Ansible projects:Hands-on with essential automation skills

1. Automated Web Server Deployment

Overview

This project automates the setup of an Nginx or Apache web server on multiple hosts. It’s commonly used for creating web server clusters and ensuring consistent configurations across servers.

Project Structure

webserver-deployment/
├── playbook.yml
├── inventory.ini
└── roles/
    └── webserver/
        ├── tasks/
        │   └── main.yml
        ├── handlers/
        │   └── main.yml
        └── vars/
            └── main.yml

Steps

1. Define the Inventory File (inventory.ini):

   [webservers]
   server1 ansible_host=192.168.1.101
   server2 ansible_host=192.168.1.102

1. Create Playbook (playbook.yml):

   - name: Deploy Web Server
     hosts: webservers
     roles:
       - webserver

1. Define the Role (roles/webserver):

   • Tasks (tasks/main.yml):

    - name: Install Nginx
      ansible.builtin.yum:
        name: nginx
        state: present
   
    - name: Start and Enable Nginx
      ansible.builtin.service:
        name: nginx
        state: started
        enabled: yes
   

• Handlers (handlers/main.yml):
  

   - name: Restart Nginx
     ansible.builtin.service:
       name: nginx
       state: restarted
  

• Variables (vars/main.yml):
  

   nginx_port: 80
  

1. Run the Playbook:

   ansible-playbook -i inventory.ini playbook.yml

2. User Management System

Overview

This project manages users and groups across multiple servers, which is helpful in environments where you need centralized user management.

Project Structure

user-management/
├── playbook.yml
├── inventory.ini
└── roles/
    └── user/
        ├── tasks/
        │   └── main.yml
        └── vars/
            └── main.yml

Steps

1. Define the Inventory (inventory.ini):

   [userservers]
   server1 ansible_host=192.168.1.101

1. Playbook (playbook.yml):

   - name: User Management
     hosts: userservers
     roles:
       - user

1. Role Structure (roles/user):

   • Tasks (tasks/main.yml):

    - name: Create a group
      ansible.builtin.group:
        name: "{{ group_name }}"
        state: present
   
    - name: Create user
      ansible.builtin.user:
        name: "{{ user_name }}"
        group: "{{ group_name }}"
        state: present
   

• Variables (vars/main.yml):
  

   user_name: john
   group_name: developers
  

1. Run the Playbook:

   ansible-playbook -i inventory.ini playbook.yml

3. Database Server Setup (MySQL)

Overview

This project configures a MySQL server, sets up databases, and defines users with necessary permissions.

Project Structure

mysql-setup/
├── playbook.yml
├── inventory.ini
└── roles/
    └── mysql/
        ├── tasks/
        │   └── main.yml
        ├── handlers/
        │   └── main.yml
        └── vars/
            └── main.yml

Steps

1. Inventory File (inventory.ini):

   [dbservers]
   server1 ansible_host=192.168.1.103

1. Playbook (playbook.yml):

   - name: MySQL Server Setup
     hosts: dbservers
     roles:
       - mysql

1. Role Structure (roles/mysql):

   • Tasks (tasks/main.yml):

    - name: Install MySQL
      ansible.builtin.yum:
        name: mysql-server
        state: present
   
    - name: Start MySQL Service
      ansible.builtin.service:
        name: mysqld
        state: started
        enabled: yes
   
    - name: Create MySQL Database
      ansible.builtin.mysql_db:
        name: "{{ db_name }}"
        state: present
   
    - name: Create MySQL User
      ansible.builtin.mysql_user:
        name: "{{ db_user }}"
        password: "{{ db_pass }}"
        priv: "*.*:ALL"
        state: present
   

• Variables (vars/main.yml):
  

   db_name: my_database
   db_user: db_user
   db_pass: db_pass
  

1. Run the Playbook:

   ansible-playbook -i inventory.ini playbook.yml

4. Application Deployment with Docker

Overview

This project deploys a web application using Docker, making it easier to manage dependencies and scale applications.

Project Structure

docker-deployment/
├── playbook.yml
├── inventory.ini
└── roles/
    └── app/
        ├── tasks/
        │   └── main.yml
        ├── files/
        │   └── Dockerfile
        └── vars/
            └── main.yml

Steps

1. Inventory (inventory.ini):

   [appservers]
   server1 ansible_host=192.168.1.104

1. Playbook (playbook.yml):

   - name: Deploy App with Docker
     hosts: appservers
     roles:
       - app

1. Role Structure (roles/app):

   • Tasks (tasks/main.yml):

    - name: Copy Dockerfile
      ansible.builtin.copy:
        src: Dockerfile
        dest: /tmp/Dockerfile
   
    - name: Build Docker Image
      ansible.builtin.command:
        cmd: docker build -t myapp /tmp
   
    - name: Run Docker Container
      ansible.builtin.docker_container:
        name: myapp
        image: myapp
        state: started
        restart_policy: always
   

• Dockerfile (files/Dockerfile):
  

   FROM python:3.8
   WORKDIR /app
   COPY . .
   RUN pip install -r requirements.txt
   CMD ["python", "app.py"]
  

1. Run the Playbook:

   ansible-playbook -i inventory.ini playbook.yml

5. System Update and Patch Management

Overview

This project automates the system update process across multiple servers, ensuring that all servers are up to date with the latest security patches.

Project Structure

system-update/
├── playbook.yml
└── inventory.ini

Steps

1. Inventory (inventory.ini):

   [all]
   server1 ansible_host=192.168.1.105
   server2 ansible_host=192.168.1.106

1. Playbook (playbook.yml):

   - name: System Update and Patching
     hosts: all
     become: yes
     tasks:
       - name: Update all packages
         ansible.builtin.yum:
           name: "*"
           state: latest

       - name: Reboot if Kernel Updated
         ansible.builtin.reboot:
           msg: "Reboot initiated by Ansible for kernel updates"
           connect_timeout: 5
           reboot_timeout: 600
           pre_reboot_delay: 5
           post_reboot_delay: 30

1. Run the Playbook:

   ansible-playbook -i inventory.ini playbook.yml

These Ansible projects cover essential skills and scenarios. Let me know if you’d like further details on any project or additional configurations!