Copy Multiple Files or Directories Using with_items in Ansible

When you need to copy several files or directories with Ansible, the with_items loop provides a concise solution.

Example playbook:

- hosts: all
  remote_user: root
  gather_facts: false
  tasks:
    - name: copy file
      copy:
        src: /root/{{item}}
        dest: /usr/local/apps/
      with_items:
        ['45.txt', 'run.sh', 'node_exporter.tar.gz']

Run the playbook in check mode to preview actions:

ansible-playbook -C copy.yaml

Execute the playbook normally to perform the copy:

ansible-playbook copy.yaml

After execution, verify the files on the target server under /usr/local/apps/ to ensure they were transferred correctly.