interactive

name	interactive
description	Use when guiding someone through Ansible setup step-by-step. Use when starting a new Ansible project from scratch. Use when teaching Ansible through hands-on development.

Interactive Ansible Development

Interactive development builds automation incrementally with continuous validation. Each component is tested before adding the next. This catches errors early when they're easy to diagnose.

**Environment Analysis** - Gather information before writing any code: - How many servers? (affects inventory organization) - IP addresses/hostnames? (required for inventory) - SSH user and key location? (connection configuration) - Password or key authentication? (determines SSH setup) - Sudo with or without password? (privilege escalation config) - Server roles (web, db, app)? (inventory grouping) - Operating systems? (module selection: apt vs yum)

Verify Ansible is installed: ansible --version

**Project Setup** - Create minimal structure:

mkdir ansible-project && cd ansible-project

Create ansible.cfg:

[defaults]
inventory = ./inventory
host_key_checking = False
stdout_callback = yaml

[privilege_escalation]
become = True
become_method = sudo

Create inventory:

[webservers]
web1 ansible_host=192.168.1.10 ansible_user=admin ansible_ssh_private_key_file=~/.ssh/id_rsa

[dbservers]
db1 ansible_host=192.168.1.20 ansible_user=admin ansible_ssh_private_key_file=~/.ssh/id_rsa

**Connectivity Test** - Always test before writing playbooks:

ansible all -m ping

Interpret results:

• SUCCESS: Proceed to playbooks
• UNREACHABLE: Check ssh -v user@host
• Permission denied: Verify key path, permissions (600)
• Sudo password required: Add --ask-become-pass or configure NOPASSWD

**Incremental Playbook Development** - Start simple, add one task at a time:

Create playbook.yml starting with facts:

---
- hosts: all
  tasks:
    - name: Show OS info
      ansible.builtin.debug:
        msg: "{{ ansible_distribution }} {{ ansible_distribution_version }}"

Run: ansible-playbook playbook.yml

Then add tasks one by one, testing after each addition.

**Validation Cycle** - After each change: 1. Syntax check: `ansible-playbook --syntax-check playbook.yml` 2. Dry run: `ansible-playbook --check --diff playbook.yml` 3. Execute: `ansible-playbook playbook.yml` 4. Verify idempotency: Run again and confirm `changed=0` **Communication Pattern** when guiding users: - Explain what will happen before running commands - After completion, summarize what was accomplished - When multiple approaches exist, present options with tradeoffs - Acknowledge progress at milestones - Stop and debug if any step fails before proceeding

Red Flags - Stop and Debug:

• Adding multiple untested tasks at once
• Skipping --check before real runs
• Ignoring "changed" status on second run
• Not testing SSH before writing playbooks

Phase 2: Project Setup

Create minimal structure:

mkdir ansible-project && cd ansible-project

ansible.cfg:

[defaults]
inventory = ./inventory
host_key_checking = False
stdout_callback = yaml

[privilege_escalation]
become = True
become_method = sudo

inventory:

[webservers]
web1 ansible_host=192.168.1.10 ansible_user=admin ansible_ssh_private_key_file=~/.ssh/id_rsa

[dbservers]
db1 ansible_host=192.168.1.20 ansible_user=admin ansible_ssh_private_key_file=~/.ssh/id_rsa

Phase 3: Connectivity Test

Always test before writing playbooks:

ansible all -m ping

Result	Action
SUCCESS	Proceed to playbooks
UNREACHABLE	Check ssh -v user@host
Permission denied	Verify key path, permissions (600)
Sudo password required	Add --ask-become-pass or configure NOPASSWD

Phase 4: Incremental Playbook Development

Start simple, add one task at a time:

# playbook.yml - start with facts
---
- hosts: all
  tasks:
    - name: Show OS info
      ansible.builtin.debug:
        msg: "{{ ansible_distribution }} {{ ansible_distribution_version }}"

Run: ansible-playbook playbook.yml

Then add tasks one by one, testing after each:

    - name: Ensure nginx installed
      ansible.builtin.package:
        name: nginx
        state: present

Run again. Fix any errors before adding more.

Phase 5: Validation Cycle

After each change:

1. ansible-playbook --syntax-check playbook.yml
2. ansible-playbook --check --diff playbook.yml
3. ansible-playbook playbook.yml
4. Run again—verify changed=0 (idempotency)

Red Flags - Stop and Debug

• Adding multiple untested tasks at once
• Skipping --check before real runs
• Ignoring "changed" on second run
• Not testing SSH before writing playbooks

Communication Pattern

When guiding users:

• Explain what will happen before running commands
• After completion, summarize what was done
• When multiple approaches exist, present options with tradeoffs
• Acknowledge progress at milestones