Runtime Installation for Ansible

Install Python packages at the start of each pipeline run using a requirements.txt file for Ansible playbooks.

This approach installs Python dependencies at the start of each pipeline run using a requirements.txt file in your playbook repository.

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Create requirements.txt

Create a requirements.txt file in your playbook repository with your required Python packages:

tabulate==0.9.0
netaddr==0.9.0
jmespath==1.0.1

Pin versions using == to ensure reproducibility across pipeline runs.

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Add pipeline variable

In your Harness pipeline, add a pipeline variable to point to your requirements file:

1. Open your pipeline in the Harness UI.

2. Select Variables in the pipeline editor.

3. Add a new variable with the following values:

   • Name: ANSIBLE_REQUIREMENTS

   • Type: String

   • Value: requirements.txt

If your requirements file is in a subdirectory, provide the relative path from the repository root:

path/to/requirements.txt

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Run your pipeline

When the pipeline runs, dependencies are installed automatically before your playbook executes. Check the pipeline logs to verify installation:

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
  🧰 Install python requirements
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

ansible-playbook resolved to: /usr/local/bin/ansible-playbook
ansible-playbook interpreter: /usr/bin/python3.11
Installing python requirements from /harness/requirements.txt using /usr/bin/python3.11 (pip --user)
✓ ok: requirements installed

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Complete example

This example demonstrates using the tabulate package installed via requirements.txt:

Directory structure

my-playbook-repo/
├── requirements.txt
├── playbook.yml
└── inventory.ini

requirements.txt

tabulate==0.9.0

playbook.yml

---
- name: Test tabulate package
  hosts: localhost
  gather_facts: false

  tasks:
    - name: Use tabulate to format data
      ansible.builtin.shell: |
        python3.11 << 'EOF'
        from tabulate import tabulate
        data = [["Name", "Age"], ["Alice", 30], ["Bob", 25]]
        print(tabulate(data, headers="firstrow"))
        EOF
      register: result

    - name: Display result
      ansible.builtin.debug:
        msg: "{{ result.stdout }}"

Pipeline variable

• Name: ANSIBLE_REQUIREMENTS

• Value: requirements.txt

The ANSIBLE_REQUIREMENTS variable is automatically detected and dependencies are installed before the playbook runs.