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Saturday, April 27, 2024

Automating Web Deployment with Ansible: A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Playbooks for Nginx

Automating Web Deployment with Ansible: A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Playbooks for Nginx

Ansible Playbook Example: Deploying a Web Application


---
- name: Deploy Web Application
  hosts: webservers
  become: yes
  vars:
    http_port: 80
    max_clients: 200
  tasks:
    - name: Install nginx web server
      apt:
        name: nginx
        state: present
        update_cache: yes

    - name: Upload the nginx configuration file
      template:
        src: templates/nginx.conf.j2
        dest: /etc/nginx/nginx.conf
      notify:
        - restart nginx

    - name: Ensure nginx is running
      service:
        name: nginx
        state: started
        enabled: true

    - name: Copy website files
      copy:
        src: /src/webfiles/
        dest: /var/www/html/
        owner: www-data
        group: www-data
        mode: 0644

  handlers:
    - name: restart nginx
      service:
        name: nginx
        state: restarted

Explanation of the Playbook:

  • Hosts: Targets the webservers group, which should be defined in your inventory file.
  • Become: Executes tasks with administrative (sudo) privileges.
  • Vars: Defines variables for use within the playbook. http_port and max_clients can be used in configuration templates.
  • Tasks:
    • Install nginx: Uses the apt module to install Nginx on Debian-based systems. Ensures the package cache is updated before installation.
    • Upload the nginx configuration file: Uses the template module to push a customized nginx configuration from a local template (nginx.conf.j2).
    • Ensure nginx is running: Ensures that the Nginx service is started and enabled to start on boot using the service module.
    • Copy website files: Transfers files from a local directory to the web server’s root directory. Sets the appropriate permissions and ownership.
  • Handlers:
    • restart nginx: Defined to restart Nginx whenever the nginx configuration file changes. This is triggered by the notify directive in the template task.

This playbook is a basic example for deploying a static web application using Nginx. It demonstrates the use of modules like apt, template, service, and copy, which are commonly used in real-world scenarios to manage web servers and deploy applications. Handlers are particularly useful for restarting services only when necessary, optimizing resource usage during playbook runs.

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