Ansible on AWS: Automate EC2, S3, IAM & More (Complete Guide 2026)
By Luca Berton · Published 2024-01-01 · Category: installation
How to use Ansible with AWS. Automate EC2 instances, S3 buckets, IAM, VPC, RDS, and Lambda. Install amazon.aws collection, configure credentials, and deploy infrastructure with playbooks.
Ansible on AWS: Automate EC2, S3, IAM & More (Complete Guide 2026)
Ansible integrates with AWS through the amazon.aws collection, letting you automate EC2 instances, S3 buckets, VPCs, IAM, RDS, and 100+ AWS services using YAML playbooks. This guide covers setup, credentials, and the most common AWS automation tasks.
Setup
Install the AWS Collection
Configure AWS Credentials
Or in your playbook:
EC2 Instances
Launch an EC2 Instance
Stop/Start/Terminate Instances
Dynamic Inventory (Auto-Discover EC2)
Create aws_ec2.yml:
S3 Buckets
VPC & Networking
IAM
RDS Database
Complete Infrastructure Playbook
Key AWS Modules Reference
| Module | Purpose | |--------|---------| | amazon.aws.ec2_instance | Manage EC2 instances | | amazon.aws.ec2_security_group | Security groups | | amazon.aws.ec2_vpc_net | Create VPCs | | amazon.aws.ec2_vpc_subnet | Create subnets | | amazon.aws.s3_bucket | Manage S3 buckets | | amazon.aws.s3_object | Upload/download S3 objects | | amazon.aws.iam_user | Manage IAM users | | amazon.aws.iam_role | Manage IAM roles | | amazon.aws.rds_instance | Manage RDS databases | | amazon.aws.route53 | Manage DNS records | | amazon.aws.elb_application_lb | Application Load Balancers | | amazon.aws.lambda_function | Lambda functions | | amazon.aws.cloudformation | CloudFormation stacks |
FAQ
Can Ansible manage AWS resources?
Yes. Ansible uses the amazon.aws collection to manage 100+ AWS services including EC2, S3, VPC, IAM, RDS, Lambda, Route53, and CloudFormation. Install with ansible-galaxy collection install amazon.aws and pip install boto3.
What is the difference between Ansible and Terraform for AWS?
Ansible is primarily a configuration management and automation tool that can also provision AWS infrastructure. Terraform is purpose-built for infrastructure provisioning with state management. Many teams use Terraform for infrastructure and Ansible for configuration.
How does Ansible authenticate with AWS?
Ansible uses boto3 and supports AWS CLI credentials (~/.aws/credentials), environment variables (AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID/AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY), IAM roles (for EC2 instances), and SSO profiles.
Can I use Ansible dynamic inventory with AWS?
Yes. The amazon.aws.aws_ec2 inventory plugin auto-discovers running EC2 instances, groups them by tags, regions, or instance types, and provides connection details. No manual inventory maintenance needed.
Conclusion
Ansible provides comprehensive AWS automation through the amazon.aws collection. Use dynamic inventory for auto-discovery, Vault for credential security, and organize playbooks by service for maintainable infrastructure automation.
Related Articles • Ansible AWS Complete Guide • Ansible Cloud Automation: AWS, Azure, GCP • Ansible Dynamic Inventory: AWS, Azure, GCP • Ansible vs Terraform
Category: installation