packer-cn/website/source/docs/provisioners/ansible.html.markdown

---
layout: "docs"
page_title: "Ansible Provisioner"
description: |-
  The `ansible` Packer provisioner allows Ansible playbooks to be run to provision the machine. 
---

# Ansible Provisioner

Type: `ansible`

The `ansible` Packer provisioner allows Ansible playbooks to be run to provision the machine.

## Basic Example

This is a fully functional template that will provision an image on
DigitalOcean. Replace the mock `api_token` value with your own.

```json
{
  "provisioners": [
    {
      "type": "ansible",
      "playbook_file": "./playbook.yml",
      "extra_arguments": ["--private-key", "./id_packer-ansible", "-v", "-c", "paramiko"],
      "ssh_authorized_key_file": "./id_packer-ansible.pub",
      "ssh_host_key_file": "./packer_host_private_key"
    }
  ],

  "builders": [
    {
      "type": "digitalocean",
      "api_token": "6a561151587389c7cf8faa2d83e94150a4202da0e2bad34dd2bf236018ffaeeb",
      "image": "ubuntu-14-04-x64",
      "region": "sfo1"
    },
  ]
}
```

## Configuration Reference

Required Parameters:

- `playbook_file` - The playbook file to be run by Ansible.

Optional Parameters:

- `ssh_host_key_file` (string) - The SSH key that will be used to run
  the SSH server on the host machine to forward commands to the target
  machine. Ansible connects to this server and will validate the
  identity of the server using the system known_hosts. The default behaviour is
  to generate and use a one time key, and disable
  host_key_verification in ansible to allow it to connect to the
  server 

- `ssh_authorized_key_file` (string) - The SSH public key of the
  Ansible `ssh_user`. The default behaviour is to generate and use a
  one time key. If this file is generated the coorisponding private
  key will be passed via the `--private-key` option to Ansible.

- `local_port` (string) - The port on which to attempt to listen for SSH
  connections. This value is a starting point.  The provisioner will attempt
  listen for SSH connections on the first available of ten ports, starting at
  `local_port`. When `local_port` is missing or empty, ansible-provisioner will
  listen on a system-chosen port.


- `sftp_command` (string) - The command to run on the provisioned machine to handle the
  SFTP protocol that Ansible will use to transfer files. The command should
  read and write on stdin and stdout, respectively. Defaults to
  `/usr/lib/sftp-server -e`.

- `extra_arguments` (string) - Extra arguments to pass to Ansible

## Limitations

The `ansible` provisioner does not support SCP to transfer files.