Files
computer-playbook/plugins
kevinveenbirkenbachandClaude Opus 5.5 99123762df Merge branch 'feature/updater' into feature/store-i18n
16 conflicts, resolved per hunk:

- sys-stk-front-proxy: tasks/main.yml keeps the network-sibling loop;
  the single stack_host_contents write of http.conf plus vhost and the
  front_proxy_vhost_changed gate move into tasks/vhost.yml, with the
  http.conf decided per sibling domain so an onion vhost gets no HTTPS
  redirect.
- sys-front-tls: 01_http.yml is gone as the updater intends; the
  cert-renew include in main.yml gates on the vhost domain's TLS.
- sys-svc-compose: the updater's resolve_host_cid without the remote
  echo and the prepared pending flag in up.yml, written with
  IS_SWARM_MODE and the repeated-when block grouping.
- web-app-nextcloud: the updater's post-upgrade gate and pending-only
  plugin configuration, which already carry the pinned-plugin handling.
- web-app-xwiki: one XWIKI_CORE_VERSION for the readiness probe and
  style.css.j2; OIDC/LDAP follow xwiki_extensions_ready at bootstrap,
  the S3 blob store stays off there as TestBlobstoreRenderOrder demands.
- roles_with_service: onion swap and dashboard card key combined, the
  canonical domain is the canonical URL's host in both branches.
- sys-ctl-hlth-csp: --clearnet-timeout and --concurrency together;
  run_checker forwards its options to build_docker_cmd, keeping the
  script under the 500-line limit.
- web-app-matrix: Element branding and web_client_location side by side.
- web-app-stalwart/README.md: the generated Cosmos section is dropped.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-10-25 23:47:07 +01:00
..
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Ansible Plugins (plugins/) 🧩

This document is the central reference for plugin types and plugin placement in Infinito.Nexus.

Not to be confused with application addons. This plugins/ directory holds Ansible plugins (action / filter / lookup) that extend the automation engine itself. Some applications also call their own extensions "plugins" (e.g. Nextcloud, WordPress). Those application-level extensions, whatever the app calls them natively, are declared through the unified meta/addons/ contract, documented in Unified Addons. An app "plugin" is an addon; an Ansible plugin lives here.

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/action
  • filter_plugins = ./plugins/filter
  • lookup_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 🔗