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Ansible archive and unarchive Modules

`unarchive` is built in; `archive` is not - it lives in `community.general`, which is the kind of asymmetry that costs marks. Both turn out to be properly idempotent, including the one that writes a tarball, which is not what most people expect.

Automating Administration Guide 36 of 45 Intermediate

Written against the versions above. `unarchive` needs the matching tool **on the target** - `tar` for tarballs, `unzip` for zips. A zip extraction on a minimal image fails for a missing `unzip`, not for anything to do with Ansible.

Both managed nodes: ANS-A01 archives in place, ANS-B01 receives an archive from the control node.
Server NameIP AddressOSRolesCPURAMHDD
ANS-CTL01192.168.0.36Ubuntu 26.04 LTSAnsible Control Node2 Core3 GB50 GB
ANS-A01192.168.0.37Ubuntu 26.04 LTSManaged Node (group: web)2 Core3 GB50 GB
ANS-B01192.168.0.38Ubuntu 26.04 LTSManaged Node (group: db)2 Core3 GB50 GB

Before you start

  1. The configuration this guide assumes

  2. Two modules, two collections

  3. Something to archive

  4. Archive it where it lives

  5. Run it again

  6. Unpack it on the same host

  7. The other direction: a file from the control node

  8. A zip, and what the target needs

  9. Put the hosts back

Official sources

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