Simplifying Ansible Output with the community.general.unixy Callback Plugin — Video Tutorial

Introduction Ansible is a powerful open-source automation tool that simplifies configuration management, application deployment, and task automation. When running Ansible playbooks, the default output can sometimes be overwhelming, especially when dealing with a large number of hosts and tasks. The `community.general.unixy` callback plugin offers a condensed and readable format for Ansible output, resembling the familiar style of LINUX/UNIX startup logs. Understanding Callback Plugins Callback plugins in Ansible allow you to customize and enhance the output generated during playbook execution. The `community.general.unixy` callback plugin is a stdout callback, meaning it alters the standard output format of Ansible when running playbooks. Configuration Setup To enable the `community.general.unixy` callback plugin, you need to make a few configurations in your Ansible setup. In the `ansible.cfg` file, add the following lines under the `[defaults]` section: ```ini [defaults] callbacks_enabled = community.general.unixy stdout_callback = community.general.unixy ``` This ensures that the `community.general.unixy` callback plugin is activated and set as the stdout callback. Example Playbook Let's consider a simple Ansible playbook named `ping.yml` that utilizes the `ansible.builtin.ping` module to test the connection to all hosts: ```yaml --- - name: Ping module Playbook hosts: all tasks: - name: Test connection ansible.builtin.ping: ``` In the provided inventory file (`inventory`), the connection is set to local: ```yaml localhost ansible_connection=local ``` Running Playbooks Without and With Unixy Callback Without Unixy: ```bash ansible-playbook -i inventory ping.yml ``` The default output might look like this: ``` PLAY [Ping module Playbook] ***************************************************************** TASK [Gathering Facts] ****************************************************************** [WARNING]: Platform darwin on host localhost is using the discovered Python interpreter at /opt/homebrew/bin/python3.12, but future installation of another Python interpreter could change the meaning of that path. See https://docs.ansible.com/ansible- core/2.16/reference_appendices/interpreter_discovery.html for more information. ok: [localhost] TASK [Test connection] ****************************************************************** ok: [localhost] PLAY RECAP ****************************************************************************** localhost : ok=2 changed=0 unreachable=0 failed=0 skipped=0 rescued=0 ignored=0 ``` With Unixy: ```bash ansible-playbook -i inventory ping.yml ``` Enabling the Unixy callback plugin results in a more concise and readable output: ``` Executing playbook ping.yml - Ping module Playbook on hosts: all - Gathering Facts... [WARNING]: Platform darwin on host localhost is using the discovered Python interpreter at /opt/homebrew/bin/python3.12, but future in