Testinfra with Ansible

1. Introduction

Testinfra is a Python library used for unit testing of system infrastructure. It is built on top of the pytest framework and is designed to test the state of servers and applications. When integrated with Ansible, Testinfra allows you to validate that your Ansible playbooks configure your systems as expected.

2. What is Testinfra?

Testinfra provides a simple way to write tests for your infrastructure. It allows you to write tests to ensure that your servers are configured correctly after running Ansible playbooks. Testinfra tests are written in Python and can be executed using pytest.

3. Installation

To install Testinfra, you can use pip. Run the following command:

pip install testinfra

Ensure that you have Ansible installed as well:

pip install ansible

4. Writing Tests

To write a test, create a Python file (e.g., test_my_server.py) and use the Testinfra API to define your tests. Here’s a simple example:

def test_nginx_is_installed(host):
    nginx = host.package("nginx")
    assert nginx.is_installed

def test_nginx_is_running_and_enabled(host):
    nginx = host.service("nginx")
    assert nginx.is_running
    assert nginx.is_enabled
            

5. Running Tests

To run your tests, simply use the pytest command followed by the test file name:

pytest test_my_server.py

6. Best Practices

Here are some best practices for using Testinfra with Ansible:

• Write clear and concise tests that validate specific outcomes.
• Run tests in a clean environment to avoid false positives.
• Integrate Testinfra tests into your CI/CD pipeline for continuous validation.
• Use fixtures to set up any required state before tests run.
• Document your tests to help others understand their purpose.

7. FAQ