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Strategy: create separate variable file for each host and each group

These variable files should be in YAML format

If your playbooks are in <code>playbooks/</code>, and your hosts file is in <code>playbooks/hosts</code>, then you would organize the directory as follows:

* put variables for the host <code>california.example.com</code> into the file <code>playbooks/host_vars/california.example.com</code>
* put variables for the production group in the file <code>playbooks/group_vars/production</code>

==Examples==

===Example of flat group variables file===

Here is an example of how group variables could be used for a production environment, and all defined in a single file:

'''<code>group_vars/production</code>:'''

<pre>
db_primary_host: rhodeisland.example.com
db_primary_port=5432
db_replica_host: virginia.example.com
db_name: widget_production
db_user: widgetuser
db_password: pFmMxcyD;Fc6)6
rabbitmq_host:pennsylvania.example.com
rabbitmq_port=5672
</pre>

Variables are accessed using the Jinja template variable notation:

<pre>
{{ db_primary_host }}
</pre>

===Example of YAML group variables file===

The group variables file can also be represented with YAML:

'''<code>group_vars/production</code>:'''

<pre>
db:
    user: widgetuser
    password: pFmMxcyD;Fc6)6
    name: widget_production
    primary:
        host: rhodeisland.example.com
        port: 5432
    replica:
        host: virginia.example.com
        port: 5432

rabbitmq:
    host: pennsylvania.example.com
    port: 5672
</pre>

Variables are accessed using nested variable notation:

<pre>
{{ db.primary.host }}
</pre>

==Further breakdown==

You can break it down even further by making <code>production</code> a directory, and then further group variables into separate files (e.g., one per service).

Rule of thumb: keep it simple. Only use this approach if you really need to.


=Flags=

[[Category:Ansible]]
[[Category:Ansible Hosts]]
[[Category:Infrastructure]]
[[Category:Python]]