# Q: use of delegated\_facts? **URL:** \ **Category:** Ansible Project\ **Created:** [September 15, 2017, 9:02am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/q-use-of-delegated-facts/25493 "2017-09-15T09:02:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sieds\_Pallas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c57346/32.png) [@Sieds\_Pallas](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Sieds_Pallas)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2017, 9:02am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/q-use-of-delegated-facts/25493/1 "2017-09-15T09:02:22Z")
Hi, I am getting confused on the working and purpose of delegated\_facts. If I read the manual correctly: [http://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/playbooks\_delegation.html#delegated-facts](http://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/playbooks_delegation.html#delegated-facts) when you delegate a task to another host than the current managed host from the inventory hosts: list, the ansible facts are gathered from the delegated host but assigned to the current inventory host. Specifying “delegate\_facts: True” would change this that the ansible facts are assigned to the delegated host. I do not understand what they mean with that facts are assigned to a particular host. When you run a playbook, as it loops over all “hosts:”, facts are gathered and the ansible\_\* variables get some value valid for that iteration - so without some host qualifier. The RedHat training manual DO407 (pp.295,296) is not sufficiently explicit about this but appears confused, but from their example I get the impression that it is the other way round. When I try it myself I see: - with just "delegate\_to: ", the ansible facts are gathered from the delegated host, which is what I would expect if you run a task on a delegated host; - with in addition "delegated\_facts: ", the ansible facts are gathered instead from the current inventory host - which means that the name “delegated\_facts” is confusing. So is the documentation wrong? How is delegated\_facts supposed to work? Here’s the code and output: \<\<\<\<\<\<\<\<\<\<\<\<\<\<\<\< $ cat inventory [invhosts] node1 [delegates] node2 $ cat testdelegate.yml ---
**Author:** ![Kai\_Stian\_Olstad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e19adc/32.png) [@Kai\_Stian\_Olstad](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Kai_Stian_Olstad)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2017, 4:09pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/q-use-of-delegated-facts/25493/2 "2017-09-17T16:09:13Z")
> Hi, > I am getting confused on the working and purpose of delegated\_facts. > If I read the manual correctly: > > [http://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/playbooks\_delegation.html#delegated-facts](http://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/playbooks_delegation.html#delegated-facts) > > when you delegate a task to another host than the current managed host from > the inventory hosts: list, the ansible facts are gathered from the > delegated host but assigned to the current inventory host. > Specifying "delegate\_facts: True" would change this that the ansible facts > are assigned to the delegated host. This is correct, and you example does show this. > I do not understand what they mean with that facts are assigned to a > particular host. When you run a playbook, as it loops over all "hosts:", > facts are gathered and the ansible\_\* variables get some value valid for > that iteration - so without some host qualifier. I don't now where you have this from, but I think they are referring to Ansible default behavior. The fist thing Ansible does is to collect from all host, you can see that in the output as "TASK [Gathering Facts]" This behavior can be changed by the play directive "gather\_facts" > The RedHat training manual DO407 (pp.295,296) is not sufficiently explicit > about this but appears confused, but from their example I get the > impression that it is the other way round. Never seen it. > When I try it myself I see: > - with just "delegate\_to: ", the ansible facts are gathered from the > delegated host, which is what I would expect if you run a task on a > delegated host; > - with in addition "delegated\_facts: ", the ansible facts are gathered > instead from the current inventory host - which means that the name > "delegated\_facts" is confusing. I think you are being confused because Ansible gather\_facts is default true and facts is gathered from both hosts. > So is the documentation wrong? No, they are correct. > How is delegated\_facts supposed to work? As your example, but I gonna give you a example that might show this more clearly. > Here's the code and output: > > \<\<\<\<\<\<\<\<\<\<\<\<\<\<\<\< > $ cat inventory > [invhosts] > node1 > [delegates] > node2 > > $ cat testdelegate.yml > --- > - name: test delegate functionality >    hosts: invhosts >    tasks: >    - name: setup >      setup: >      delegate\_to: "{{ item }}" > # delegate\_facts: true >      with\_items: "{{ groups['delegates'] }}" >    - name: show >      debug: msg="from fact of {{ inventory\_hostname }}, ansible\_hostname = > {{ ansible\_hostname }}.\n" > # debug: msg="from delegated fact of {{ inventory\_hostname }}, > ansible\_hostname = {{ ansible\_hostname }}.\n" > ... > > $ ansible-playbook testdelegate.yml > PLAY [test delegate functionality] > \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* > TASK [Gathering Facts] > \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* Here you see the default task where Ansible gather facts from all host. Using your inventory try this code, maybe it show the feature more clear since i turn off the default fact gathering.