blockinfile

Manages marked blocks of text within a file, delimited by BEGIN/END markers. Useful for managing a section of a config file without touching the rest.

Parameters

Parameter	Required	Default	Description
`target_path`	Yes	--	Absolute path to the file.
`block_content`	Yes (for present)	--	The content to place between the markers.
`state`	Yes	--	Desired state: `present` or `absent`.
`label`	No	`managed`	Label used in marker comments to distinguish multiple blocks.
`marker_begin`	No	`# BEGIN {label} - managed by vigo`	Custom begin marker. `{label}` is replaced with the label value.
`marker_end`	No	`# END {label} - managed by vigo`	Custom end marker.
`create`	No	`false`	If `true`, create the file if it does not exist.
`mode`	No	--	File permission mode when creating a new file.

States

present -- Ensure the block exists between the markers. If the block already exists with the same content, no changes are made. If it exists with different content, it is updated.
absent -- Remove the block and its markers from the file.

Idempotency

Reads the file and looks for the BEGIN/END marker pair. Compares the content between the markers against the desired block_content. Only writes when the content differs or the markers are missing.

Examples

Basic

resources:
  - name: SSH hardening config
    type: blockinfile
    target_path: /etc/ssh/sshd_config
    label: hardening
    block_content: |
      PermitRootLogin no
      PasswordAuthentication no
      MaxAuthTries 3

With notify

resources:
  - name: Nginx upstream block
    type: blockinfile
    target_path: /etc/nginx/conf.d/upstreams.conf
    label: app-upstream
    block_content: |
      upstream app {
        server 10.0.1.10:8080;
        server 10.0.1.11:8080;
      }
    create: "true"
    notify: reload-nginx

Remove a block

resources:
  - name: Remove old config block
    type: blockinfile
    target_path: /etc/myapp.conf
    label: deprecated-section
    state: absent

Platform

Cross-platform.

Notes

The default markers look like # BEGIN managed - managed by vigo and # END managed - managed by vigo. Customize with label, marker_begin, and marker_end.
When create: true and the file does not exist, it is created with the block and markers.
Multiple blocks can coexist in the same file using different label values.

Choosing the Right File Editor

Executor	Best for
blockinfile	Managing a cohesive multi-line section with BEGIN/END markers
file_line	Ensuring a single line exists or is absent
replace	Regex find-and-replace for scattered settings
file	Replacing the entire file content from a template