************************************************************************
ok: [demo.example.com] => {
    "msg": "processor\t: 0\nvendor_id\t: GenuineIntel\ncpu family\t: 6\nmodel\t\t: 158\nmodel name\t: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-9750H CPU @ 2.60GHz\nstepping\t: 10\ncpu MHz\t\t: 2591.998\ncache size\t: 12288 KB\nphysical id\t: 0\nsiblings\t: 1\ncore id\t\t: 0\ncpu cores\t: 1\napicid\t\t: 0\ninitial apicid\t: 0\nfpu\t\t: yes\nfpu_exception\t: yes\ncpuid level\t: 22\nwp\t\t: yes\nflags\t\t: fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush mmx fxsr sse sse2 ht syscall nx rdtscp lm constant_tsc rep_good nopl xtopology nonstop_tsc cpuid tsc_known_freq pni pclmulqdq monitor ssse3 cx16 pcid sse4_1 sse4_2 x2apic movbe popcnt aes xsave avx rdrand hypervisor lahf_lm abm 3dnowprefetch invpcid_single pti fsgsbase avx2 invpcid rdseed clflushopt md_clear flush_l1d\nbugs\t\t: cpu_meltdown spectre_v1 spectre_v2 spec_store_bypass l1tf mds swapgs itlb_multihit srbds\nbogomips\t: 5183.99\nclflush size\t: 64\ncache_alignment\t: 64\naddress sizes\t: 39 bits physical, 48 bits virtual\npower management:\n\n"
}
PLAY RECAP ****************************************************************************************
demo.example.com           : ok=3    changed=0    unreachable=0    failed=0    skipped=0    rescued=0    ignored=0
ansible-pilot $

verification

ansible-pilot $ ssh devops@demo.example.com
Last login: Tue Jan 25 14:29:36 2022 from 192.168.0.102
[devops@demo ~]$ cat /proc/cpuinfo 
processor : 0
vendor_id : GenuineIntel
cpu family : 6
model  : 158
model name : Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-9750H CPU @ 2.60GHz
stepping : 10
cpu MHz  : 2591.998
cache size : 12288 KB
physical id : 0
siblings : 1
core id  : 0
cpu cores : 1
apicid  : 0
initial apicid : 0
fpu  : yes
fpu_exception : yes
cpuid level : 22
wp  : yes
flags  : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush mmx fxsr sse sse2 ht syscall nx rdtscp lm constant_tsc rep_good nopl xtopology nonstop_tsc cpuid tsc_known_freq pni pclmulqdq monitor ssse3 cx16 pcid sse4_1 sse4_2 x2apic movbe popcnt aes xsave avx rdrand hypervisor lahf_lm abm 3dnowprefetch invpcid_single pti fsgsbase avx2 invpcid rdseed clflushopt md_clear flush_l1d
bugs  : cpu_meltdown spectre_v1 spectre_v2 spec_store_bypass l1tf mds swapgs itlb_multihit srbds
bogomips : 5183.99
clflush size : 64
cache_alignment : 64
address sizes : 39 bits physical, 48 bits virtual
power management:
[devops@demo ~]$

code with ❤️ in GitHub

Conclusion

Now you know how to read a file from remote hosts with Ansible.

Basic slurp

- name: Read remote file
  ansible.builtin.slurp:
    src: /etc/hostname
  register: hostname_file

- debug:
    msg: "Hostname: {{ hostname_file.content | b64decode | trim }}"

Read and Parse JSON

- slurp:
    src: /opt/myapp/config.json
  register: config_raw

- set_fact:
    app_config: "{{ config_raw.content | b64decode | from_json }}"

- debug:
    msg: "DB host: {{ app_config.database.host }}, Port: {{ app_config.database.port }}"

Read and Parse YAML

- slurp:
    src: /etc/myapp/settings.yml
  register: settings_raw

- set_fact:
    settings: "{{ settings_raw.content | b64decode | from_yaml }}"

Check Config Value

- slurp:
    src: /etc/ssh/sshd_config
  register: sshd_config
  become: true

- set_fact:
    sshd_content: "{{ sshd_config.content | b64decode }}"

- fail:
    msg: "Root login is enabled!"
  when: sshd_content is search('PermitRootLogin\s+yes')

Compare Files Across Hosts

- slurp:
    src: /etc/myapp/config.yml
  register: host_config

- set_fact:
    config_checksum: "{{ host_config.content | b64decode | hash('sha256') }}"

- debug:
    msg: "Config differs from primary!"
  when: config_checksum != hostvars[groups['primary'][0]].config_checksum

Read Binary File

- slurp:
    src: /etc/ssl/certs/myapp.crt
  register: cert_file

# Write to another host
- copy:
    content: "{{ cert_file.content | b64decode }}"
    dest: /etc/ssl/certs/myapp.crt
  delegate_to: other_host

Conditional Read

- stat: { path: /etc/myapp/custom.conf }
  register: custom_conf

- slurp:
    src: /etc/myapp/custom.conf
  register: custom_content
  when: custom_conf.stat.exists

- set_fact:
    config: "{{ (custom_content.content | b64decode) if custom_conf.stat.exists else 'default_config' }}"

slurp vs lookup('file') vs fetch

Method	Runs On	Returns	Use Case
`slurp`	Remote	Base64 string	Read remote into variable
`lookup('file')`	Controller	Plain text	Read local file
`fetch`	Remote → Local	File on disk	Download remote file
`command: cat`	Remote	stdout	Quick read (not idempotent)

Key Points

Returns base64-encoded content — always decode with | b64decode
Loads entire file into memory — avoid for files >10MB
Works with binary files (certs, images)
Requires read permission on the remote file

FAQ

Why base64?

To safely transfer any content including binary data and special characters without corruption.

"Permission denied" error?

Add become: true to read files owned by root or other users.

Can I slurp a directory?

No — slurp only reads single files. Use find + loop for multiple files, or fetch for directories.

How do I handle large files?

For files >10MB, use fetch to download to controller instead. slurp loads the entire file into memory.

Category: troubleshooting

Watch the video: Ansible slurp Module: Read File Content from Remote Hosts (ansible.builtin.slurp) — Video Tutorial

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