What are plugins? Plugins are special tasks that can be used to dynamically load information during a Bolt run and change how Bolt executes certain actions. You can use plugins in several locations, including configuration files, inventory files, and plans.
Why should I use plugins?
There are many different reasons you should use plugins. For example, you might want to use a plugin if you need to: - Decrypt sensitive values such as passwords
- Load targets from an external service, especially if the targets are ephemeral
- Reuse portions of a configuration or inventory file in another file
- Prompt the user for input
A
good rule of thumb for when using a plugin might be helpful is when it
is not desirable or impossible to write data directly to a configuration
file, inventory file, or plan.
What sorts of plugins are available?
Bolt
ships with several plugins that are available without the need to
install additional modules or dependencies. You can find a full list of Bolt's supported plugins in our documentation.
We've also had several Bolt users create their own plugins and share them with the community. Check out Bolt's third-party plugins for
a full list of what's available. If you write your own plugin and want
to share it with others, feel free to submit a pull request to add it to
the list!
How do I write a plugin? If you know how to write tasks, you're already 95% of the way towards knowing how to write a plugin! To learn more about writing plugins, see our writing plugins guide. | 
