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Ansible Commands

Automate system administration and deployment tasks across multiple servers.

Installation

Linux/Ubuntu

# Package manager installation
sudo apt update
sudo apt install ansible

# Or with pip
pip install ansible

# Verify installation
ansible --version

macOS

# Homebrew installation
brew install ansible

# Or with pip
pip install ansible

Windows (WSL/Git Bash)

# Via pip
pip install ansible

# Or WSL with Ubuntu
# Follow Linux installation above

Basic Commands

CommandDescription
ansible --versionDisplay Ansible version
ansible --helpShow help information
ansible-playbook playbook.ymlRun a playbook
ansible-inventory -i hosts listList inventory
ansible all -m pingTest connectivity to all hosts
ansible webservers -a 'uptime'Run ad-hoc command
ansible-galaxy install role-nameInstall role from Galaxy
ansible-vault create secrets.ymlCreate encrypted file

Inventory Management

CommandDescription
ansible-inventory -i hosts --listDisplay inventory in JSON
ansible-inventory -i hosts --graphDisplay inventory as tree
ansible-inventory -i hosts --host hostnameShow host variables
ansible all -i hosts --list-hostsList all hosts in inventory
ansible webservers -i hosts --list-hostsList hosts in group

Ad-Hoc Commands

# Run command on all hosts
ansible all -i hosts -m shell -a 'date'

# Run with sudo
ansible all -i hosts -m shell -a 'apt update' --become

# Run on specific group
ansible webservers -i hosts -a 'systemctl restart nginx'

# Run with output
ansible all -i hosts -m command -a 'ls -la /home' -v

# Copy file to hosts
ansible all -i hosts -m copy -a 'src=/tmp/file.txt dest=/tmp/'

# Install package
ansible all -i hosts -m apt -a 'name=curl state=present' --become

# Manage services
ansible all -i hosts -m service -a 'name=nginx state=started' --become

# Run with variables
ansible all -i hosts -m debug -a 'msg={{ ansible_os_family }}'

Playbook Structure

---
- name: Configure web servers
  hosts: webservers
  become: yes

  vars:
    http_port: 80
    max_clients: 200

  tasks:
    - name: Install Apache
      apt:
        name: apache2
        state: present

    - name: Start Apache
      service:
        name: apache2
        state: started
        enabled: yes

    - name: Create config file
      template:
        src: apache.conf.j2
        dest: /etc/apache2/apache2.conf
      notify: restart apache

  handlers:
    - name: restart apache
      service:
        name: apache2
        state: restarted

Commonly Used Modules

ModulePurpose
apt/yum/dnfPackage management
service/systemdService management
copyCopy files to hosts
templateRender Jinja2 templates
shell/commandExecute commands
user/groupManage users/groups
fileManage files/directories
gitClone/update repositories
lineinfileEdit files line-by-line
debugPrint debug messages
assertTest conditions

Roles

Create a role

ansible-galaxy init my_role

Role structure

my_role/
├── tasks/main.yml
├── handlers/main.yml
├── templates/
├── files/
├── vars/main.yml
├── defaults/main.yml
└── meta/main.yml

Use a role in playbook

---
- hosts: all
  roles:
    - common
    - webserver
    - { role: monitoring, version: '2.0' }

Variables and Facts

# List all facts for a host
ansible hostname -m setup

# Filter specific facts
ansible hostname -m setup -a 'filter=ansible_os_family'

# Use variables in playbook
ansible-playbook site.yml -e "deploy_user=john"

# Use variable file
ansible-playbook site.yml -e "@vars.yml"

Handlers

handlers:
  - name: restart web server
    service:
      name: nginx
      state: restarted
    listen: "web service changed"

tasks:
  - name: Update config
    copy:
      src: nginx.conf
      dest: /etc/nginx/
    notify: "web service changed"

Conditionals

tasks:
  - name: Install on Debian
    apt:
      name: curl
    when: ansible_os_family == "Debian"

  - name: Install on RedHat
    yum:
      name: curl
    when: ansible_os_family == "RedHat"

  - name: Run if registered variable set
    debug:
      msg: "Service running"
    when: service_status.rc == 0

Loops

tasks:
  - name: Install packages
    apt:
      name: "{{ item }}"
      state: present
    loop:
      - nginx
      - curl
      - git

  - name: Create users
    user:
      name: "{{ item.name }}"
      groups: "{{ item.groups }}"
    loop:
      - { name: 'john', groups: 'sudo' }
      - { name: 'jane', groups: 'www-data' }

Ansible Galaxy

# Search for roles
ansible-galaxy search nginx

# Install role
ansible-galaxy install geerlingguy.nginx

# Install from requirements
ansible-galaxy install -r requirements.yml

# List installed roles
ansible-galaxy list

# Remove role
ansible-galaxy remove geerlingguy.nginx

Configuration

ansible.cfg

[defaults]
inventory = ./hosts
host_key_checking = False
private_key_file = ~/.ssh/id_rsa
remote_user = ansible

Vault - Encrypt Sensitive Data

# Create encrypted file
ansible-vault create secrets.yml

# Edit encrypted file
ansible-vault edit secrets.yml

# Encrypt existing file
ansible-vault encrypt vars.yml

# Decrypt file
ansible-vault decrypt secrets.yml

# View encrypted file
ansible-vault view secrets.yml

# Run playbook with vault
ansible-playbook site.yml --ask-vault-pass

# Use vault password file
ansible-playbook site.yml --vault-password-file=~/.vault_pass

Debugging

# Verbose output (more -v flags = more detail)
ansible-playbook site.yml -v
ansible-playbook site.yml -vv
ansible-playbook site.yml -vvv

# Debug module
- debug:
    msg: "Variable value: {{ my_var }}"
    verbosity: 1

# Register and debug output
- shell: whoami
  register: whoami_result

- debug:
    var: whoami_result

Common Patterns

Web Server Setup

---
- name: Setup web server
  hosts: webservers
  become: yes

  tasks:
    - name: Update package cache
      apt:
        update_cache: yes

    - name: Install Nginx
      apt:
        name: nginx
        state: latest

    - name: Enable Nginx
      service:
        name: nginx
        enabled: yes
        state: started

    - name: Copy config
      copy:
        src: nginx.conf
        dest: /etc/nginx/nginx.conf
      notify: reload nginx

  handlers:
    - name: reload nginx
      service:
        name: nginx
        state: reloaded

Application Deployment

---
- name: Deploy application
  hosts: app_servers

  tasks:
    - name: Clone repository
      git:
        repo: https://github.com/user/app.git
        dest: /var/www/app
        version: main

    - name: Install dependencies
      shell: cd /var/www/app && pip install -r requirements.txt

    - name: Run migrations
      shell: cd /var/www/app && python manage.py migrate

    - name: Restart app
      service:
        name: myapp
        state: restarted

Best Practices

  • Use version control for playbooks and roles
  • Use vault for sensitive data (passwords, tokens, keys)
  • Leverage idempotency - tasks should be safe to run multiple times
  • Use handlers for state changes that require service restarts
  • Organize code into roles for reusability
  • Test playbooks in development first
  • Use assertions to validate changes
  • Document complex logic with comments
  • Use meaningful variable names
  • Keep tasks simple and focused

Environment Variables

VariablePurpose
ANSIBLE_CONFIGPath to ansible.cfg
ANSIBLE_INVENTORYPath to inventory file
ANSIBLE_REMOTE_USERRemote user for connections
ANSIBLE_PRIVATE_KEY_FILEPath to SSH key
ANSIBLE_VAULT_PASSWORD_FILEPath to vault password
ANSIBLE_BECOME_PASSSudo password

Resources

Last updated: 2026-03-30|Ansible 2.10+