The Bullhorn #227: Ansible Community Newsletter Highlights (May 2026)

Introduction

The Bullhorn #227, published on May 8, 2026, brings several important announcements for the Ansible community. This issue covers a major deprecation notice for Paramiko in network automation, the AWX Jewel proxy layer milestone, multiple collection releases, and community updates.

See also: The Bullhorn #223: Ansible Community Newsletter Highlights (March 2026)

General News

Paramiko Deprecated for network_cli

A significant deprecation notice has been announced: Paramiko is on a long-term deprecation path in the Ansible ecosystem. Ansible's direction for SSH connectivity is OpenSSH and libssh, not Paramiko.

What you need to do: Prefer libssh for network_cli: Install ansible-pylibssh and configure your playbooks, inventory, and ansible.netcommon settings to use ssh_type: libssh Migration deadline: Paramiko support in network_cli will be removed any time after 2028-02-01 Plan your migration: Refer to the official migration documentation for detailed steps

# Example: Configure libssh for network_cli
# In ansible.cfg or inventory
[defaults]
# Ensure ansible-pylibssh is installed:
# pip install ansible-pylibssh
# In inventory or group_vars
# ansible_network_cli_ssh_type: libssh

This is a breaking change that network automation engineers should prepare for well in advance.

Related Resources

• Ansible Connection Types: SSH, WinRM, Local, Docker, Network Guide • Ansible Network Automation: Cisco, Arista, Juniper at Scale

Project Updates

AWX Modernization: Ansible Jewel Proxy Layer

The AWX modernization effort has reached another milestone with the announcement of the ansible/jewel source code. The Jewel project provides a centralized authentication, authorization, and proxy layer for Ansible services.

Key features of Ansible Jewel: • Centralized authentication and authorization for Ansible services • Proxy layer connecting AWX (for job scheduling and execution) with other pluggable Ansible services • Intercepts user requests, authenticates them, and routes traffic to the appropriate service

This is part of the ongoing effort to modernize AWX's architecture and make it more modular and extensible.

Related Resources

• AWX Complete Guide • What is Ansible AWX

See also: Ansible Bullhorn #223: ansible-core Releases, New Collections & AI Collaboration

Collection Updates

ansible.mysql 5.0.0 Release

The ansible.mysql collection version 5.0.0 has been released. This is a major version bump indicating potential breaking changes. The community.mysql collection version 4.2.1 has also been released as the last regular release — development continues in ansible.mysql.

Key takeaway: If you're using community.mysql, you should migrate to ansible.mysql going forward.

# Install the new ansible.mysql collection
# ansible-galaxy collection install ansible.mysql
- name: Example using ansible.mysql
  hosts: databases
  tasks:
    - name: Create a database
      ansible.mysql.mysql_db:
        name: my_database
        state: present

amazon.aws 10.3.1 Release

The amazon.aws collection version 10.3.1 has been released with bugfixes for: • s3_object_info module — duplicate dictionary fix • autoscaling_group module — key assignment improvements • kms_key module — reliability improvements • CloudFront module utilities — TypeError fix

# Update to the latest amazon.aws collection
# ansible-galaxy collection install amazon.aws:10.3.1
- name: Example using amazon.aws
  hosts: localhost
  tasks:
    - name: Get S3 object info
      amazon.aws.s3_object_info:
        bucket_name: my-bucket
        object_name: my-object
      register: s3_info

Related Resources

• Ansible on AWS: Automate EC2, S3, IAM Complete Guide • Ansible AWS Complete Guide

infra.support_assist 1.1.1 Release

The infra.support_assist collection version 1.1.1 has been released. This collection gathers reports and outputs commonly requested in Red Hat Support Cases and can optionally create cases and upload diagnostics directly to the Support Case Portal.

Certified Collections Weekly Update

The following certified collections were updated this week:

| Collection | Version | |---|---| | ansible.mcp | 1.1.0 | | ansible.netcommon | 8.5.2 | | hpe.oneview | 11.2.0 | | juniper.apstra | 1.0.8 | | onepassword.connect | 2.4.0 | | redhat.eap | 1.5.11 | | vmware.vmware | 2.8.0 |

Community Updates

AI-Forge Content Development Skills

The ansible-community/ai-forge repository has made strong progress establishing core structure. The focus is now on populating it with skills for Ansible content developers. The community is seeking feedback on: • Reviewing existing skills and open PRs • Sharing feedback on structure and gaps • Contributing new or improved skills • Best practices for generating and maintaining AI skills

Upcoming Events

• 2026-05-28: AWS Community Meeting • 2026-06-02: Official Code Freeze Schedule & Process announcement • 2026-06-04: AAP Config as Code Office Hours

See also: ansible.mysql 5.0.0 Release: Migrate from community.mysql Collection

FAQ

What is the Paramiko deprecation timeline?

Paramiko support in network_cli will be removed any time after February 1, 2028. You should migrate to ansible-pylibssh (libssh) as soon as possible.

What is Ansible Jewel?

Ansible Jewel is a centralized authentication, authorization, and proxy layer for Ansible services. It intercepts user requests, authenticates them, and routes traffic to the appropriate Ansible service like AWX.

Should I switch from community.mysql to ansible.mysql?

Yes. The community.mysql 4.2.1 release is the last regular release. All future development continues in the ansible.mysql collection.

What bugs were fixed in amazon.aws 10.3.1?

Bugfixes for s3_object_info (duplicate dictionary), autoscaling_group (key assignments), kms_key (reliability), and CloudFront module utilities (TypeError).

Conclusion

The Bullhorn #227 brings important changes for the Ansible community. The Paramiko deprecation requires action from network automation teams, the AWX Jewel project marks a significant architectural milestone, and several collection updates improve stability across MySQL and AWS automation workflows.

Stay tuned for future updates and consider joining the Ansible Community Forum to participate in discussions.