File, Package, Service, and User Modules¶

Why This Exists¶

These modules cover the large majority of what a typical configuration-management playbook does day to day — this page is the category reference, one level below Command vs. Shell and Module Decision Trees.

What It Will Cover¶

For each module below: purpose, common parameters, idempotency behavior, check-mode support, and a minimal + production example.

• Package management: ansible.builtin.package (cross-distro), apt, dnf/yum (distro-specific, more parameters available)
• Service management: ansible.builtin.service (cross-init-system), systemd_service (systemd-specific features like daemon_reload)
• Files and directories: file (permissions, symlinks, directories), stat (read-only inspection, pairs with register + when), copy, template (see Templates for Config Generation)
• Partial file edits: lineinfile (single line), blockinfile (marked block), replace (regex substitution) — and when template is the better choice instead, per Module Decision Trees
• Users and access: user, group, authorized_key (SSH key management — ties to SSH and Connectivity)
• Scheduling: cron
• Mounts: mount
• Archives and downloads: get_url, unarchive
• Source control: git

Interview Questions¶

• When would you choose apt/dnf directly instead of the cross-distro package module?
• What's the difference between lineinfile and blockinfile?
• Why is stat commonly paired with register and when instead of used alone?

Next¶

Continue to URI and API Automation.