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cisco.aci.aci_rest module – Direct access to the Cisco APIC REST API

Note

This module is part of the cisco.aci collection (version 2.12.0).

You might already have this collection installed if you are using the ansible package. It is not included in ansible-core. To check whether it is installed, run ansible-galaxy collection list.

To install it, use: ansible-galaxy collection install cisco.aci. You need further requirements to be able to use this module, see Requirements for details.

To use it in a playbook, specify: cisco.aci.aci_rest.

Synopsis
Requirements
Parameters
Notes
See Also
Examples
Return Values

Synopsis

Enables the management of the Cisco ACI fabric through direct access to the Cisco APIC REST API.
Thanks to the idempotent nature of the APIC, this module is idempotent and reports changes.

Requirements

The below requirements are needed on the host that executes this module.

lxml (when using XML payload)
xmljson >= 0.1.8 (when using XML payload)
python 2.7+ (when using xmljson)

Parameters

Parameter	Comments
annotation string	User-defined string for annotating an object. If the value is not specified in the task, the value of environment variable `ACI_ANNOTATION` will be used instead. If the value is not specified in the task and environment variable `ACI_ANNOTATION` then the default value will be used. Default: `"orchestrator:ansible"`
certificate_name aliases: cert_name string	The X.509 certificate name attached to the APIC AAA user used for signature-based authentication. If a `private_key` filename was provided, this defaults to the `private_key` basename, without extension. If PEM-formatted content was provided for `private_key`, this defaults to the `username` value. If the value is not specified in the task, the value of environment variable `ACI_CERTIFICATE_NAME` will be used instead.
content any	When used instead of `src`, sets the payload of the API request directly. This may be convenient to template simple requests. For anything complex use the `template` lookup plugin (see examples) or the `template` module with parameter `src`.
host aliases: hostname string	IP Address or hostname of APIC resolvable by Ansible control host. If the value is not specified in the task, the value of environment variable `ACI_HOST` will be used instead.
method aliases: action string	The HTTP method of the request. Using `delete` is typically used for deleting objects. Using `get` is typically used for querying objects. Using `post` is typically used for modifying objects. Choices: `"delete"` `"get"` ← (default) `"post"`
output_level string	Influence the output of this ACI module. `normal` means the standard output, incl. `current` dict `info` adds informational output, incl. `previous`, `proposed` and `sent` dicts `debug` adds debugging output, incl. `filter_string`, `method`, `response`, `status` and `url` information If the value is not specified in the task, the value of environment variable `ACI_OUTPUT_LEVEL` will be used instead. Choices: `"debug"` `"info"` `"normal"` ← (default)
output_path string	Path to a file that will be used to dump the ACI JSON configuration objects generated by the module. If the value is not specified in the task, the value of environment variable `ACI_OUTPUT_PATH` will be used instead.
page integer	The page number to return.
page_size integer	The number of items to return in a single page.
password string	The password to use for authentication. This option is mutual exclusive with `private_key`. If `private_key` is provided too, it will be used instead. If the value is not specified in the task, the value of environment variables `ACI_PASSWORD` or `ANSIBLE_NET_PASSWORD` will be used instead.
path aliases: uri string / required	URI being used to execute API calls. Must end in `.xml` or `.json`.
port integer	Port number to be used for REST connection. The default value depends on parameter `use_ssl`. If the value is not specified in the task, the value of environment variable `ACI_PORT` will be used instead.
private_key aliases: cert_key string	Either a PEM-formatted private key file or the private key content used for signature-based authentication. This value also influences the default `certificate_name` that is used. This option is mutual exclusive with `password`. If `password` is provided too, it will be ignored. If the value is not specified in the task, the value of environment variable `ACI_PRIVATE_KEY` or `ANSIBLE_NET_SSH_KEYFILE` will be used instead.
rsp_subtree_preserve boolean	Preserve the response for the provided path. Choices: `false` ← (default) `true`
src aliases: config_file path	Name of the absolute path of the filename that includes the body of the HTTP request being sent to the ACI fabric. If you require a templated payload, use the `content` parameter together with the `template` lookup plugin, or use `template`.
suppress_previous aliases: no_previous, ignore_previous boolean	If `true`, a GET to check previous will not be sent before a POST update to APIC. If the value is not specified in the task, the value of environment variable `ACI_SUPPRESS_PREVIOUS` will be used instead. The default value is `false`. WARNING - This causes the previous return value to be empty. The previous state of the object will not be checked and the POST update will contain all properties. Choices: `false` `true`
suppress_verification aliases: no_verification, no_verify, suppress_verify, ignore_verify, ignore_verification boolean	If `true`, a verifying GET will not be sent after a POST update to APIC. If the value is not specified in the task, the value of environment variable `ACI_SUPPRESS_VERIFICATION` will be used instead. The default value is `false`. WARNING - This causes the current return value to be set to the proposed value. The current object including default values will be unverifiable in a single task. Choices: `false` `true`
timeout integer	The socket level timeout in seconds. If the value is not specified in the task, the value of environment variable `ACI_TIMEOUT` will be used instead. The default value is 30.
use_proxy boolean	If `false`, it will not use a proxy, even if one is defined in an environment variable on the target hosts. If the value is not specified in the task, the value of environment variable `ACI_USE_PROXY` will be used instead. The default value is true. Choices: `false` `true`
use_ssl boolean	If `false`, an HTTP connection will be used instead of the default HTTPS connection. If the value is not specified in the task, the value of environment variable `ACI_USE_SSL` will be used instead. The default value is true when the connection is local. Choices: `false` `true`
username aliases: user string	The username to use for authentication. If the value is not specified in the task, the value of environment variables `ACI_USERNAME` or `ANSIBLE_NET_USERNAME` will be used instead. The default value is admin.
validate_certs boolean	If `false`, SSL certificates will not be validated. This should only set to `false` when used on personally controlled sites using self-signed certificates. If the value is not specified in the task, the value of environment variable `ACI_VALIDATE_CERTS` will be used instead. The default value is true. Choices: `false` `true`

Notes

Note

Certain payloads are known not to be idempotent, so be careful when constructing payloads, e.g. using status="created" will cause idempotency issues, use status="modified" instead. More information in :ref:`the ACI documentation <aci_guide_known_issues>`.
Certain payloads (and used paths) are known to report no changes happened when changes did happen. This is a known APIC problem and has been reported to the vendor. A workaround for this issue exists. More information in :ref:`the ACI documentation <aci_guide_known_issues>`.
XML payloads require the lxml and xmljson python libraries. For JSON payloads nothing special is needed.
If you do not have any attributes, it may be necessary to add the “attributes” key with an empty dictionnary “{}” for value as the APIC does expect the entry to precede any children.
Annotation set directly in c(src) or content will take precedent over the annotation parameter.

Examples

- name: Add a tenant using certificate authentication
  cisco.aci.aci_rest:
    host: apic
    username: admin
    private_key: pki/admin.key
    method: post
    path: /api/mo/uni.xml
    src: /home/cisco/ansible/aci/configs/aci_config.xml
  delegate_to: localhost

- name: Add a tenant from a templated payload file from templates/
  cisco.aci.aci_rest:
    host: apic
    username: admin
    private_key: pki/admin.key
    method: post
    path: /api/mo/uni.xml
    content: "{{ lookup('template', 'aci/tenant.xml.j2') }}"
  delegate_to: localhost

- name: Add a tenant using inline YAML
  cisco.aci.aci_rest:
    host: apic
    username: admin
    private_key: pki/admin.key
    validate_certs: false
    path: /api/mo/uni.json
    method: post
    content:
      fvTenant:
        attributes:
          name: Sales
          descr: Sales department
  delegate_to: localhost

- name: Add a tenant using a JSON string
  cisco.aci.aci_rest:
    host: apic
    username: admin
    private_key: pki/admin.key
    validate_certs: false
    path: /api/mo/uni.json
    method: post
    content:
      {
        "fvTenant": {
          "attributes": {
            "name": "Sales",
            "descr": "Sales department"
          }
        }
      }
  delegate_to: localhost

- name: Add a tenant using an XML string
  cisco.aci.aci_rest:
    host: apic
    username: admin
    private_key: pki/{{ aci_username }}.key
    validate_certs: false
    path: /api/mo/uni.xml
    method: post
    content: '<fvTenant name="Sales" descr="Sales departement"/>'
  delegate_to: localhost

- name: Get tenants using password authentication
  cisco.aci.aci_rest:
    host: apic
    username: admin
    password: SomeSecretPassword
    method: get
    path: /api/node/class/fvTenant.json
  delegate_to: localhost
  register: query_result

- name: Get first 5 tenants using password authentication and pagination
  cisco.aci.aci_rest:
    host: apic
    username: admin
    password: SomeSecretPassword
    method: get
    page_size: 5
    path: /api/node/class/fvTenant.json
  delegate_to: localhost
  register: query_result

- name: Configure contracts
  cisco.aci.aci_rest:
    host: apic
    username: admin
    private_key: pki/admin.key
    method: post
    path: /api/mo/uni.xml
    src: /home/cisco/ansible/aci/configs/contract_config.xml
  delegate_to: localhost

- name: Register leaves and spines
  cisco.aci.aci_rest:
    host: apic
    username: admin
    private_key: pki/admin.key
    validate_certs: false
    method: post
    path: /api/mo/uni/controller/nodeidentpol.xml
    content:
      <fabricNodeIdentPol>
        <fabricNodeIdentP name="{{ item.name }}" nodeId="{{ item.nodeid }}" status="{{ item.status }}" serial="{{ item.serial }}"/>
      </fabricNodeIdentPol>
  with_items:
    - '{{ apic_leavesspines }}'
  delegate_to: localhost

- name: Wait for all controllers to become ready
  cisco.aci.aci_rest:
    host: apic
    username: admin
    private_key: pki/admin.key
    validate_certs: false
    path: /api/node/class/topSystem.json?query-target-filter=eq(topSystem.role,"controller")
  register: apics
  until: "'totalCount' in apics and apics.totalCount|int >= groups['apic']|count"
  retries: 120
  delay: 30
  delegate_to: localhost
  run_once: true

Return Values

Common return values are documented here, the following are the fields unique to this module:

Key	Description
error_code integer	The REST ACI return code, useful for troubleshooting on failure Returned: always Sample: `122`
error_text string	The REST ACI descriptive text, useful for troubleshooting on failure Returned: always Sample: `"unknown managed object class foo"`
imdata string	Converted output returned by the APIC REST (register this for post-processing) Returned: always Sample: `"[{'error': {'attributes': {'code': '122', 'text': 'unknown managed object class foo'}}}]"`
payload string	The (templated) payload send to the APIC REST API (xml or json) Returned: always Sample: `"<foo bar=\"boo\"/>"`
raw string	The raw output returned by the APIC REST API (xml or json) Returned: parse error Sample: `"<?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"UTF-8\"?><imdata totalCount=\"1\"><error code=\"122\" text=\"unknown managed object class foo\"/></imdata>"`
response string	HTTP response string Returned: always Sample: `"HTTP Error 400: Bad Request"`
status integer	HTTP status code Returned: always Sample: `400`
totalCount string	Number of items in the imdata array Returned: always Sample: `"0"`
url string	URL used for APIC REST call Returned: success Sample: `"https://1.2.3.4/api/mo/uni/tn-[Dag].json?rsp-subtree=modified"`

Authors

Dag Wieers (@dagwieers)
Cindy Zhao (@cizhao)
Samita Bhattacharjee (@samitab)

Collection links

© 2012–2018 Michael DeHaan
© 2018–2025 Red Hat, Inc.
Licensed under the GNU General Public License version 3.
https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/collections/cisco/aci/aci_rest_module.html