Ansible on Fedora 45 Automation Complete Guide

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

Automate Fedora 45 with Ansible: dnf5, kernel 6.16, Python 3.14, Podman 5.5, GNOME 49, Wayland, Cockpit, soft-reboot.

Fedora 45 is scheduled for late 2026 and previews kernel 6.16, Python 3.14, GNOME 49, Podman 5.5, OpenSSH 10.0, and dnf5. It is the upstream baseline for RHEL 11 features. This guide covers the Ansible automation patterns that work today on Fedora 45 lab and developer systems.

Fedora 45 release facts

Item	Value
GA	2026-10 (target)
EOL	~2027-11
Default kernel	6.16
Default Python	3.14
Default package manager	dnf5
Container engine	Podman 5.5
Default shell on workstation	bash 5.3

Ansible-core compatibility

Use ansible-core 2.20 or later. Python 3.14 on managed nodes requires ansible-core ≥ 2.19.

Inventory

[fedora45]
f45-01.lab.example.com

[fedora45:vars]
ansible_user=fedora
ansible_python_interpreter=/usr/bin/python3

Baseline playbook

- name: Fedora 45 baseline
  hosts: fedora45
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Update packages
      ansible.builtin.dnf5: { name: "*", state: latest, update_cache: true }

    - name: Install baseline tools
      ansible.builtin.dnf5:
        name: [vim-enhanced, chrony, firewalld, podman, cockpit, policycoreutils-python-utils]
        state: present

    - name: SELinux enforcing
      ansible.posix.selinux: { policy: targeted, state: enforcing }

    - name: Enable services
      ansible.builtin.service:
        name: "{{ item }}"
        enabled: true
        state: started
      loop: [chronyd, firewalld, cockpit.socket]

GNOME 49 / Wayland defaults

- name: Force Wayland session
  hosts: fedora45_desktop
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Set GDM default to Wayland
      ansible.builtin.lineinfile:
        path: /etc/gdm/custom.conf
        regexp: '^#?WaylandEnable'
        line: 'WaylandEnable=true'

    - name: Disable Xorg fallback
      ansible.builtin.copy:
        dest: /etc/gdm/custom.conf.d/no-x11.conf
        content: |
          [daemon]
          PreferredDisplayServer=wayland
        mode: "0644"

Podman 5.5 with Quadlet

- name: Quadlet rollout on F45
  hosts: fedora45
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Drop quadlet
      ansible.builtin.copy:
        dest: /etc/containers/systemd/api.container
        mode: "0644"
        content: |
          [Container]
          Image=quay.io/corp/api:1.4.2
          PublishPort=8443:8443
          Volume=api-data.volume:/var/lib/api
          [Install]
          WantedBy=default.target
    - ansible.builtin.systemd: { daemon_reload: true }
    - ansible.builtin.systemd: { name: api, enabled: true, state: started }

systemd-soft-reboot patching

- name: Soft-reboot patch loop
  hosts: fedora45
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Updates
      ansible.builtin.dnf5: { name: "*", state: latest }
    - name: Soft reboot
      ansible.builtin.command: systemctl soft-reboot
      async: 30
      poll: 0
    - name: Wait for SSH
      ansible.builtin.wait_for_connection: { delay: 10, timeout: 120 }

Best practices

Validate playbooks against Python 3.14 deprecations (python -W error).
Use Quadlet over docker-compose — the unit files survive reboots and integrate with systemctl.
Pin GNOME extension versions if managing developer desktops fleet-wide.

Conclusion

Fedora 45 is a small but meaningful step from F44: kernel 6.16, Podman 5.5, Python 3.14. Ansible playbooks that use dnf5 and Quadlet on F44 work unchanged.

Installing Ansible on Fedora 45

# Install via DNF
sudo dnf install ansible-core -y

# Or the full package
sudo dnf install ansible -y

# Verify
ansible --version

Fedora 45 Automation Tasks

- name: Configure Fedora 45 workstation
  hosts: fedora
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Install development tools
      ansible.builtin.dnf:
        name:
          - gcc
          - make
          - python3-devel
          - git
          - podman
          - buildah
        state: present

    - name: Configure firewalld
      ansible.posix.firewalld:
        service: "{{ item }}"
        permanent: true
        immediate: true
        state: enabled
      loop:
        - ssh
        - http
        - https

    - name: Set SELinux enforcing
      ansible.posix.selinux:
        policy: targeted
        state: enforcing

    - name: Install Flatpak apps
      community.general.flatpak:
        name: "{{ item }}"
        state: present
      loop:
        - com.visualstudio.code
        - org.mozilla.firefox
        - org.gnome.Extensions

    - name: Enable automatic updates
      ansible.builtin.systemd:
        name: dnf-automatic-install.timer
        state: started
        enabled: true

FAQ

What is the difference between Fedora 45 and Fedora 46?

Fedora releases every ~6 months. Fedora 46 includes newer kernel, updated packages, and potentially new default tools. Ansible playbooks generally work across Fedora versions with minimal changes.

Should I use Podman or Docker on Fedora?

Fedora ships Podman by default as a rootless, daemonless container engine. Podman is recommended for Fedora. Use containers.podman.podman_container for Ansible automation.

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