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kevinveenbirkenbachandClaude Opus 4.7
f722e676ca
Rename the third flag returned by lookup('service', ...) from 'needed'
to 'required' across code, tests and design docs. Same semantics: True
when some deployed app has the service with both enabled: true AND
shared: true, directly or transitively through its own enabled service
dependencies.
The new name reads as a contract ("this service is required by a real
consumer") rather than a suggestion ("something needs it"), which
matches the stricter-than-enabled semantic the flag already carries.
Touchpoints:
- plugins/lookup/service.py: _is_service_needed → _is_service_required,
any_needed var, dict key in _compute_flags, docstring rationale.
- roles/sys-utils-service-loader/tasks/main.yml: caller switched to
.required.
- roles/web-app-wordpress/config/main.yml + tasks/plugins/wp-discourse.yml:
wp-discourse plugin gate uses lookup('service', 'discourse').required;
compose.services.discourse declared as shared-service dependency so
the service loader auto-loads web-app-discourse when inventory sets
enabled: true. The legacy include_tasks: utils/load_app.yml in
plugins/wp-discourse.yml is removed — the service loader now handles
it.
- tests/unit/plugins/lookup/test_service.py: 25 assertions and 6 test
method names renamed (test_needed_* → test_required_*,
test_transitive_needed_resolved,
test_direct_provider_is_not_needed_without_shared_flag).
- tests/integration/services/test_transitive_dependencies.py: one
assertion renamed.
- docs/contributing/design/services/base.md: Lookup-Plugins section
replaces the 'needed' bullet with an expanded 'required' entry that
documents when consumers should gate on it and why plain enabled is
not enough.
Also moves wordpress-app-specific keys (title, max_upload_size,
plugins) under compose.services.wordpress to match the convention
the other role keys already follow, and updates vars/main.yml lookup
paths accordingly.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 <noreply@anthropic.com>
🧩 Ansible Plugins (plugins/)
This document is the central reference for plugin types and plugin placement in Infinito.Nexus.
🗂️ Current Project Layout
plugins/
├── action/ # custom action plugins
├── filter/ # custom Jinja2 filters
└── lookup/ # custom lookup plugins
Configured plugin paths in this repository are defined in ansible.cfg:
action_plugins = ./plugins/actionfilter_plugins = ./plugins/filterlookup_plugins = ./plugins/lookup
📚 All Common Ansible Plugin Types
The table below summarizes common Ansible plugin types and their conventional directory names.
| Emoji | Plugin Type | Conventional Directory | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| ⚙️ | action |
action_plugins/ or plugins/action/ |
Wrap/extend module execution behavior at task runtime. |
| 🔐 | become |
become_plugins/ |
Implement privilege escalation methods. |
| 💾 | cache |
cache_plugins/ |
Persist gathered facts and cached data between runs. |
| 📣 | callback |
callback_plugins/ |
React to play/task events (logging, reporting, notifications). |
| 🖧 | cliconf |
cliconf_plugins/ |
Define CLI command transport behavior (mainly network platforms). |
| 🔌 | connection |
connection_plugins/ |
Control how Ansible connects to targets (ssh, local, etc.). |
| 🔍 | filter |
filter_plugins/ or plugins/filter/ |
Add Jinja2 filters for data transformation. |
| 🌐 | httpapi |
httpapi_plugins/ |
API transport layer over HTTP(S), mainly for network devices. |
| 🧭 | inventory |
inventory_plugins/ |
Build dynamic inventories from APIs, services, or files. |
| 👉 | lookup |
lookup_plugins/ or plugins/lookup/ |
Resolve dynamic values during playbook processing. |
| 🛰️ | netconf |
netconf_plugins/ |
NETCONF transport integration for network automation. |
| 🐚 | shell |
shell_plugins/ |
Adjust shell command wrapping/execution behavior. |
| 🧠 | strategy |
strategy_plugins/ |
Customize task scheduling/execution strategy. |
| ✅ | test |
test_plugins/ |
Add Jinja2 tests used in conditions and templates. |
| 📦 | vars |
vars_plugins/ |
Load variables from custom sources. |
🧭 Which Plugin Type to Use
⚙️ action
Use when task execution behavior itself must be changed or wrapped.
Examples:
- centralized retry logic (
uri_retry.py), - argument normalization before module dispatch,
- pre/post task orchestration.
🔍 filter
Use for pure data transformation in Jinja2 expressions.
Examples:
- mapping/normalizing dictionaries,
- deriving computed fields for templates,
- deterministic formatting helpers.
👉 lookup
Use when a value must be dynamically resolved at runtime.
Examples:
- computing IDs from role metadata,
- resolving paths/version data,
- reading structured project data for templates/tasks.
📣 callback
Use to hook into execution events and shape output/reporting.
🧭 inventory
Use when host/group data should come from a dynamic source.
🧠 strategy
Use to alter how tasks are scheduled/executed across hosts.
📦 vars
Use to load variables from custom backends.
🔌🔐🐚 connection, become, shell
Use to customize low-level execution and privilege mechanics.
💾 cache
Use to persist facts/results across runs for performance and consistency.
🖧🌐🛰️ cliconf, httpapi, netconf
Use in network automation contexts requiring protocol-specific transport behavior.
✅ test
Use to add custom Jinja2 test operators for conditional logic.
🧪 Best Practices
- Keep plugin interfaces explicit and stable.
- Keep plugin logic focused; move shared logic to
utils/. - Add unit tests for plugin behavior and integration tests for end-to-end flows.
- Prefer deterministic outputs and avoid hidden global state.
- Document any plugin-specific task arguments in the plugin docstring and README.
🔗 References
- Ansible plugin development: https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/dev_guide/developing_plugins.html
- Ansible plugin index (all types): https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/plugins/plugins.html
- Ansible
ansible-docplugin types:ansible-doc -t ...