Build & Run Ansible Execution Environments Effectively

How to build and Run an Ansible Execution Environment?

Using an Ansible Execution Environment is the latest technology to maintain up-to-date Python dependency of the Ansible collections without interfering with your Linux system. It's the evolution of Python Virtual Environment. This initial configuration sometimes is a roadblock for some Ansible users. I'm Luca Berton and welcome to today's episode of Ansible Pilot.

See also: Build a Custom Ansible Execution Environment Easily

Ansible Execution Environment

• ansible-builder • ansible-runner

Let's talk about the Ansible Execution Environment. The Ansible Execution Environment is a container image that can be utilized as Ansible control nodes. It's the latest technology developed by Red Hat to simplify the automation process. The main advantage is a common environment for Development and Production images using container technology creating portable automation runtimes. This technology superseded manual Python Virtual Environments, Ansible module dependencies, and bubblewrap. Experienced users are probably familiar with a lot of challenges managing custom Python Virtual Environments and Ansible module dependencies. Enterprise users of Ansible Automation Platform were familiar limited to executing jobs under bubblewrap in order to isolate processes The creation is performed by the Ansible Builder tool. Ansible Builder produces a directory that acts as the build context for the container image build, containing the Containerfile, along with any other files that need to be added to the image. The execution is performed by the Ansible Runner tool. The Ansible Runner enables you to run the Execution Environment as a container in the current machine. It is basically taking care that the content runs as expected.

Links

• https://www.redhat.com/en/technologies/management/ansibleproducts/execution-environments • https://www.redhat.com/en/technologies/management/ansible/automation-execution-environments • https://docs.ansible.com/automation-controller/latest/html/userguide/execution_environments.html

See also: Run an Ansible Execution Environment - ansible-runner command-line tool

Playbook

How to Build and Run a custom-built "my_ee" Ansible Execution Environment using ansible-builder and ansible-runner tools.

Demo Build Ansible Execution Environment

How to Build an Ansible Execution Environment using the ansible-builder tool. • name: my_ee • System (git) • Python (boto3) • Collection (community.aws)

How to Build an Ansible Execution Environment using ansible-builder tool. I'm going to show you how to Build a custom "my_ee" Ansible Execution Environment using the ansible-builder tool specifying some custom System, Python, and collection dependency. For example, let's build a custom Ansible Execution Environment named "my_ee" with System requirements git, Python libraries boto3 and Amazon Collection community.aws dependencies.

code

• execution-environment.yml

---
version: 1
dependencies:
  galaxy: requirements.yml
  python: requirements.txt
  system: bindep.txt
additional_build_steps:
  prepend: |
    RUN pip3 install --upgrade pip setuptools
  append:
    - RUN ls -al /

• requirements.yml

---
collections:
  - name: community.aws
requirements.txt
botocore>=1.18.0
boto3>=1.15.0
boto>=2.49.0

• bindep.txt

git [platform:rpm]
git [platform:dpkg]

execution

$ ansible-builder build -t my_ee -v 3
Running command:
  podman build -f context/Containerfile -t my_ee context
Complete! The build context can be found at: /home/devops/ee/context

When the ansible-builder tool is not installed you should install it via DNF command using the ansible Automation Platform subscription::

[root@demo ee]# dnf install ansible-builder

The tool needs access to the Red Hat Container Registry available with your Red Hat Ansible Automation subscription (username and password of Red Hat Portal).

$ podman login registry.redhat.io

A successful build produces the following context/Containerfile:

ARG EE_BASE_IMAGE=registry.redhat.io/ansible-automation-platform-22/ee-minimal-rhel8:latest
ARG EE_BUILDER_IMAGE=registry.redhat.io/ansible-automation-platform-22/ansible-builder-rhel8:latest
FROM $EE_BASE_IMAGE as galaxy
ARG ANSIBLE_GALAXY_CLI_COLLECTION_OPTS=
USER root
ADD _build /build
WORKDIR /build
RUN ansible-galaxy role install -r requirements.yml --roles-path "/usr/share/ansible/roles"
RUN ANSIBLE_GALAXY_DISABLE_GPG_VERIFY=1 ansible-galaxy collection install $ANSIBLE_GALAXY_CLI_COLLECTION_OPTS -r requirements.yml --collections-path "/usr/share/ansible/collections"
FROM $EE_BUILDER_IMAGE as builder
COPY --from=galaxy /usr/share/ansible /usr/share/ansible
ADD _build/requirements.txt requirements.txt
ADD _build/bindep.txt bindep.txt
RUN ansible-builder introspect --sanitize --user-pip=requirements.txt --user-bindep=bindep.txt --write-bindep=/tmp/src/bindep.txt --write-pip=/tmp/src/requirements.txt
RUN assemble
FROM $EE_BASE_IMAGE
USER root
RUN pip3 install --upgrade pip setuptools
COPY --from=galaxy /usr/share/ansible /usr/share/ansible
COPY --from=builder /output/ /output/
RUN /output/install-from-bindep && rm -rf /output/wheels
RUN ls -la /

Demo Run Ansible Execution Environment

How to Run an Ansible Execution Environment using ansible-runner tool. I'm going to show you how to Run the custom "my_ee" Ansible Execution Environment using ansible-runner tool.

code

• ping.yml

---
- name: ping module Playbook
  hosts: all
tasks:
    - name: test connection
      ansible.builtin.ping:

• inventory

localhost ansible_connection=local

execution

[devops@demo ee]$ ansible-runner run -p ping.yml --inventory inventory --container-image=my_ee .
PLAY [ping module Playbook] ********************************************************
TASK [Gathering Facts] *********************************************************
ok: [localhost]
TASK [test connection] *********************************************************
ok: [localhost]
PLAY RECAP *********************************************************************
localhost                  : ok=2    changed=0    unreachable=0    failed=0    skipped=0    rescued=0    ignored=0   
[devops@demo ee]$

When the ansible-runner tool is not installed you should install it via DNF command using the ansible Automation Platform subscription::

[root@demo ee]# dnf install ansible-runner

Conclusion

Now you know how to Build and Run an Ansible Execution Environment using ansible-builder and ansible-runner tools.

See also: Ansible Builder & Execution Environments: Complete Guide (2026)

Related Articles

• private Galaxy servers and Ansible • container lifecycle with Ansible • Ansible inventory complete reference • VPC automation via Ansible on AWS • role directory layout in Ansible