kevinveenbirkenbachandClaude Opus 5.5
474849a39c
Two bots bumped the one baudolo version independently. The pip pin updater rewrites the literal package_name pin in roles/svc-bkp-volume-2-local/tasks/01_install.yml and opens a PR scoped to roles/<entry>/, and dependabot bumps the same package in pyproject.toml. Each PR alone splits the pins that tests/lint/repository/dependencies/test_baudolo_pin.py holds equal; #995 merged such a split and turned main's test-lint red until #996, and the next upstream release (7.1.2 is tagged) would repeat it. The version lookup now takes an optional distribution name and returns its exact == pin from [project.dependencies]. The install task asks it for backup-docker-to-local, so pyproject.toml is the only place the version lives, dependabot is the only bot that moves it, and the pip updater no longer finds a literal to bump. The lint now forbids a literal pin in the task and requires the lookup. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
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 unifiedmeta/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/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: docs.ansible.com
- Ansible plugin index (all types): docs.ansible.com
- Ansible
ansible-docplugin types:ansible-doc -t ...