Troubleshooting

Common Issues

• Connection problems: Check SSH keys, usernames, and network connectivity
• Permission errors: Verify become settings and sudo configuration
• Variable errors: Check variable names, scoping, and precedence
• Template errors: Validate Jinja2 syntax and variable references

Debugging Commands

# Increase verbosity
ansible-playbook site.yml -v    # verbose
ansible-playbook site.yml -vv   # more verbose
ansible-playbook site.yml -vvv  # very verbose
 
# Check syntax
ansible-playbook site.yml --syntax-check
 
# Dry run (don't make changes)
ansible-playbook site.yml --check
 
# List tasks that would run
ansible-playbook site.yml --list-tasks
 
# Test connectivity
ansible all -m ping -i inventory/hosts.yml

Useful Debug Tasks

# Show variable contents
- name: Debug variable
  debug:
    var: my_variable
 
# Show multiple variables
- name: Debug multiple items
  debug:
    msg: "Host {{ inventory_hostname }} has IP {{ ansible_default_ipv4.address }}"
 
# Show all facts
- name: Show all gathered facts
  debug:
    var: ansible_facts