Install Ansible on Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS

This guide provides a step-by-step installation of Ansible Automation Tool on Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS systems.

1. Prerequisites

Copy
- Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS
- Sudo or root privileges
- Internet connectivity
- SSH enabled
- Minimum 2 GB RAM

2. Set Hostname

Copy
sudo hostnamectl set-hostname ansible.example.com

3. Update System Packages

Copy
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

sudo reboot

4. Install Required Packages

Copy
sudo apt install -y \
software-properties-common \
wget \
curl \
git \
vim \
python3 \
python3-pip \
openssh-client

5. Add Ansible Repository

Copy
sudo add-apt-repository --yes --update ppa:ansible/ansible

6. Install Ansible

Copy
sudo apt install -y ansible

7. Verify Ansible Installation

Copy
ansible --version

8. Generate SSH Key

Copy
ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096

9. Copy SSH Key to Remote Host

Copy
ssh-copy-id user@remote-server

10. Create Ansible Inventory File

Copy
sudo mkdir -p /etc/ansible

sudo vi /etc/ansible/hosts

11. Example Inventory Configuration

Copy
[webservers]
192.168.1.101
192.168.1.102

[dbservers]
192.168.1.201

[all:vars]
ansible_user=root

12. Test Ansible Connectivity

Copy
ansible all -m ping

13. Create Sample Playbook

Copy
vi install_nginx.yml

14. Example Ansible Playbook

Copy
---
- name: Install NGINX Web Server
  hosts: webservers
  become: yes

  tasks:

    - name: Install NGINX
      apt:
        name: nginx
        state: present
        update_cache: yes

    - name: Start NGINX Service
      service:
        name: nginx
        state: started
        enabled: yes

15. Run Playbook

Copy
ansible-playbook install_nginx.yml

16. List Managed Hosts

Copy
ansible all --list-hosts

17. Configure UFW Firewall (Optional)

Copy
sudo ufw allow OpenSSH

sudo ufw enable

sudo ufw status

18. Install Additional Ansible Tools

Copy
sudo apt install -y \
python3-jmespath \
sshpass

19. Install Ansible Collections

Copy
ansible-galaxy collection install community.general

20. Optional Post Installation Tasks

Copy
- Configure Ansible Roles
- Configure Vault Encryption
- Setup AWX Dashboard
- Configure CI/CD Pipelines
- Create Reusable Playbooks