Streamline automation in OpenShift Dev Spaces with Ansible

In the ever-evolving landscape of software development, the quest for streamlined workflows and increased productivity is constant. This learning path, created by Valerii Svydenko, will guide you through the symbiotic relationship between Red Hat OpenShift Dev Spaces and Ansible, unlocking a realm where efficiency reigns supreme. You'll delve into the seamless integration of OpenShift Dev Spaces and Ansible, where each element complements the other in perfect harmony. OpenShift Dev Spaces, which provides isolated and tailored development environments, meets Ansible, the powerful automation tool. The result is a synergy that transforms the way we approach developing and testing Ansible automation.

Now that you have tested a sample Ansible role, it's time to troubleshoot your Ansible content.

Ansible Navigator

Apart from Molecule, ansible-lint, ansible-playbook, and ansible-galaxy, the Ansible Dev Spaces sample comes loaded with ansible-navigator. Ansible Navigator is a command-line tool and a text-based user interface for creating, reviewing, running, and troubleshooting Ansible content, which includes:

  • Inventories
  • Playbooks
  • Collections
  • Documentation

To launch ansible-navigator, select Terminal -> Run Task -> devfile -> Ansible-Navigator: Start ansible-navigator and it will open in the Terminal view (Figure 19).

To launch ansible-navigator press Terminal -> Run Task -> devfile -> Ansible-Navigator: Start ansible-navigator.
Figure 19: To launch ansible-navigator press Terminal -> Run Task -> devfile -> Ansible-Navigator: Start ansible-navigator.

You can use ansible-navigator to explore the current Ansible configuration. Just type :config in the terminal where ansible-navigator is running, then press Enter (Figure 20).

To explore the ansible configuration, type :config in the terminal and press Enter.
Figure 20: To explore the ansible configuration, type :config in the terminal and press Enter.

You can learn more about ansible-navigator by watching a demo of the interface on YouTube or reading the documentation.

Clean Molecule testing resources

After completing your work, you still have a running test pod in your user namespace, but there's no need to worry about it. OpenShift Dev Spaces will automatically remove it before shutting down the workspace. To remove the running test pod, the workspace runs a 6.Molecule: reset the test pod back to a fresh instance command that executes molecule destroy under the hood. This command is marked as preStop command in the devfile.yaml file (Figure 21).

OpenShift Dev Spaces will automatically remove the test pod before shutting down the workspace. To do that the workspace runs “6.Molecule: reset the test pod back to a fresh instance” command.
Figure 21: OpenShift Dev Spaces automatically removes the test pod it before shutting down the workspace by running the 6.Molecule: reset the test pod back to a fresh instance command.

Conclusion

Red Hat OpenShift Dev Spaces is emerging as an invaluable asset in the realm of Ansible development environments. Its wealth of user-friendly features significantly enhances the development and testing experience for Ansible roles. The implementation of a standardized environment not only reduces setup time, but also bridges the gap between different workstations, which promotes a seamless collaborative workflow. This cohesive environment fosters dynamic testing practices and capitalizes on the inherent strengths of the OpenShift platform, culminating in a powerful and efficient development ecosystem.

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Test a sample Ansible role using Molecule

Info alert: Streamline automation in OpenShift Dev Spaces with Ansible

In the ever-evolving landscape of software development, the quest for streamlined workflows and increased productivity is constant. This learning path, created by Valerii Svydenko, will guide you through the symbiotic relationship between Red Hat OpenShift Dev Spaces and Ansible, unlocking a realm where efficiency reigns supreme.

You'll delve into the seamless integration of OpenShift Dev Spaces and Ansible, where each element complements the other in perfect harmony. OpenShift Dev Spaces, which provides isolated and tailored development environments, meets Ansible, the powerful automation tool. The result is a synergy that transforms the way we approach developing and testing Ansible automation.