Why use `import_tasks` over `include_tasks`?

In Ansible, both import_tasks and include_tasks are used to include task files, but they have different behaviors and use cases:

import_tasks

• Static Inclusion: The tasks are imported at playbook parse time. This means that the tasks are included in the playbook before execution starts.
• Performance: Since the tasks are loaded once at the beginning, it can lead to better performance in some scenarios.
• No Dynamic Behavior: You cannot use variables to determine which tasks to import; the tasks are fixed at the time of playbook parsing.

include_tasks

• Dynamic Inclusion: The tasks are included at runtime, which allows for more dynamic behavior. You can use variables to determine which tasks to include.
• Flexibility: This is useful for scenarios where you want to conditionally include tasks based on certain criteria or variables.
• Overhead: There may be a slight performance overhead since tasks are included during execution.

When to Use

• Use import_tasks when you have a fixed set of tasks that do not change based on conditions.
• Use include_tasks when you need to include tasks dynamically based on variables or conditions.

Example

# Using import_tasks
- import_tasks: tasks.yml

# Using include_tasks
- include_tasks: tasks.yml
  when: some_condition

Choose based on your specific needs for task inclusion in your playbooks.