Ansible 14.0.0a3 Pre-Release: What's New in Ansible 14 (Preview)

By Luca Berton · Published 2024-01-01 · Category: installation

Ansible 14.0.0a3 pre-release overview. New collections, dropped collections, porting guide, and how to prepare for the Ansible 14 community package upgrade.

Introduction

The Ansible 14.0.0a3 pre-release (alpha 3) is now available for testing. The Ansible community package bundles ansible-core with a curated set of collections, providing a batteries-included automation experience.

Ansible 14 will ship with ansible-core 2.21 and includes updated collections, new additions, and some removals.

Installing the Pre-Release

Test in an isolated environment:

# Create a virtual environment
python3 -m venv ~/ansible-14-test
source ~/ansible-14-test/bin/activate

# Install the pre-release
pip install ansible==14.0.0a3

# Verify
ansible --version
ansible-community --version

Or automate with a playbook:

- name: Test Ansible 14 pre-release
  hosts: localhost
  connection: local
  tasks:
    - name: Create test virtual environment
      ansible.builtin.command:
        cmd: python3 -m venv /opt/ansible-14-test
        creates: /opt/ansible-14-test/bin/activate

    - name: Install Ansible 14.0.0a3
      ansible.builtin.pip:
        name: ansible==14.0.0a3
        virtualenv: /opt/ansible-14-test

    - name: List included collections
      ansible.builtin.command:
        cmd: /opt/ansible-14-test/bin/ansible-galaxy collection list
      register: collections

    - name: Show collections
      ansible.builtin.debug:
        var: collections.stdout_lines

Ansible 13 vs Ansible 14

Key differences between versions:

Aspect	Ansible 13	Ansible 14
ansible-core	2.20.x	2.21.x
Python (control)	3.10+	3.10+ (expected)
Collections	~85	Updated set
Status	Current stable	Pre-release

Checking the Porting Guide

Before upgrading, review the porting guide for breaking changes:

- name: Pre-upgrade compatibility check
  hosts: all
  gather_facts: true
  tasks:
    - name: Check Python version
      ansible.builtin.assert:
        that:
          - ansible_python_version is version('3.10', '>=')
        fail_msg: >
          Python {{ ansible_python_version }} may not be supported.
          Ansible 14 requires Python 3.10+ on control nodes.

    - name: Find playbooks using short module names
      ansible.builtin.command:
        cmd: >
          grep -rl '^\s*- \(copy\|template\|file\|service\|command\|shell\):' 
          /etc/ansible/playbooks/ --include='*.yml'
      register: short_names
      changed_when: false
      ignore_errors: true

    - name: Warn about non-FQCN usage
      ansible.builtin.debug:
        msg: >
          Found {{ short_names.stdout_lines | length }} files using short module names.
          Migrate to FQCN (e.g., ansible.builtin.copy) for forward compatibility.
      when: short_names.rc == 0

Upgrade Path from Ansible 13

When Ansible 14 stable releases, follow this upgrade path:

# 1. Backup current environment
pip freeze > ansible-13-requirements.txt

# 2. Test in isolation first
python3 -m venv ~/ansible-14-upgrade-test
source ~/ansible-14-upgrade-test/bin/activate
pip install ansible==14.0.0a3

# 3. Run your test playbooks
ansible-playbook test-playbook.yml --check

# 4. When stable releases, upgrade production
pip install --upgrade ansible

Collection Updates in Ansible 14

The Ansible 14 package includes updated versions of popular collections. Check which collections are included:

# List all collections in Ansible 14
ansible-galaxy collection list

# Check a specific collection version
ansible-galaxy collection list community.general

Notable Collection Releases This Week

Several collections received updates that will be included in Ansible 14:

community.general 12.6.0 — Last feature release for 12.x; 13.0.0 coming in ~4 weeks
community.crypto 3.2.0 — New ACME dns-account-01 and dns-persist-01 support
kubernetes.core 6.4.0 — Helm v4 compatibility, improved k8s_drain
community.routeros 3.20.0 — New API module features
community.sops 2.3.0 — ansible-core 2.21 support

Best Practices

Stay on Ansible 13.6.0 for production — the current stable release
Test alpha/pre-releases in isolated environments only
Use FQCN in all playbooks — ensures forward compatibility
Pin collection versions in requirements.yml for reproducible builds
Review the porting guide before any major version upgrade

FAQ

When will Ansible 14 stable be released?

Based on the alpha release timeline, expect Ansible 14.0.0 stable in approximately 4-8 weeks (May-June 2026).

Can I use Ansible 14 with ansible-core 2.20?

No. Ansible 14 is built against ansible-core 2.21. The package versions are tightly coupled.

What happens to community.general 10.x?

The 10.x.y release train reaches End of Life when community.general 13.0.0 releases. Upgrade to 12.x or wait for 13.x.

Should I migrate from Ansible 13 to 14 now?

Not yet. Wait for the stable release. Use this pre-release period to test compatibility and update any deprecated patterns in your playbooks.

Conclusion

Ansible 14.0.0a3 represents the next evolution of the community package. While it's too early for production use, testing now ensures a smooth upgrade path when stable arrives.

Current recommendation: Run Ansible 13.6.0 in production, test 14.0.0a3 in isolated environments.

Category: installation

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