# Multiple "all" groups?

**URL:** <https://forum.ansible.com/t/multiple-all-groups/16777>\
**Category:** Ansible Project\
**Created:** [November 13, 2014, 7:51pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/multiple-all-groups/16777 "2014-11-13T19:51:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jacob\_Weber1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/94ad74/32.png) [@Jacob\_Weber1](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Jacob_Weber1)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2014, 7:51pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/multiple-all-groups/16777/1 "2014-11-13T19:51:13Z")

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I know we can have group\_vars/all, which will apply to all hosts. But is there a way to make a second group\_vars file that will also apply to all hosts?

I ask because I’d like to have a Vault-encrypted vars file, in addition to an unencrypted one. If it was only for a specific group X, I would create a second group Y, with X as a child, and then create group\_vars/X and group\_vars/Y. But I’m not sure if I can do this for a group that applies to all hosts.

Thanks.

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**Author:** ![Serge\_van\_Ginderacht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@Serge\_van\_Ginderacht](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Serge_van_Ginderacht)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2014, 8:13pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/multiple-all-groups/16777/2 "2014-11-13T20:13:08Z")

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e​very group\_vars file can also be a directory where all the yaml files  
within will be evaluated​

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**Author:** ![Michael\_Peters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@Michael\_Peters](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Michael_Peters)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2014, 8:16pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/multiple-all-groups/16777/3 "2014-11-13T20:16:54Z")

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You can have a directory underneath group\_vars. Something like:

group\_vars/all/  
&nbsp;&nbsp;+ secret.yml  
&nbsp;&nbsp;+ public.yml

Where secret.yml is vault encrypted.

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**Author:** ![Jacob\_Weber1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/94ad74/32.png) [@Jacob\_Weber1](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Jacob_Weber1)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2014, 8:18pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/multiple-all-groups/16777/4 "2014-11-13T20:18:01Z")

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Ah, didn’t know that. Thanks!

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**Author:** ![Brian\_Coca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@Brian\_Coca](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Brian_Coca)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2014, 8:24pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/multiple-all-groups/16777/5 "2014-11-13T20:24:44Z")

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you can make it into a dir:

group\_vars/all/cleartextgroup\_vars/all/valuted