Read host facts from the ansible_facts dictionary, for example ansible_facts['distribution'] or ansible_facts['os_family']. Ansible normally gathers these facts at the start of each play, so most playbooks can use them immediately. Avoid older bare variables such as ansible_distribution: they depend on fact-variable injection, generate deprecation warnings, and are scheduled to stop being injected by default in a future ansible-core release.
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What Ansible facts are and when they exist
Ansible facts are variables collected from a managed host. They describe operating-system identity, kernel and architecture details, network interfaces, hardware, virtualisation and other properties exposed by the fact-collection module. Facts belong to the host on which they were gathered, so a play can make decisions per server instead of assuming every machine is identical.
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Fact collection happens once per play unless you explicitly run the gather action again. If a later task changes the host, the original values remain in memory until facts are gathered again. A second gather is useful after an operating-system change, network reconfiguration or package operation whose result must be detected in the same play.
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The supported access syntax
Use dictionary notation and the fact name without the historical ansible_ prefix:
- name: Show the operating system family
ansible.builtin.debug:
msg: "{{ ansible_facts['os_family'] }}"
- name: Show the distribution release
ansible.builtin.debug:
msg: "{{ ansible_facts['distribution'] }} {{ ansible_facts['distribution_version'] }}"
Both single and double quotes are valid inside the Jinja expression. Bracket notation is preferable because it makes the dictionary boundary explicit and works consistently when a key contains characters that are awkward in dotted notation.
| Purpose | Expression | Important detail |
|---|---|---|
| Operating-system name | ansible_facts['system'] |
Reports the kernel system family, such as Linux or a platform-specific value. |
| Distribution family | ansible_facts['os_family'] |
Useful for broad branching, such as Debian-family versus RedHat-family systems. |
| Distribution name | ansible_facts['distribution'] |
Identifies the distribution reported by the host. |
| Distribution release | ansible_facts['distribution_version'] |
Keep it as a value supplied by the host; compare versions deliberately rather than as arbitrary strings. |
| Kernel release | ansible_facts['kernel'] |
Describes the running kernel version. |
| Machine architecture | ansible_facts['architecture'] |
Use it when selecting architecture-specific packages or binaries. |
| Host name | ansible_facts['hostname'] |
The host name collected from the managed node. |
| Fully qualified name | ansible_facts['fqdn'] |
May depend on the node’s DNS and host-name configuration. |
| Default IPv4 address | ansible_facts['default_ipv4']['address'] |
Nested keys must be addressed through the dictionary as well. |
| All interfaces | ansible_facts['interfaces'] |
Returns the interface names; detailed data is under interface-specific fact keys. |
The exact key set varies by platform and by the subsets you collect. Test a key on the operating systems in your inventory before making it mandatory in a role.
Use facts in tasks, conditions and templates
Print or inspect a value
- name: Display selected facts
ansible.builtin.debug:
msg:
distribution: "{{ ansible_facts['distribution'] | default('unknown') }}"
family: "{{ ansible_facts['os_family'] | default('unknown') }}"
architecture: "{{ ansible_facts['architecture'] | default('unknown') }}"
The default filter prevents a template failure when a fact is unavailable. Use it for optional data, not to conceal a prerequisite that the play cannot safely operate without.
Branch on an operating-system family
- name: Install an Apache-family package
ansible.builtin.package:
name: httpd
state: present
when: ansible_facts['os_family'] == 'RedHat'
- name: Install a Debian-family package
ansible.builtin.package:
name: apache2
state: present
when: ansible_facts['os_family'] == 'Debian'
Prefer the broadest fact that answers the decision. A family check generally survives distribution derivatives better than a list of individual distribution names. If a package name or behaviour genuinely differs by release, add a narrower condition after the family decision.
Select a variable instead of duplicating tasks
- name: Select the service package name
ansible.builtin.set_fact:
web_package: >-
{{ 'httpd' if ansible_facts['os_family'] == 'RedHat' else 'apache2' }}
- name: Install the selected package
ansible.builtin.package:
name: "{{ web_package }}"
state: present
This pattern keeps the operation in one task. Add an explicit failure for unsupported families when silently choosing a default would be dangerous.
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Render facts in a template
# templates/node-info.conf.j2
OS={{ ansible_facts['distribution'] | default('unknown') }}
OS_VERSION={{ ansible_facts['distribution_version'] | default('unknown') }}
ARCH={{ ansible_facts['architecture'] | default('unknown') }}
- name: Write host information
ansible.builtin.template:
src: node-info.conf.j2
dest: /etc/node-info.conf
mode: '0644'
Facts are evaluated for each target host while the template is rendered, so the same task can safely write host-specific values across a mixed inventory.
Use nested and list data carefully
- name: Show the default interface address when available
ansible.builtin.debug:
var: ansible_facts['default_ipv4']['address']
when:
- ansible_facts['default_ipv4'] is defined
- ansible_facts['default_ipv4']['address'] is defined
Guard nested access one level at a time. Checking only the final expression can still fail while Ansible evaluates a missing parent dictionary.
Control whether and how facts are gathered
Skip collection for a play
- name: Run tasks that do not need host facts
hosts: routers
gather_facts: false
tasks:
- name: Run a command using only inventory variables
ansible.builtin.command: /usr/local/bin/router-check
Skipping collection reduces startup work, but every fact reference in that play must then be removed, replaced with an inventory value, or supplied by another task. A common failure after setting gather_facts: false is an undefined-variable error from a task that previously relied on automatic setup.
Gather facts explicitly
- name: Refresh facts after a host change
ansible.builtin.gather_facts:
- name: Use the refreshed distribution value
ansible.builtin.debug:
msg: "{{ ansible_facts['distribution'] }}"
Use the fully qualified collection name, ansible.builtin.gather_facts, in new playbooks. The action normally invokes ansible.builtin.setup. Calling it explicitly is also useful in a play that disabled automatic gathering and later reaches a task that needs system information.
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The setup fact module supports subsets so a play can request only categories it needs. For example, a play may request networking or hardware information rather than the full default set:
- name: Gather only network facts
ansible.builtin.gather_facts:
gather_subset:
- network
Subset names and available data can vary with ansible-core and the managed platform. Verify the result on your target systems, and do not assume that a reduced subset contains unrelated keys such as distribution details.
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Choose parallel or serial fact-module execution
The gather action can run fact modules in parallel or serially. Parallel execution can shorten collection when several fact modules are involved; serial execution gives a deterministic merge order when modules contribute overlapping data. Use the action’s parallel option when that ordering or performance trade-off matters, and test the selected mode with the fact modules enabled in your environment.
Inspect facts without writing a playbook
For an ad hoc dump, run the fully qualified gather action against the inventory:
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ansible all -m ansible.builtin.gather_facts --tree /tmp/facts
Ansible writes each host’s collected facts to a file beneath /tmp/facts. This is useful for discovering the actual key names on a new operating system, checking whether a subset was collected, and comparing hosts before adding a condition to a role. Treat the output as host information: protect the directory if your fact set includes data that should not be broadly readable.
To inspect values during a play, use the debug module rather than printing the entire dictionary:
- name: Inspect the complete fact dictionary while developing
ansible.builtin.debug:
var: ansible_facts
Full dumps can be very large. Remove or narrow this task after troubleshooting so normal logs contain only the values operators need.
Why bare variables such as ansible_distribution are being retired
Historically, Ansible could expose the same fact in two places: inside ansible_facts and as a top-level variable whose name started with ansible_. Thus, ansible_distribution corresponded to ansible_facts['distribution']. The duplicate top-level form is controlled by the INJECT_FACTS_AS_VARS setting.
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That injection setting currently defaults to enabled in ansible-core, but the default is deprecated. Ansible-core 2.20 and later report deprecation warnings when playbooks rely on injected fact variables. The planned ansible-core 2.24 change is to make injection disabled by default; the exact release timing can change, so treat 2.24 as a stated plan rather than a guaranteed date.
Code that reads ansible_facts['distribution'] does not depend on injection. Code that reads ansible_distribution can fail as soon as injection is disabled, even though fact gathering itself still works.
| Legacy form | Dictionary form | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
ansible_distribution |
ansible_facts['distribution'] |
Replace the legacy name. |
ansible_os_family |
ansible_facts['os_family'] |
Replace the legacy name. |
ansible_system |
ansible_facts['system'] |
Do not add the ansible_ prefix inside the dictionary. |
A common migration mistake is writing ansible_facts['ansible_system']. That key is normally wrong because the prefix is removed inside the dictionary.
Configuration during a transition
If an older role cannot yet be migrated, the setting can be controlled in ansible.cfg under the [defaults] section:
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inject_facts_as_vars = True
The equivalent environment-variable form is version-dependent; check the configuration dump for the spelling accepted by the ansible-core version you run. Keeping injection enabled is only a compatibility bridge, not a fix for new code. Test your playbooks with injection disabled before upgrading so failures appear in a controlled environment.
Special case: variables loaded by community.sops
The porting guidance notes a known caveat for community.sops.load_vars: that plugin can emit repeated injection warnings because its current variable-setting path lacks an alternative in some versions. The guidance specifically advises not to mechanically convert SOPS-loaded variables to ansible_facts; distinguish those plugin variables from facts gathered by setup and follow the plugin’s compatibility guidance.
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A migration procedure that catches hidden dependencies
- Search all playbooks, roles and templates. Look for names beginning with
ansible_, including references inwhenclauses, handlers, defaults, task names and Jinja templates. - Map each name to its dictionary key. Remove the leading
ansible_when moving the value underansible_facts. For example, changeansible_distributiontoansible_facts['distribution']. - Check nested structures. Convert expressions such as interface or default-address references one level at a time and add guards for optional parents.
- Run with injection disabled. Use the configuration option for your ansible-core version, execute representative inventories, and treat undefined-variable errors as migration findings rather than restoring the old syntax.
- Remove temporary compatibility settings. Once roles and templates use the dictionary, allowing injection to remain enabled only preserves an unnecessary dependency.
- Retest plays that skip gathering. A corrected expression still cannot work in a play with
gather_facts: falseunless facts are gathered later or supplied another way.
Troubleshoot “facts are not showing” problems
The dictionary is undefined
Confirm that the play has not set gather_facts: false. If it has, add ansible.builtin.gather_facts before the first fact-dependent task or remove the fact dependency. Also verify that the target is a normal managed host and that connection and privilege settings allow the setup module to run.
A key is missing
Print ansible_facts with the debug module or inspect an ad hoc dump to learn the keys actually returned by that host. The key may belong to a subset you did not collect, may be unavailable on that platform, or may have a different value shape than expected. Use default and explicit is defined checks for genuinely optional information.
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The play fails after a system change
Facts represent the state observed at collection time. If a task changes the operating system, hostname, interface configuration or another fact source, run ansible.builtin.gather_facts again before reading the new value.
The old variable works but emits warnings
That behaviour indicates injected fact variables are still enabled. Replace the bare name with the corresponding ansible_facts key, then test with injection disabled. Do not suppress the warning as a long-term solution.
A condition behaves differently across hosts
Display the exact values and types used by the condition. Distribution names and versions are host-reported data, and spelling or formatting can differ. Prefer os_family for a broad branch, normalize values only when necessary, and keep release-specific comparisons explicit.
Practical design rules for reliable fact use
- Use
ansible_facts['key']in all new tasks, roles and templates. - Use fully qualified module names such as
ansible.builtin.gather_factsandansible.builtin.debug. - Gather only the subsets needed when startup time matters, and verify that required keys remain present.
- Keep fact-dependent tasks together or document the point at which facts are refreshed.
- Guard optional and nested values instead of assuming every platform returns the same structure.
- Use inventory variables for deliberate operator choices; use facts for properties discovered from the host.
- Test with
INJECT_FACTS_AS_VARSdisabled before adopting an ansible-core release that changes its default.
Minimal complete example
---
- name: Configure a web package by operating-system family
hosts: web
gather_facts: true
tasks:
- name: Select the package name
ansible.builtin.set_fact:
web_package: >-
{{ 'httpd' if ansible_facts['os_family'] == 'RedHat' else 'apache2' }}
- name: Stop on unsupported families
ansible.builtin ansible.builtin.fail:
msg: "Unsupported operating-system family: {{ ansible_facts['os_family'] }}"
when: ansible_facts['os_family'] not in ['RedHat', 'Debian']
- name: Install the web package
ansible.builtin.package:
name: "{{ web_package }}"
state: present
- name: Record host identity
ansible.builtin.copy:
dest: /etc/managed-host.txt
content: |
Distribution: {{ ansible_facts['distribution'] | default('unknown') }}
Version: {{ ansible_facts['distribution_version'] | default('unknown') }}
Architecture: {{ ansible_facts['architecture'] | default('unknown') }}
mode: '0644'
Correct the module name in the failure task to ansible.builtin.fail when copying this example; the fully qualified name must not contain a duplicated namespace. The example otherwise demonstrates automatic gathering, dictionary access, guarded optional values and a family-based decision.
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