Ansible for AWS: Complete Guide to Cloud Automation with EC2, S3, RDS, and More
By Luca Berton · Published 2024-01-01 · Category: installation
Automate AWS with Ansible. Provision EC2 instances, manage S3 buckets, configure RDS databases, deploy VPCs, set up ELBs, and orchestrate complete AWS infrastructure with practical playbook examples.
Getting Started with Ansible + AWS
VPC and Networking
Security Groups
EC2 Instances
S3 Buckets
RDS Database
Application Load Balancer
IAM Roles
Complete Infrastructure Teardown
FAQ
Should I use Ansible or Terraform for AWS?
Use both. Terraform excels at infrastructure provisioning (VPCs, EC2, RDS) — it tracks state and handles dependencies well. Ansible excels at configuration management (installing software, deploying apps, managing users). Terraform provisions the EC2 instance; Ansible configures what's on it.
How do I use IAM roles instead of access keys?
If running Ansible on an EC2 instance, attach an IAM role to the instance. The amazon.aws collection automatically uses instance metadata credentials. No access keys needed — more secure and no credential rotation.
How do I handle multiple AWS accounts?
Use profile parameter in modules or set AWS_PROFILE environment variable. For cross-account access, use sts_assume_role to assume roles in target accounts:
How do I make Ansible AWS playbooks idempotent?
Most amazon.aws modules are idempotent by default — they check current state before making changes. Use name or tags for identification, not instance IDs. Always use state: present (not create) to ensure idempotency.
Conclusion
Ansible automates the complete AWS stack — VPC networking, EC2 instances, S3 storage, RDS databases, load balancers, IAM, and more. Use amazon.aws collection for native AWS module support, tag everything for identification, use IAM roles instead of access keys, and combine with dynamic inventory for ongoing management. For large-scale AWS infrastructure, pair Ansible with Terraform: Terraform provisions, Ansible configures.
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Category: installation