Creating a New Ansible Collection: A Step-by-Step Guide — Video Tutorial

Introduction Ansible Collections are a powerful way to organize and distribute your Ansible content, including modules, plugins, roles, and more. They allow you to package and share your automation resources in a structured and reusable manner. In this tutorial, we'll walk you through the process of creating a new Ansible Collection using the `ansible-galaxy` command-line tool. Links - [Creating collections](https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/dev_guide/developing_collections_creating.html) - [Developing collections](https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/dev_guide/developing_collections.html) Step by step **Step 1: Installation and Prerequisites** Before you start, ensure that you have Ansible and the `ansible-galaxy` command-line tool installed on your system. If not, you can install Ansible by following the official documentation. Once installed, you'll be ready to create your new Ansible Collection. **Step 2: Initialize a New Collection** To create a new collection, open your terminal and run the following command: ```bash ansible-galaxy collection init test.test ``` This command initializes a new collection named `test.test`. You should see an output confirming that the collection was created successfully. ```bash ansible-galaxy collection init test.test - Collection test.test was created successfully ``` **Step 3: Explore the Collection Structure** After creating the collection, navigate to the collection's directory. You can use the following command: ```bash cd test/test ``` Inside this directory, you'll find several subdirectories and files that make up your Ansible Collection's structure: - `docs/`: This directory is where you can add documentation related to your collection. - `galaxy.yml`: This file contains metadata about your collection, including its name, description, and author information. - `meta/`: This directory stores files related to the metadata of your collection, such as the runtime configuration. - `plugins/`: This directory is where you can add custom plugins. - `README.md`: This file provides information about your collection and its usage. - `roles/`: This directory is where you can add roles specific to your collection. Content of the "`test/test`" directory: ```bash . └── test └── test ├── docs ├── galaxy.yml ├── meta │ └── runtime.yml ├── plugins │ └── README.md ├── README.md └── roles 6 directories, 4 files ``` **Step 4: Making Necessary Changes** At this point, you can start making the necessary changes to your collection. You can add new modules, plugins, roles, or any other content your automation requires. Modify the `galaxy.yml` file to reflect your collection's information accurately. **Step 5: Building the Collection** It's time to build the collection once you've made the required changes and added your content. Building the collection packages all your content into a distributable archive. In your collection