ansible/docs/docsite/rst/user_guide/collections_using.rst

Using collections

Collections are a distribution format for Ansible content that can include playbooks, roles, modules, and plugins. You can install and use collections through Ansible Galaxy.

Installing collections

Installing collections with ansible-galaxy

Installing an older version of a collection

Install multiple collections with a requirements file

Configuring the ansible-galaxy client

Using collections in a Playbook

Once installed, you can reference a collection content by its fully qualified collection name (FQCN):

- hosts: all
  tasks:
    - my_namespace.my_collection.mymodule:
        option1: value

This works for roles or any type of plugin distributed within the collection:

- hosts: all
  tasks:
    - import_role:
        name: my_namespace.my_collection.role1

    - my_namespace.mycollection.mymodule:
        option1: value

    - debug:
        msg: '{{ lookup("my_namespace.my_collection.lookup1", 'param1')| my_namespace.my_collection.filter1 }}'

Simplifying module names with the collections keyword

The collections keyword lets you define a list of collections that your role or playbook should search for unqualified module and action names. So you can use the collections keyword, then simply refer to modules and action plugins by their short-form names throughout that role or playbook.

Warning

If your playbook uses both the collections keyword and one or more roles, the roles do not inherit the collections set by the playbook. See below for details.

Using collections in roles

Within a role, you can control which collections Ansible searches for the tasks inside the role using the collections keyword in the role's metadata/main.yml. Ansible will use the collections list defined inside the role even if the playbook that calls the role defines different collections in a separate collections keyword entry. Roles defined inside a collection always implicitly search their own collection first, so you don't need to use the collections keyword to access modules, actions, or other roles contained in the same collection.

# myrole/metadata/main.yml
collections:
  - my_namespace.first_collection
  - my_namespace.second_collection
  - other_namespace.other_collection

Using collections in playbooks

In a playbook, you can control the collections Ansible searches for modules and action plugins to execute. However, any roles you call in your playbook define their own collections search order; they do not inherit the calling playbook's settings. This is true even if the role does not define its own collections keyword.

- hosts: all
  collections:
   - my_namespace.my_collection
  tasks:
    - import_role:
        name: role1

    - mymodule:
        option1: value

    - debug:
        msg: '{{ lookup("my_namespace.my_collection.lookup1", 'param1')| my_namespace.my_collection.filter1 }}'

The collections keyword merely creates an ordered 'search path' for non-namespaced plugin and role references. It does not install content or otherwise change Ansible's behavior around the loading of plugins or roles. Note that an FQCN is still required for non-action or module plugins (e.g., lookups, filters, tests).

developing_collections

Develop or modify a collection.

collections_galaxy_meta

Understand the collections metadata structure.

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