Ansible: How to delete files and folders inside a directory?

Ansible: How to delete files and folders inside a directory?

In Ansible, you can use the file module to manage files and directories. To delete files and folders inside a directory, you can use the find module in combination with the file module.

Here's an example playbook that demonstrates how to delete files and folders inside a directory:

--- - name: Delete files and folders inside a directory hosts: your_target_host tasks: - name: Delete files inside the directory find: paths: "/path/to/your/directory" recurse: yes patterns: '*' register: files_to_delete - name: Delete files file: path: "{{ item.path }}" state: absent with_items: "{{ files_to_delete.files }}" - name: Delete the directory itself file: path: "/path/to/your/directory" state: absent

Replace "/path/to/your/directory" with the actual path of the directory you want to clean.

Explanation:

  1. The first task uses the find module to retrieve information about files inside the specified directory. The results are registered in the variable files_to_delete.

  2. The second task uses the file module to delete each file found in the previous task.

  3. The third task uses the file module again to delete the directory itself.

Make sure that you have the necessary permissions to delete files and directories. Additionally, be cautious when using the file module with the state: absent option, as it will permanently delete files and directories. Always test playbooks in a safe environment before applying them to production systems.

Examples

  1. Ansible delete all files in a directory:

    • How to delete all files inside a directory using Ansible?
    # In your Ansible playbook - name: Delete all files in a directory file: path: /path/to/directory/* state: absent

  2. Ansible delete specific file types in a directory:

    • How to delete specific file types (e.g., *.log) in a directory with Ansible?
    # In your Ansible playbook - name: Delete specific file types in a directory file: path: /path/to/directory/*.log state: absent

  3. Ansible delete files modified before a certain date:

    • How to delete files modified before a specific date in a directory using Ansible?
    # In your Ansible playbook - name: Delete files modified before a certain date find: paths: /path/to/directory age: "{{ ansible_date_time.date }}" recurse: yes register: files_to_delete - name: Delete files file: path: "{{ item.path }}" state: absent with_items: "{{ files_to_delete.files }}"

  4. Ansible delete empty directories inside a directory:

    • How to delete all empty directories inside a directory using Ansible?
    # In your Ansible playbook - name: Delete empty directories inside a directory find: paths: /path/to/directory recurse: yes file_type: directory patterns: '*' register: empty_directories - name: Delete empty directories file: path: "{{ item.path }}" state: absent with_items: "{{ empty_directories.files }}"

  5. Ansible delete files and folders inside a directory recursively:

    • How to delete all files and folders inside a directory recursively with Ansible?
    # In your Ansible playbook - name: Delete files and folders recursively file: path: /path/to/directory state: absent

  6. Ansible delete files and folders except specific files:

    • How to delete all files and folders inside a directory except specific files using Ansible?
    # In your Ansible playbook - name: Delete files and folders except specific files find: paths: /path/to/directory recurse: yes exclude: '*.txt' # Add your specific file patterns here register: files_to_delete - name: Delete files and folders file: path: "{{ item.path }}" state: absent with_items: "{{ files_to_delete.files }}"

  7. Ansible delete files and folders conditionally:

    • How to conditionally delete files and folders inside a directory using Ansible?
    # In your Ansible playbook - name: Delete files and folders conditionally file: path: /path/to/directory state: absent when: condition_is_met

  8. Ansible delete files and folders using shell module:

    • How to use the shell module to delete files and folders inside a directory with Ansible?
    # In your Ansible playbook - name: Delete files and folders using shell module shell: rm -rf /path/to/directory/*

  9. Ansible delete files and folders with specific permissions:

    • How to delete files and folders inside a directory with specific permissions using Ansible?
    # In your Ansible playbook - name: Delete files and folders with specific permissions file: path: /path/to/directory state: absent mode: '0700'

  10. Ansible delete files and folders excluding specific directories:

    • How to delete files and folders inside a directory excluding specific directories with Ansible?
    # In your Ansible playbook - name: Delete files and folders excluding specific directories find: paths: /path/to/directory recurse: yes exclude: 'directory_to_exclude' register: files_to_delete - name: Delete files and folders file: path: "{{ item.path }}" state: absent with_items: "{{ files_to_delete.files }}"

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