Templates with Jinja2

Ansible uses Jinja2 templating to enable dynamic expressions and access to variables. Jinja2 variables and expressions within playbooks and tasks allow us to create roles that are very flexible. By passing variables to a role written this way, we can have the same role perform different tasks or configurations. Using a templating language, such as Jinja2, we are able to write playbooks that are succinct and easier to read.

By ensuring that all the templating takes place on the Ansible controller, Jinja2 is not required on the target machine. Only the required data is copied over, which reduces the data that needs to be transferred. As we know, less data transfer usually results in faster execution and feedback.