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# gcp_compute – Google Cloud Compute Engine inventory source

- Synopsis
- Requirements
- Parameters
- Examples
- Status

## Synopsis

- Get inventory hosts from Google Cloud Platform GCE.
- Uses a YAML configuration file that ends with gcp_compute.(yml|yaml) or gcp.(yml|yaml).

## Requirements

The below requirements are needed on the local master node that executes this inventory.

- requests >= 2.18.4
- google-auth >= 1.3.0

## Parameters

Parameter | Choices/Defaults | Configuration | Comments
--- | --- | --- | ---
auth_kind - / required | Choices: application serviceaccount machineaccount | env:GCP_AUTH_KIND | The type of credential used.
cache boolean | Choices: no ← yes | ini entries: [inventory] cache = no env:ANSIBLE_INVENTORY_CACHE | Toggle to enable/disable the caching of the inventory's source data, requires a cache plugin setup to work.
cache_connection string |  | ini entries: [defaults] fact_caching_connection = VALUE [inventory] cache_connection = VALUE env:ANSIBLE_CACHE_PLUGIN_CONNECTION env:ANSIBLE_INVENTORY_CACHE_CONNECTION | Cache connection data or path, read cache plugin documentation for specifics.
cache_plugin string | Default: "memory" | ini entries: [defaults] fact_caching = memory [inventory] cache_plugin = memory env:ANSIBLE_CACHE_PLUGIN env:ANSIBLE_INVENTORY_CACHE_PLUGIN | Cache plugin to use for the inventory's source data.
cache_prefix - | Default: "ansible_inventory_" | ini entries: [default] fact_caching_prefix = ansible_inventory_ [inventory] cache_prefix = ansible_inventory_ env:ANSIBLE_CACHE_PLUGIN_PREFIX env:ANSIBLE_INVENTORY_CACHE_PLUGIN_PREFIX | Prefix to use for cache plugin files/tables
cache_timeout integer | Default: 3600 | ini entries: [defaults] fact_caching_timeout = 3600 [inventory] cache_timeout = 3600 env:ANSIBLE_CACHE_PLUGIN_TIMEOUT env:ANSIBLE_INVENTORY_CACHE_TIMEOUT | Cache duration in seconds
compose dictionary | Default: {} |  | Create vars from jinja2 expressions.
filters list |  |  | A list of filter value pairs. Available filters are listed here https://cloud.google.com/compute/docs/reference/rest/v1/instances/aggregatedList. Each additional filter in the list will act be added as an AND condition (filter1 and filter2)
groups dictionary | Default: {} |  | Add hosts to group based on Jinja2 conditionals.
hostnames list | Default: ["public_ip", "private_ip", "name"] |  | A list of options that describe the ordering for which hostnames should be assigned. Currently supported hostnames are 'public_ip', 'private_ip', or 'name'.
keyed_groups list | Default: [] |  | Add hosts to group based on the values of a variable.
plugin - / required | Choices: gcp_compute |  | token that ensures this is a source file for the 'gcp_compute' plugin.
projects list / required |  |  | A list of projects in which to describe GCE instances.
retrieve_image_info boolean added in 2.8 | Choices: no ← yes |  | Populate the `image` host fact for the instances returned with the GCP image name By default this plugin does not attempt to resolve the boot image of an instance to the image name cataloged in GCP because of the performance overhead of the task. Unless this option is enabled, the `image` host variable will be `null`
scopes list | Default: ["https://www.googleapis.com/auth/compute"] | env:GCP_SCOPES | list of authentication scopes
service_account_contents string added in 2.8.2 |  | env:GCP_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_CONTENTS | A string representing the contents of a Service Account JSON file. This should not be passed in as a dictionary, but a string that has the exact contents of a service account json file (valid JSON).
service_account_email - |  | env:GCP_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_EMAIL | An optional service account email address if machineaccount is selected and the user does not wish to use the default email.
service_account_file path |  | env:GCP_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_FILE env:GCE_CREDENTIALS_FILE_PATH | The path of a Service Account JSON file if serviceaccount is selected as type.
strict boolean | Choices: no ← yes |  | If `yes` make invalid entries a fatal error, otherwise skip and continue. Since it is possible to use facts in the expressions they might not always be available and we ignore those errors by default.
use_contrib_script_compatible_sanitization boolean added in 2.8 | Choices: no ← yes |  | By default this plugin is using a general group name sanitization to create safe and usable group names for use in Ansible. This option allows you to override that, in efforts to allow migration from the old inventory script. For this to work you should also turn off the TRANSFORM_INVALID_GROUP_CHARS setting, otherwise the core engine will just use the standard sanitization on top. This is not the default as such names break certain functionality as not all characters are valid Python identifiers which group names end up being used as.
vars_prefix - | Default: "" |  | prefix to apply to host variables, does not include facts nor params
zones list |  |  | A list of regions in which to describe GCE instances. If none provided, it defaults to all zones available to a given project.

## Examples

    plugin: gcp_compute
    zones: # populate inventory with instances in these regions
      - us-east1-a
    projects:
      - gcp-prod-gke-100
      - gcp-cicd-101
    filters:
      - machineType = n1-standard-1
      - scheduling.automaticRestart = true AND machineType = n1-standard-1
    service_account_file: /tmp/service_account.json
    auth_kind: serviceaccount
    scopes:
     - 'https://www.googleapis.com/auth/cloud-platform'
     - 'https://www.googleapis.com/auth/compute.readonly'
    keyed_groups:
      # Create groups from GCE labels
      - prefix: gcp
        key: labels
    hostnames:
      # List host by name instead of the default public ip
      - name
    compose:
      # Set an inventory parameter to use the Public IP address to connect to the host
      # For Private ip use "networkInterfaces[0].networkIP"
      ansible_host: networkInterfaces[0].accessConfigs[0].natIP

## Status

- This inventory is not guaranteed to have a backwards compatible interface. [preview]
- This inventory is maintained by the Ansible Community. [community]

### Authors

- UNKNOWN

Hint

If you notice any issues in this documentation, you can edit this document to improve it.

Hint

Configuration entries for each entry type have a low to high priority order. For example, a variable that is lower in the list will override a variable that is higher up.