Mastering Python Networking - Second Edition

The Ansible include and roles

The best way to handle complex tasks is to break them down into smaller pieces. Of course, this approach is common in both Python and network engineering. In Python, we break complicated code into functions, classes, modules, and packages. In networking, we also break large networks into sections such as racks, rows, clusters, and datacenters. In Ansible, we can use roles and includes to segment and organize a large playbook into multiple files. Breaking up a large Ansible playbook simplifies the structure as each of the files focuses on fewer tasks. It also allows the sections of the playbook to be reused.