You can try this one
-
name: Prompt for password
vars_prompt:
-
name: my_pwd
prompt: “Enter your password”
private: true
-
name: Source the environment variable file
shell: “source ./myenv”
-
name: Retrieve password from Ansible Vault
shell: “ansible-vault view my_password_file --vault-password-file ~/.vault_pass.txt”
register: password_output
-
name: Source the environment variable file
shell: “source ./myenv”
environment:
MY_PASSWORD: “{{ password_output.stdout }}”
Is there any other way/module to read the password from the variable ?
Yes, there are several ways to read a password from a variable in a secure manner. One common method is to use the getpass
module in Python.
The getpass
module provides a way to securely prompt the user for a password without echoing the characters typed to the screen. Here’s an example of how to use it:
python
import getpass
password = getpass.getpass(prompt='Enter your password: ')
When this code runs, the user will be prompted to enter their password, but the characters they type will not be displayed on the screen. The password will be stored in the password
variable.
Another way to securely store passwords is to use an encryption library like cryptography
or pycryptodome
. These libraries provide methods for encrypting and decrypting sensitive information, including passwords.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that no method is 100% foolproof, and there is always some risk involved when handling sensitive information like passwords. It’s always a good idea to follow best practices for password security, such as storing passwords in a secure password manager, using strong and unique passwords, and using two-factor authentication whenever possible.
Is there any other way/module to read the password from the variable using the Ansible
Yes, there are several ways to securely read a password from a variable in Ansible. Here are some options:
-
Ansible Vault: Ansible Vault is a built-in feature that allows you to encrypt sensitive data, such as passwords and keys, in your inventory or playbook files. You can use the ansible-vault
command to encrypt and decrypt files containing sensitive data. To read the password from an encrypted variable, you can use the ansible-vault
command to decrypt the file containing the variable and then read the variable value.
-
Ansible Credential Plugin: Ansible has a built-in credential plugin system that allows you to securely store and retrieve credentials, such as passwords and keys, from a variety of sources, including Hashicorp Vault, CyberArk, and more. To use a credential plugin to read a password from a variable, you can define the credential in your inventory or playbook and then use the lookup
function to retrieve the password.
-
Environment Variables: You can store sensitive data, such as passwords and keys, in environment variables and then read the variable value in your playbook using the lookup
function. To ensure the security of the password, you should encrypt the environment variable using an external tool, such as ansible-vault
or a third-party encryption tool.
-
Python Script: You can write a custom Python script that reads the password from a file or another secure source, and then use the script
module in Ansible to run the script and retrieve the password value.
Each of these options has its own pros and cons, so it’s important to choose the one that best suits your use case and security requirements.
my_pwd: hiddenpass - name: source the environment variable file shell: " source ./myenv" while executing i am prompted with a password so I am using the expect module to pass the password name: Case insensitive password string match ansible.builtin.expect: command: source ./myenv responses: (?i)password: “{{ my_pwd }}” # you don’t want to show passwords in your logs no_log: true it fails with below error: fatal: [127.0.0.1]: FAILED! => { “censored”: “the output has been hidden due to the fact that ‘no_log: true’ was specified for this result”, “changed”: false } if i set no_log: false , then i receive the below error “msg”: "Failed to import the required Python library (pexpect) Is there any other way/module to read the password from the variable ?
Yes, there are other ways to read a password from a variable in Ansible without using the expect
module.
One way is to use the vars_prompt
module to prompt the user for the password at runtime. Here’s an example:
yaml
- name: Prompt for password
vars_prompt:
- name: my_pwd
prompt: "Enter your password"
private: true
- name: Source the environment variable file
shell: "source ./myenv"
When this playbook runs, the user will be prompted to enter their password, and the value will be stored in the my_pwd
variable. The private: true
option ensures that the password is not displayed on the screen as it is being entered.
Another option is to store the password in an encrypted file using Ansible Vault and then use the ansible-vault
command to retrieve the value at runtime. Here’s an example: