215 lines
6.9 KiB
Markdown
Executable File
215 lines
6.9 KiB
Markdown
Executable File
---
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title: Auto - Ansible Automation Wingman
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description: "Automating the boring stuff since... well, today!"
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navigation:
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icon: i-lucide-bot
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---
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> *"Automating the boring stuff since... well, today!"* - Semaphore UI
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## What's This All About?
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This is your command center for Ansible automation! Semaphore UI is like having a beautiful, web-based control panel for all your infrastructure automation tasks. No more SSH-ing into servers at 2 AM - just click a button and watch the magic happen!
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## The Dream Team
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### :icon{name="lucide:target"} Semaphore UI
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**Container**: `auto_app`
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**Image**: `semaphoreui/semaphore:v2.16.18`
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**Port**: 3000
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**Home**: http://localhost:3000 (Traefik labels commented out - local access only for now!)
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Semaphore is the fancy GUI wrapper around Ansible that makes you look like a DevOps wizard:
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- :icon{name="lucide:clipboard"} **Project Management**: Organize your playbooks like a boss
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- :icon{name="lucide:gamepad-2"} **Job Execution**: Run Ansible tasks with a click
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- :icon{name="lucide:bar-chart"} **Task Monitoring**: Watch your automation in real-time
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- :icon{name="lucide:mail"} **Email Alerts**: Get notified when things succeed (or explode)
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- :icon{name="lucide:lock-keyhole"} **User Management**: Team collaboration without the chaos
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- :icon{name="lucide:scroll"} **Audit Logs**: Know who deployed what and when
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### 🏃♂️ Semaphore Runner
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**Container**: `auto_runner`
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**Image**: `public.ecr.aws/semaphore/pro/runner:v2.16.18`
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This is the actual workhorse that executes your Ansible tasks. The UI is the pretty face, but the runner does the heavy lifting!
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## How They Work Together
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```
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You → Semaphore UI → Queue Task → Runner Picks It Up → Ansible Magic Happens
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↓
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PostgreSQL
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(Stores Everything)
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```
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## Configuration Breakdown
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### Database Connection
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All your projects, tasks, and secrets (encrypted!) live in PostgreSQL:
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```
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Database: semaphore
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Host: Shared data stack
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```
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### Admin Credentials
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**Username**: `admin`
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**Password**: `changeme` (please actually change this one!)
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**Email**: Set in root `.env` file
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### Email Notifications
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Configured to send alerts via SMTP when tasks complete. Perfect for those "deploy and go to lunch" moments!
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## Environment Variables Explained
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| Variable | What It Does | Why You Care |
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|----------|-------------|--------------|
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| `SEMAPHORE_DB_*` | PostgreSQL connection | :icon{name="simple-icons:postgresql"} Where memories live |
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| `SEMAPHORE_ADMIN` | Admin username | 👑 The supreme commander |
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| `SEMAPHORE_EMAIL_*` | SMTP settings | :icon{name="lucide:mail"} "Your deploy finished!" |
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| `SEMAPHORE_RUNNER_REGISTRATION_TOKEN` | Runner auth token | :icon{name="lucide:ticket"} Runner's VIP pass |
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## Ports & Networking
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- **UI Port**: 3000 (exposed directly - Traefik labels commented out)
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- **Network**: `kompose` (playing nice with other containers)
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- **Runner**: Internal only, talks to UI via network
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## Persistent Storage
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Three volumes keep your data safe:
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- `semaphore_data`: Your precious projects and keys
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- `semaphore_config`: Configuration files
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- `semaphore_tmp`: Temporary execution files
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## Health Checks
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### Semaphore API Ping
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Every 30 seconds: "Hey, you still awake?"
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```bash
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curl -f http://localhost:3000/api/ping
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```
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### Runner
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Checks if its private key exists (without it, it can't work)
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## Getting Started
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### First Time Setup
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1. **Start the stack**:
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```bash
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docker compose up -d
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```
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2. **Access the UI**:
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```
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URL: http://localhost:3000
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Username: admin
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Password: changeme (then change it!)
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```
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3. **Create your first project**:
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- Click "New Project"
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- Add your Git repository
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- Configure SSH keys if needed
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- Add inventory (your servers)
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- Create your first template (playbook reference)
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4. **Run a task**:
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- Select your template
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- Hit "Run"
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- Watch the logs in real-time
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- Feel like a hacker in a movie 😎
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### Adding SSH Keys
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For connecting to your servers:
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1. Go to Key Store
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2. Add new Key
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3. Type: SSH
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4. Paste your private key
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5. Save and use in your projects
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## Common Use Cases
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### Server Provisioning
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```yaml
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# playbook.yml
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- hosts: webservers
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tasks:
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- name: Install nginx
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apt:
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name: nginx
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state: present
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```
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### Configuration Management
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Keep your servers in sync with desired state. Change config → Run playbook → All servers updated!
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### Deployment Automation
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Push code to production without the sweaty palms:
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1. Pull latest code
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2. Run database migrations
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3. Restart services
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4. Clear caches
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5. Sleep peacefully
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## Troubleshooting
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**Q: Runner not connecting?**
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A: Check the `JWT_TOKEN` matches in both UI settings and runner env
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**Q: Tasks failing immediately?**
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A: Verify SSH keys are correctly configured and servers are reachable
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**Q: Email notifications not working?**
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A: Double-check SMTP settings in `.env` file
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**Q: Can't log in?**
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A: Default is `admin`/`changeme` - check if you changed it and forgot!
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## Security Tips :icon{name="lucide:lock"}
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- :icon{name="lucide:key"} Store SSH keys properly (private keys in Semaphore, never in repos)
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- :icon{name="lucide:lock-keyhole"} Use Ansible Vault for sensitive variables
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- :icon{name="lucide:users"} Create individual user accounts (don't share the admin account)
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- :icon{name="lucide:file-text"} Review audit logs regularly
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- :icon{name="lucide:ban"} Don't store passwords in plain text in playbooks
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## Pro Tips :icon{name="lucide:lightbulb"}
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1. **Use Surveys**: Create web forms for playbook variables (great for non-technical users)
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2. **Schedule Tasks**: Set up cron-like scheduling for regular maintenance
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3. **Task Notifications**: Enable Slack/Discord webhooks for team notifications
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4. **Parallel Execution**: Run tasks on multiple servers simultaneously
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5. **Dry Run Mode**: Test playbooks with `--check` flag before real execution
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## Integration Ideas
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- **CI/CD**: Trigger Semaphore tasks from GitHub Actions or GitLab CI
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- **Monitoring**: Deploy monitoring agents to all servers
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- **Backup**: Scheduled backup automation
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- **Security**: Regular security updates across infrastructure
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- **Scaling**: Auto-provision new servers when needed
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## Why Semaphore is Awesome
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- :icon{name="lucide:sparkles"} Makes Ansible actually fun to use
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- :icon{name="lucide:palette"} Beautiful, modern interface
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- :icon{name="lucide:refresh-cw"} Task history and versioning
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- :icon{name="lucide:eye"} Real-time execution logs
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- :icon{name="lucide:target"} RBAC (Role-Based Access Control)
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- :icon{name="lucide:smile"} Open source and free
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## Resources
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- [Semaphore Documentation](https://docs.ansible-semaphore.com/)
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- [Ansible Documentation](https://docs.ansible.com/)
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- [Example Playbooks](https://github.com/ansible/ansible-examples)
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---
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*"Automation is not about replacing humans, it's about freeing them to do more interesting things. Like browsing memes while your servers configure themselves."* :icon{name="lucide:bot"}:icon{name="lucide:sparkles"}
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