How to list files and directories in long format with Ansible

Introduction

Ansible is a widely-used IT automation tool that simplifies infrastructure management and deployment. In this lab, we will explore how to list files and directories in long format using Ansible. You will learn how to set up Ansible, create playbooks, and use the built-in modules to list file information from remote systems. By the end of this lab, you will have practical experience with Ansible commands and techniques that can enhance your automation workflows.

Installing and Setting Up Ansible

In this step, we will install Ansible on our system and create a basic inventory file to manage our local environment.

Installing Ansible

First, let's install Ansible using the package manager:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y ansible

After the installation completes, verify that Ansible is installed correctly by checking its version:

ansible --version

You should see output similar to this:

ansible [core 2.12.0]
  config file = /etc/ansible/ansible.cfg
  configured module search path = ['/home/labex/.ansible/plugins/modules', '/usr/share/ansible/plugins/modules']
  ansible python module location = /usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/ansible
  ansible collection location = /home/labex/.ansible/collections:/usr/share/ansible/collections
  executable location = /usr/bin/ansible
  python version = 3.10.x (default, Ubuntu 22.04)
  jinja version = 3.0.3
  libyaml = True

Creating an Ansible Inventory

An inventory file is a list of managed nodes that Ansible can work with. For this lab, we'll create a simple inventory file that includes our local machine.

Create a directory for our Ansible project:

mkdir -p ~/project/ansible-lab
cd ~/project/ansible-lab

Now, create an inventory file using the VS Code editor:

Click on the "Explorer" icon in the left sidebar
Navigate to the ~/project/ansible-lab directory
Right-click and select "New File"
Name the file inventory.ini
Add the following content to the file:

[local]
localhost ansible_connection=local

This inventory file defines a group called local that includes only our localhost, and specifies that Ansible should connect locally rather than using SSH.

Creating the Ansible Configuration File

Let's create a basic Ansible configuration file to specify default settings:

In the Explorer panel, right-click on the ansible-lab directory and select "New File"
Name the file ansible.cfg
Add the following content:

[defaults]
inventory = inventory.ini
host_key_checking = False

This configuration file tells Ansible to use our inventory.ini file by default and disables SSH host key checking, which is useful for lab environments.

Testing the Setup

Let's test our Ansible setup by running a simple command:

cd ~/project/ansible-lab
ansible local -m ping

You should see output similar to this:

localhost | SUCCESS => {
    "changed": false,
    "ping": "pong"
}

This confirms that Ansible is properly configured and can communicate with our local machine.

Creating a Basic Ansible Playbook for Listing Files

In this step, we will create a basic Ansible playbook to list files and directories. Playbooks are YAML files that define a set of tasks to be executed on managed nodes.

Understanding Ansible Playbooks

Before we start creating our playbook, let's understand what a playbook is:

A playbook is a YAML file that contains a list of plays
Each play defines a set of tasks to run on a specific group of hosts
Tasks are individual actions that call Ansible modules
Modules are reusable units of code that perform specific operations

Creating Our First Playbook

Let's create a simple playbook to list the contents of the /etc directory:

In the Explorer panel, navigate to the ~/project/ansible-lab directory
Right-click and select "New File"
Name the file list_files.yml
Add the following content:

---
- name: List files and directories
  hosts: local
  tasks:
    - name: Get directory listing
      command: ls -l /etc
      register: directory_contents

    - name: Display directory contents
      debug:
        var: directory_contents.stdout_lines

Let's understand what this playbook does:

The first line (---) indicates the start of a YAML document
name: List files and directories is a descriptive name for the play
hosts: local specifies that this play will run on hosts in the local group (defined in our inventory)
tasks: begins the list of tasks to execute
The first task runs the command ls -l /etc and stores the result in a variable called directory_contents
The second task displays the contents of the directory_contents.stdout_lines variable

Running the Playbook

Now let's run our playbook:

cd ~/project/ansible-lab
ansible-playbook list_files.yml

You should see output similar to this:

PLAY [List files and directories] *****************************************************

TASK [Gathering Facts] ****************************************************************
ok: [localhost]

TASK [Get directory listing] **********************************************************
changed: [localhost]

TASK [Display directory contents] *****************************************************
ok: [localhost] => {
    "directory_contents.stdout_lines": [
        "total 1088",
        "drwxr-xr-x  2 root root    4096 Apr 15 12:34 acpi",
        "drwxr-xr-x  3 root root    4096 Apr 15 12:34 alternatives",
        "-rw-r--r--  1 root root    3028 Aug  1  2017 bash.bashrc",
        "drwxr-xr-x  2 root root    4096 Apr 15 12:34 bash_completion.d",
        "... [more files and directories] ..."
    ]
}

PLAY RECAP ***************************************************************************
localhost                  : ok=3    changed=1    unreachable=0    failed=0    skipped=0    rescued=0    ignored=0

The output shows the contents of the /etc directory in the long format, which includes permissions, owner, group, size, and modification date.

Using a Different Directory

Now let's modify our playbook to list the contents of the /home/labex directory:

Open the list_files.yml file in the editor
Change the path in the command from /etc to /home/labex
Save the file with the following content:

---
- name: List files and directories
  hosts: local
  tasks:
    - name: Get directory listing
      command: ls -l /home/labex
      register: directory_contents

    - name: Display directory contents
      debug:
        var: directory_contents.stdout_lines

Run the playbook again:

ansible-playbook list_files.yml

The output will now show the contents of the /home/labex directory instead of /etc.

Using Ansible's File Module for Long Format Listing

In the previous step, we used the command module to run the ls -l command. While this works, Ansible provides a more dedicated module for working with files and directories: the ansible.builtin.file module. In this step, we'll learn how to use this module along with the ansible.builtin.find module to list files in a more Ansible-native way.

Using the find Module

The ansible.builtin.find module is designed to locate files matching specific criteria. It provides a more powerful and flexible way to list files compared to the command module.

Let's create a new playbook that uses the find module:

In the Explorer panel, navigate to the ~/project/ansible-lab directory
Right-click and select "New File"
Name the file find_files.yml
Add the following content:

---
- name: Find files with Ansible
  hosts: local
  tasks:
    - name: Find all files in /etc
      ansible.builtin.find:
        paths: /etc
        file_type: any
      register: found_files

    - name: Display the first 10 files
      debug:
        var: found_files.files[:10]

This playbook uses the find module to locate all files and directories in the /etc directory and then displays the first 10 items.

Let's run the playbook:

cd ~/project/ansible-lab
ansible-playbook find_files.yml

You should see output that contains detailed information about each file, including:

Path
Mode (permissions)
Owner and group
Size
Modified time

Creating a Playbook with Long Format Details

Now, let's create a more comprehensive playbook that displays files in a long format with all the details:

In the Explorer panel, right-click and select "New File"
Name the file long_format.yml
Add the following content:

---
- name: List files in long format
  hosts: local
  tasks:
    - name: Find files in /etc
      ansible.builtin.find:
        paths: /etc
        file_type: any
        recurse: no
      register: found_files

    - name: Create a formatted list of files
      set_fact:
        formatted_files: "{{ formatted_files | default([]) + [item] }}"
      loop: "{{ found_files.files }}"
      loop_control:
        label: "{{ item.path }}"
      vars:
        item_info: >-
          {{ item.mode }} {{ item.uid | string | ljust(5) }}
          {{ item.gid | string | ljust(5) }} {{ item.size | string | ljust(10) }}
          {{ item.mtime | string | ljust(11) }} {{ item.path }}

    - name: Display files in long format
      debug:
        msg: "{{ formatted_files[:10] }}"

This playbook:

Uses the find module to locate files in the /etc directory
Creates a formatted list that resembles the output of the ls -l command
Displays the first 10 files in the list

Let's run the playbook:

ansible-playbook long_format.yml

The output will show file details in a format similar to the ls -l command.

Filtering Files Based on Criteria

One advantage of using Ansible's modules is the ability to filter files based on various criteria. Let's create a playbook that lists only the configuration files (files ending with .conf):

In the Explorer panel, right-click and select "New File"
Name the file filter_files.yml
Add the following content:

---
- name: List filtered files in long format
  hosts: local
  tasks:
    - name: Find configuration files in /etc
      ansible.builtin.find:
        paths: /etc
        patterns: "*.conf"
        file_type: file
      register: conf_files

    - name: Display configuration files
      debug:
        msg: "{{ item.mode }} {{ item.uid }} {{ item.gid }} {{ item.size }} {{ item.mtime }} {{ item.path }}"
      loop: "{{ conf_files.files }}"
      loop_control:
        label: "{{ item.path }}"

This playbook:

Uses the find module to locate files in the /etc directory that end with .conf
Displays each file with its details

Let's run the playbook:

ansible-playbook filter_files.yml

The output will show details only for .conf files in the /etc directory.

Comparing with Command Module

Let's create one more playbook to compare the output of the find module with the traditional ls -l command:

In the Explorer panel, right-click and select "New File"
Name the file compare_methods.yml
Add the following content:

---
- name: Compare listing methods
  hosts: local
  tasks:
    - name: Get directory listing with ls command
      command: ls -l /etc/passwd
      register: ls_output

    - name: Get file info with find module
      ansible.builtin.find:
        paths: /etc
        patterns: "passwd"
        file_type: file
      register: find_output

    - name: Display ls command output
      debug:
        var: ls_output.stdout_lines

    - name: Display find module output
      debug:
        var: find_output.files[0]

This playbook:

Uses the command module to run ls -l on the /etc/passwd file
Uses the find module to locate the same file
Displays both outputs for comparison

Let's run the playbook:

ansible-playbook compare_methods.yml

You can now see the difference between the two methods:

The ls -l command gives you a single line of text in the traditional Unix format
The find module gives you a structured data object that you can manipulate in Ansible

Creating a Reusable Role for File Listing

In this step, we'll learn how to create an Ansible role for file listing. Roles are a way to organize playbooks and make them more reusable. This is especially useful when you need to perform the same task across multiple playbooks or projects.

Understanding Ansible Roles

An Ansible role is a set of tasks, variables, files, templates, and other resources that are grouped together in a standard directory structure. Roles make it easier to reuse code and share it with others.

The standard directory structure for a role looks like this:

roles/
  rolename/
    tasks/      ## Main tasks for the role
    handlers/   ## Handlers triggered by tasks
    defaults/   ## Default variables
    vars/       ## Role variables
    files/      ## Static files
    templates/  ## Templates
    meta/       ## Metadata for the role

Creating a File Listing Role

Let's create a role for listing files in long format:

First, create the directory structure for our role:

cd ~/project/ansible-lab
mkdir -p roles/file_lister/tasks

Create the main task file for our role:

cd ~/project/ansible-lab

In the Explorer panel, navigate to ~/project/ansible-lab/roles/file_lister/tasks
Right-click and select "New File"
Name the file main.yml
Add the following content:

---
## Tasks for file_lister role

- name: Find files in the specified directory
  ansible.builtin.find:
    paths: "{{ path | default('/etc') }}"
    patterns: "{{ patterns | default('*') }}"
    file_type: "{{ file_type | default('any') }}"
    recurse: "{{ recurse | default(false) }}"
  register: found_files

- name: Display files in long format
  debug:
    msg: "{{ item.mode }} {{ item.uid }} {{ item.gid }} {{ item.size }} {{ item.mtime }} {{ item.path }}"
  loop: "{{ found_files.files | sort(attribute='path') }}"
  loop_control:
    label: "{{ item.path }}"
  when: show_details | default(true)

- name: Display only file paths
  debug:
    msg: "{{ item.path }}"
  loop: "{{ found_files.files | sort(attribute='path') }}"
  loop_control:
    label: "{{ item.path }}"
  when: not (show_details | default(true))

This role:

Finds files in a specified directory based on parameters
Displays the files in either long format or just the paths
Uses default values for parameters if they're not specified

Using Our Role in a Playbook

Now, let's create a playbook that uses our new role:

In the Explorer panel, navigate to the ~/project/ansible-lab directory
Right-click and select "New File"
Name the file use_role.yml
Add the following content:

---
- name: Use file listing role
  hosts: local
  roles:
    - role: file_lister
      vars:
        path: "/etc"
        patterns: "*.conf"
        file_type: "file"
        show_details: true

This playbook:

Runs on the local host
Uses our file_lister role
Sets variables for the role to customize its behavior

Let's run the playbook:

cd ~/project/ansible-lab
ansible-playbook use_role.yml

You should see output showing the details of all .conf files in the /etc directory.

Customizing Role Variables

One of the advantages of roles is that we can easily customize their behavior by changing the variables. Let's create another playbook that uses our role with different parameters:

In the Explorer panel, right-click and select "New File"
Name the file custom_listing.yml
Add the following content:

---
- name: Custom file listing
  hosts: local
  roles:
    - role: file_lister
      vars:
        path: "/home/labex"
        patterns: "*.yml"
        file_type: "file"
        show_details: false

This playbook:

Uses our file_lister role
Sets it to look in the /home/labex directory
Filters for YAML files (*.yml)
Shows only file paths (not full details)

Let's run the playbook:

ansible-playbook custom_listing.yml

You should see a list of all YAML files in the /home/labex directory, without the detailed information.

Advanced Usage: Creating a Report

Finally, let's create a more advanced playbook that uses our role to generate a report of files:

In the Explorer panel, right-click and select "New File"
Name the file generate_report.yml
Add the following content:

---
- name: Generate file listing report
  hosts: local
  vars:
    report_path: "~/project/ansible-lab/file_report.txt"
  tasks:
    - name: Find files in the specified directory
      ansible.builtin.find:
        paths: "/etc"
        patterns: "*.conf"
        file_type: "file"
      register: found_files

    - name: Create report header
      copy:
        dest: "{{ report_path }}"
        content: |
          File Listing Report
          Generated on: {{ ansible_date_time.date }} at {{ ansible_date_time.time }}
          -----------------------------------------------------------
          Mode       Owner  Group  Size       Modified    Path
          -----------------------------------------------------------
        force: yes

    - name: Append file information to report
      lineinfile:
        path: "{{ report_path }}"
        line: "{{ item.mode }} {{ item.uid }} {{ item.gid }} {{ item.size | string | ljust(10) }} {{ item.mtime }} {{ item.path }}"
      loop: "{{ found_files.files | sort(attribute='path') }}"
      loop_control:
        label: "{{ item.path }}"

    - name: Display report location
      debug:
        msg: "Report generated at {{ report_path }}"

This playbook:

Finds .conf files in the /etc directory
Creates a text file with a header
Appends information about each file to the report
Displays the location of the report

Let's run the playbook:

ansible-playbook generate_report.yml

After running the playbook, you can view the report:

cat ~/project/ansible-lab/file_report.txt

You should see a formatted report listing all the .conf files in the /etc directory.

Summary

In this lab, you have learned how to use Ansible to list files and directories in long format. You have gained practical experience with:

Setting up Ansible by installing the software and creating an inventory file
Creating basic playbooks that use the command module to run the ls -l command
Using Ansible's built-in file and find modules to get detailed information about files
Creating a reusable Ansible role for listing files with various options
Generating formatted reports based on file information

These skills will help you automate file management tasks across your infrastructure and integrate file listings into larger automation workflows. As you continue working with Ansible, you can build on these concepts to create more complex automations that manage files, directories, and their permissions across your entire environment.