ansible/awx

ansible-vault variables are imported with extra empty lines

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#8764 opened on Dec 6, 2020

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 (2 comments) (1 reaction) (0 assignees)Python (13,071 stars) (3,333 forks)batch import
component:apihelp wantedtype:bug

Description

ISSUE TYPE
  • Bug Report
SUMMARY

I am importing inventory from git repository. I understand that AWX needs to use __ansible_vault which is fine. However it changes the input data and adds extra empty lines. If the view is changed to JSON the encrypted string has erroneous \n characters embedded.

ENVIRONMENT
  • AWX version: 15.0.1
  • AWX install method: docker on linux
  • Ansible version: 2.9.14
  • Operating System: Ubuntu 20.04
  • Web Browser: Firefox
STEPS TO REPRODUCE

Create an inventory with host variable file which has ansible vault encrypted data in a git repository.

encrypted_variable: !vault |
  $ANSIBLE_VAULT;1.2;AES256;myvaultid
  37393937383739363161306133623566396530626562373962616235626636383564626631613832
  6534623133626365303931636563346663386335636230350a383832343462313832633464373431
  31346430346364636538353863383966343364316336366430616635643034356365653063636630
  6561336336613637660a343965343137373032636466383566656430663465646335313632363861
  37306136663563376333623031636462323138326639386462363361653234386132303466313439
  32626539656562313165663931323265613063653431633064356633373837313861623037333865
  66326138353530646439653438303463313037616330333964623265303637306239616532666161
  30343539626164366438

Import inventory to AWX

EXPECTED RESULTS

I expected to see in AWX inventory host variables:

encrypted_variable:
  __ansible_vault: |
    $ANSIBLE_VAULT;1.2;AES256;myvaultid
    37393937383739363161306133623566396530626562373962616235626636383564626631613832
    6534623133626365303931636563346663386335636230350a383832343462313832633464373431
    31346430346364636538353863383966343364316336366430616635643034356365653063636630
    6561336336613637660a343965343137373032636466383566656430663465646335313632363861
    37306136663563376333623031636462323138326639386462363361653234386132303466313439
    32626539656562313165663931323265613063653431633064356633373837313861623037333865
    66326138353530646439653438303463313037616330333964623265303637306239616532666161
    30343539626164366438
ACTUAL RESULTS

Imported data looks like this:

encrypted_variable:
  __ansible_vault: >
    $ANSIBLE_VAULT;1.2;AES256;myvaultid

    37393937383739363161306133623566396530626562373962616235626636383564626631613832

    6534623133626365303931636563346663386335636230350a383832343462313832633464373431

    31346430346364636538353863383966343364316336366430616635643034356365653063636630

    6561336336613637660a343965343137373032636466383566656430663465646335313632363861

    37306136663563376333623031636462323138326639386462363361653234386132303466313439

    32626539656562313165663931323265613063653431633064356633373837313861623037333865

    66326138353530646439653438303463313037616330333964623265303637306239616532666161

    30343539626164366438
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

I tested by manually modifying the variable to my expected result. It seems to work until I switch between JSON-YAML views in the view. The conversion process adds the extra empty lines and changes the block style.

The JSON view appears as (which seems correct?):

 "encrypted_variable": {
  "__ansible_vault": "$ANSIBLE_VAULT;1.2;AES256;myvaultid\n37393937383739363161306133623566396530626562373962616235626636383564626631613832\n6534623133626365303931636563346663386335636230350a383832343462313832633464373431\n31346430346364636538353863383966343364316336366430616635643034356365653063636630\n6561336336613637660a343965343137373032636466383566656430663465646335313632363861\n37306136663563376333623031636462323138326639386462363361653234386132303466313439\n32626539656562313165663931323265613063653431633064356633373837313861623037333865\n66326138353530646439653438303463313037616330333964623265303637306239616532666161\n30343539626164366438\n"
 }

It seems like wrong block style is used?

Contributor guide

Tech stack
pythondjangorest api
Domain
backend
Issue type
bug
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
half day
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
stale
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
ansible basicsYAML syntax
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
40
Research direction
Investigate the code that handles importing host variables from inventory sources, specifically how ` ansible vault` values are parsed and displayed. Look for the YAML serialization logic (possibly in awx/main/models/inventory.py or related serializers) where the block scalar style might be incorrectly set. The issue mentions that switching between JSON and YAML views adds extra newlines, so the conversion between JSON and YAML representations is likely the culprit. Check how the variable data is stored and rendered, and ensure that the YAML dump respects the original block style without adding blank lines.