Introduction
# Ansible Skill
Infrastructure as Code automation for server provisioning, configuration management, and orchestration.
## Quick Start
### Prerequisites
```bash # Install Ansible pip install ansible
# Or on macOS brew install ansible
# Verify ansible --version ```
### Run Your First Playbook
```bash # Test connection ansible all -i inventory/hosts.yml -m ping
# Run playbook ansible-playbook -i inventory/hosts.yml playbooks/site.yml
# Dry run (check mode) ansible-playbook -i inventory/hosts.yml playbooks/site.yml --check
# With specific tags ansible-playbook -i inventory/hosts.yml playbooks/site.yml --tags "security,nodejs" ```
## Directory Structure
``` skills/ansible/ ├── SKILL.md # This file ├── inventory/ # Host inventories │ ├── hosts.yml # Main inventory │ └── group_vars/ # Group variables ├── playbooks/ # Runnable playbooks │ ├── site.yml # Master playbook │ ├── openclaw-vps.yml # OpenClaw VPS setup │ └── security.yml # Security hardening ├── roles/ # Reusable roles │ ├── common/ # Base system setup │ ├── security/ # Hardening (SSH, fail2ban, UFW) │ ├── nodejs/ # Node.js installation │ └── openclaw/ # OpenClaw installation └── references/ # Documentation ├── best-practices.md ├── modules-cheatsheet.md └── troubleshooting.md ```
## Core Concepts
### Inventory
Define your hosts in `inventory/hosts.yml`:
```yaml all: children: vps: hosts: eva: ansible_host: 217.13.104.208 ansible_user: root ansible_ssh_pass: "{{ vault_eva_password }}" plane: ansible_host: 217.13.104.99 ansible_user: asdbot ansible_ssh_private_key_file: ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_plane openclaw: hosts: eva: ```
### Playbooks
Entry points for automation:
```yaml # playbooks/site.yml - Master playbook --- - name: Configure all servers hosts: all become: yes roles: - common - security
- name: Setup OpenClaw servers hosts: openclaw become: yes roles: - nodejs - openclaw ```
### Roles
Reusable, modular configurations:
```yaml # roles/common/tasks/main.yml --- - name: Update apt cache ansible.builtin.apt: update_cache: yes cache_valid_time: 3600 when: ansible_os_family == "Debian"
- name: Install essential packages ansible.builtin.apt: name: - curl - wget - git - htop - vim - unzip state: present ```
## Included Roles
### 1. common Base system configuration: - System updates - Essential packages - Timezone configuration - User creation with SSH keys
### 2. security Hardening following CIS benchmarks: - SSH hardening (key-only, no root) - fail2ban for brute-force protection - UFW firewall configuration - Automatic security updates
### 3. nodejs Node.js installation via NodeSource: - Configurable version (default: 22.x LTS) - npm global packages - pm2 process manager (optional)
### 4. openclaw Complete OpenClaw setup: - Node.js (via nodejs role) - OpenClaw npm installation - Systemd service - Configuration file setup
## Usage Patterns
### Pattern 1: New VPS Setup (OpenClaw)
```bash # 1. Add host to inventory cat >> inventory/hosts.yml << 'EOF' newserver: ansible_host: 1.2.3.4 ansible_user: root ansible_ssh_pass: "initial_password" deploy_user: asdbot deploy_ssh_pubkey: "ssh-ed25519 AAAA... asdbot" EOF
# 2. Run OpenClaw playbook ansible-playbook -i inventory/hosts.yml playbooks/openclaw-vps.yml \ --limit newserver \ --ask-vault-pass
# 3. After initial setup, update inventory to use key auth # ansible_user: asdbot # ansible_ssh_private_key_file: ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 ```
### Pattern 2: Security Hardening Only
```bash ansible-playbook -i inventory/hosts.yml playbooks/security.yml \ --limit production \ --tags "ssh,firewall" ```
### Pattern 3: Rolling Updates
```bash # Update one server at a time ansible-playbook -i inventory/hosts.yml playbooks/update.yml \ --serial 1 ```
### Pattern 4: Ad-hoc Commands
```bash # Check disk space on all servers ansible all -i inventory/hosts.yml -m shell -a "df -h"
# Restart service ansible openclaw -i inventory/hosts.yml -m systemd -a "name=openclaw state=restarted"
# Copy file ansible all -i inventory/hosts.yml -m copy -a "src=./file.txt dest=/tmp/" ```
## Variables & Secrets
### Group Variables
```yaml # inventory/group_vars/all.yml --- timezone: Europe/Budapest deploy_user: asdbot ssh_port: 22
# Security security_ssh_password_auth: false security_ssh_permit_root: false security_fail2ban_enabled: true security_ufw_enabled: true security_ufw_allowed_ports: - 22 - 80 - 443
# Node.js nodejs_version: "22.x" ```
### Vault for Secrets
```bash # Create encrypted vars file ansible-vault create inventory/group_vars/all/vault.yml
# Edit encrypted file ansible-vault edit inventory/group_vars/all/vault.yml
# Run with vault ansible-playbook site.yml --ask-vault-pass
# Or use vault password file ansible-playbook site.yml --vault-password-file ~/.vault_pass ```
Vault file structure: ```yaml # inventory/group_vars/all/vault.yml --- vault_eva_password: "y8UGHR1qH" vault_deploy_ssh_key: | -----BEGIN OPENSSH PRIVATE KEY----- ... -----END OPENSSH PRIVATE KEY----- ```
## Common Modules
| Module | Purpose | Example | |--------|---------|---------| | `apt` | Package management (Debian) | `apt: name=nginx state=present` | | `yum` | Package management (RHEL) | `yum: name=nginx state=present` | | `copy` | Copy files | `copy: src=file dest=/path/` | | `template` | Template files (Jinja2) | `template: src=nginx.conf.j2 dest=/etc/nginx/nginx.conf` | | `file` | File/directory management | `file: path=/dir state=directory mode=0755` | | `user` | User management | `user: name=asdbot groups=sudo shell=/bin/bash` | | `authorized_key` | SSH keys | `authorized_key: user=asdbot key="{{ ssh_key }}"` | | `systemd` | Service management | `systemd: name=nginx state=started enabled=yes` | | `ufw` | Firewall (Ubuntu) | `ufw: rule=allow port=22 proto=tcp` | | `lineinfile` | Edit single line | `lineinfile: path=/etc/ssh/sshd_config regexp='^PermitRootLogin' line='PermitRootLogin no'` | | `git` | Clone repos | `git: repo=https://github.com/x/y.git dest=/opt/y` | | `npm` | npm packages | `npm: name=openclaw global=yes` | | `command` | Run command | `command: /opt/script.sh` | | `shell` | Run shell command | `shell: cat /etc/passwd \| grep root` |
## Best Practices
### 1. Always Name Tasks ```yaml # Good - name: Install nginx web server apt: name: nginx state: present
# Bad - apt: name=nginx ```
### 2. Use FQCN (Fully Qualified Collection Names) ```yaml # Good - ansible.builtin.apt: name: nginx
# Acceptable but less clear - apt: name: nginx ```
### 3. Explicit State ```yaml # Good - explicit state - ansible.builtin.apt: name: nginx state: present
# Bad - implicit state - ansible.builtin.apt: name: nginx ```
### 4. Idempotency Write tasks that can run multiple times safely: ```yaml # Good - idempotent - name: Ensure config line exists ansible.builtin.lineinfile: path: /etc/ssh/sshd_config regexp: '^PasswordAuthentication' line: 'PasswordAuthentication no'
# Bad - not idempotent - name: Add config line ansible.builtin.shell: echo "PasswordAuthentication no" >> /etc/ssh/sshd_config ```
### 5. Use Handlers for Restarts ```yaml # tasks/main.yml - name: Update SSH config ansible.builtin.template: src: sshd_config.j2 dest: /etc/ssh/sshd_config notify: Restart SSH
# handlers/main.yml - name: Restart SSH ansible.builtin.systemd: name: sshd state: restarted ```
### 6. Tags for Selective Runs ```yaml - name: Security tasks ansible.builtin.include_tasks: security.yml tags: [security, hardening]
- name: App deployment ansible.builtin.include_tasks: deploy.yml tags: [deploy, app] ```
## Troubleshooting
### Connection Issues
```bash # Test SSH connection manually ssh -v user@host
# Debug Ansible connection ansible host -i inventory -m ping -vvv
# Check inventory parsing ansible-inventory -i inventory --list ```
### Common Errors
**"Permission denied"** - Check SSH key permissions: `chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_*` - Verify user has sudo access - Add `become: yes` to playbook
**"Host key verification failed"** - Add to ansible.cfg: `host_key_checking = False` - Or add host key: `ssh-keyscan -H host >> ~/.ssh/known_hosts`
**"Module not found"** - Use FQCN: `ansible.builtin.apt` instead of `apt` - Install collection: `ansible-galaxy collection install community.general`
### Debugging Playbooks
```bash # Verbose output ansible-playbook site.yml -v # Basic ansible-playbook site.yml -vv # More ansible-playbook site.yml -vvv # Maximum
# Step through tasks ansible-playbook site.yml --step
# Start at specific task ansible-playbook site.yml --start-at-task="Install nginx"
# Check mode (dry run) ansible-playbook site.yml --check --diff ```
## Integration with OpenClaw
### From OpenClaw Agent
```bash # Run playbook via exec tool exec command="ansible-playbook -i skills/ansible/inventory/hosts.yml skills/ansible/playbooks/openclaw-vps.yml --limit eva"
# Ad-hoc command exec command="ansible eva -i skills/ansible/inventory/hosts.yml -m shell -a 'systemctl status openclaw'" ```
### Storing Credentials
Use OpenClaw's Vaultwarden integration: ```bash # Get password from vault cache PASSWORD=$(.secrets/get-secret.sh "VPS - Eva")
# Use in ansible (not recommended - use ansible-vault instead) ansible-playbook site.yml -e "ansible_ssh_pass=$PASSWORD" ```
Better: Store in Ansible Vault and use `--ask-vault-pass`.
## References
- `references/best-practices.md` - Detailed best practices guide - `references/modules-cheatsheet.md` - Common modules quick reference - `references/troubleshooting.md` - Extended troubleshooting guide
## External Resources
- [Ansible Documentation](https://docs.ansible.com/) - [Ansible Galaxy](https://galaxy.ansible.com/) - Community roles - [geerlingguy roles](https://github.com/geerlingguy?tab=repositories&q=ansible-role) - High quality roles - [Ansible for DevOps](https://www.ansiblefordevops.com/) - Book by Jeff Geerling