Accessing remote_user variable

Question

This seems to work, but is it fragile? I want the owner and group in the files command to be set to someguy. I'd expect to be able to use {{ remote_user }} but that doesn't work.

This is an example playbook showing what I mean.

---
- hosts: foobar
  remote_user: someguy
  tasks:
    - name: configure /usr/src/foo
      file: 
        dest: /usr/src/foo
        state: directory
        owner: {{ ansible_ssh_user }}
        group: {{ ansible_ssh_user }}
        recurse: yes
      sudo: yes

This doesn't work:

---
- hosts: foobar
  remote_user: someguy
  tasks:
    - name: configure /usr/src/foo
      file: 
        dest: /usr/src/foo
        state: directory
        owner: {{ remote_user }}
        group: {{ remote_user }}
        recurse: yes
      sudo: yes

One or more undefined variables: 'remote_user' is undefined

Where is the above defined? Where are you trying to access it? What do you mean when you say it doesn't work? Is it an error? Blank value? — domino, Jun 01 '15 at 18:01

score 13 · Answer 1 · answered Mar 24 '18 at 19:15

13

There's also {{ ansible_ssh_user }}, which contains remote user name and seems to be accessible without issues. See also this answer.

answered Mar 24 '18 at 19:15

iron77

171
2
8

score -4 · Answer 2 · answered Jun 01 '15 at 19:16

-4

When specifying variables in commands, you have to enclose them in quotes - for example:

  file: dest=/usr/src/foo state=directory owner={{ remote_user }} group={{ remote_user }} recurse=yes

should really be:

  file: dest=/usr/src/foo state=directory owner="{{ remote_user }}" group="{{ remote_user }}" recurse=yes

I'm surprised your first example works at all given the lack of quotes.

Additionally, your 'remote_user' doesn't actually have to be 'someguy' in that example as usually using sudo: yes is sufficient to have the file module set the specified owner and group correctly.

answered Jun 01 '15 at 19:16

keba

2,027
2
16
20

It runs as root, and it has to, as the `/usr/src` subdirectory isn't writable by anyone but root. – Joshua Grigonis Jun 01 '15 at 20:01
Are you sure quotes are required? I'm not seeing that in the jinja docs, and if I do that the quotes end up in the final file too (so if quotes aren't allowed in that part of the file, I'm hosed). – Greg Bell Jan 03 '17 at 22:01

score -4 · Answer 3 · answered Jun 02 '15 at 15:35

-4

You can try to write playbook like:

---
  - set_fact: remote_user="someguy"
  - hosts: foobar
    tasks:
      - name: configure /usr/src/foo
        file: dest=/usr/src/foo state=directory owner={{ remote_user }} group={{ remote_user }} recurse=yes
        sudo: yes

answered Jun 02 '15 at 15:35

maxo

69
5

That's essentially the same, but I really despise side scrolling, and the cognitive load of thinking about multiple variables per line. It also fails exactly the same way. – Joshua Grigonis Apr 26 '17 at 21:43

score -4 · Answer 4 · answered Jan 16 '18 at 21:56

You can fix this by adding a vars: option

---
- hosts: foobar
  vars:
    remote_user: someguy
  tasks:
    - name: configure /usr/src/foo
      file: 
        dest: /usr/src/foo
        state: directory
        owner: {{ remote_user }}
        group: {{ remote_user }}
        recurse: yes
      sudo: yes

Accessing remote_user variable

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