Complete Ansible Semaphore Tutorial: From Installation to Automation

Do you want to make server deployment easier? Consider Ansible Semaphore: An awesome project that provides a full GUI experience around Ansible, enabling you to take your automation game to the next level. In this video, Jay will show you how to install Ansible Semaphore, set it up, and more!
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Time Codes
00:00 - Intro
00:45 - Updated Shop (commission earned)
01:44 - Some basic information about our project
04:31 - Installing MariaDB
06:22 - Using mysql_secure_installation to secure mariadb
08:57 - Setting up a MySQL database for Ansible Semaphore
09:47 - Creating a database user for Semaphore
12:02 - Installing Ansible Semaphore
14:11 - Creating a config file for Semaphore
18:54 - Installing Ansible on Debian 12
19:20 - Running Semaphore from the shell
21:21 - Creating a Systemd unit for Semaphore
24:47 - Setting up a project in Semaphore
27:13 - Support message
27:46 - Creating a Production environment in Semaphore
28:37 - Creating an SSH key
31:10 - Setting up an Inventory, and a Task Template
32:29 - Configuring "sudoers" on the Ansible target
35:00 - Testing SSH connectivity between the server and target
36:52 - Adding a Playbook to our Git repository
38:50 - Installing NGINX
40:50 - Setting up NGINX as a proxy for Semaphore
44:51 - Setting up a TLS certificate for Semaphore with Let's Encrypt
Relevant Links
• Check out Ansible Semaphore ➜ www.semui.co
• Semaphore Releases Page ➜ github.com/ansible-semaphore/...
• Official blog post for this video ➜ learnlinux.link/semaphore
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Learn Linux TV provides technical content that will hopefully be helpful to you and teach you something new. However, this content is provided without any warranty (expressed or implied). Learn Linux TV is not responsible for any damages that may arise from any use of this content. The person viewing Learn Linux TV's content is expected to follow their best judgement and to make their best decisions while working with any related technology. Always make sure you have written permission before working with any infrastructure. Also, be sure that you're compliant with all company rules, change control procedures, and local laws.
#CloudComputing #DevOps #Ansible

[@jdratlif]

I absolutely love your video style. No obnoxious loud intro music. Video transitions are nice, bespoke, and clear. The terminal and browser windows are framed appropriately so you can actually see what you're doing. You don't place your face in a square covering up 15% of the screen (sometimes important information). Your speech is clear, quick, concise, but also thorough; you don't skip over any details or make any assumptions about what your viewer knows. Please tell me which puts the most money in your pocket: Pateron, KZbin membership, or merch. I definitely want to support this kind of content creation. P.S. I would LOVE to see a video on how you capture / edit your videos. Your style is one I aspire to, but am not close to matching. I usually just zoom in on my terminals so the text is more visible, but I like your giant terminal in the middle better. If I can figure it out, I'm totally going to use that in my videos.

[@prashantsingh281]

, 😂pandra ex j

[@Dettol68]

The absolute best tip of all timed at 13:13 - thank you!

[@kelownatechkid]

This is awesome, didn't realize that foss ansible gui had progressed this far. thanks !

[@RonnieRedd]

Very well done Jay!

[@peterwassmuth4014]

Awesome Thank you for Sharing! 💯✴

[@lamar9525]

Great YT! You have so many, I didn't find Debian Server & SSH Install.

[@0r_1x]

Jay: "Hmmmm, what's that you're doing this weekend? Ooooh, I got you!" Me: "Alright, I told myself I'd figure out the Ansible front end this weekend. The guys are still struggling with the CLI and I need to turn this project over. I'll try Semaphore again, but first, what's going on with KZbin toda..... SON OF A...." As always, Thank you Jay!

[@mikro2k6]

Hi Jay: The tutorial is amazing, I think also would be as convenient if not more using Caddy as automatically configure the SSL Certificate without need certbot. Great Job Jay!

[@XytrasLLane]

Great learning video. Thank you!

[@mrbb1731]

Great video as always Jay. Thank you. Question: Is there a way to take an existing server that is already built and configured and create a playbook automatically? I'm still learning Ansible so maybe a newb question but just curious.

[@magicmanj32]

have struggle with setting this up in the past, with permission errors, will try your method on my next day off, thanks Jay, you explain so well

[@menruletheworld]

One of the first lessons I learned when I started in the Unix/Linux world about 27 years ago is that about 99% of all problems are related to permissions in some form, be it file, acl, or SeLinux/AppArmor permissions, it usualy allways boils down to that.

[@lucass8119]

@@menruletheworld Yes, permissions are hard/complex. I think this catches Windows users off guard, as they may be used to just pressing the magic "run as admin" button. But, the truth is that security and permissions, as a domain, is complex. I'd be wary if it wasn't complex - that, to me, signals something is misconfigured to be far too lenient.

[@mayday_excelgroup]

Dear Jay, all your series are just awesome! I am so exited to find out such informative content. I would like to ask you for a tiny favor. I have watched almost all your linux series and began with ansible - this is because I want to be a DevOps engineer. Hence, could you please guide me to some of reliable course based on very real practical samples so I can master and become at least junior DevOps engineer by next few months. Thank's in advance and Best Regards!

[@drbyte2009]

GREAT video!. I can't find the alternative config file for nginx on the blog post ????? Do i need new glasses 🙂🙂 The last item on the page is see is "Other config files"

[@SirHackaL0t.]

Interesting thought… You tell semaphore where the config file is… presumably that goes into the config file? Or is the config file location stored in another config file?

[@GCTWorks]

I would love to see a video where you set up Semaphore to use LDAP. Even better if it was Light LDAP. Full disclosure, I was not able to get it to work myself, but I do not understand LDAP all that well. In fact, a video on Light LDAP would be awesome. Super easy way to have unified authentication in the homelab. A video on OpenLDAP might be useful too. Something else, could you do an addendum to this video for deploying Semaphore with docker, also using local playbooks instead of GitHub repos?

[@thehyperduck90]

Thanks!

[@StephenPreston]

I love the videos like this but I also think it would be helpful to follow up these videos securing and hardening the solution. as an example is parts of the DB that should be encrypted and so on.

[@RonnieRedd]

Nala is a nice alternative to plain apt. It is just a different front end to apt, but still...😊

[@oneito947]

could you make a video of using ansible semaphore to deploy matrix and its bridges based on the ansible playbook for matrix

[@rahneshin752]

❤❤❤

[@damianpodgorski6977]

Could not help it, sudo coffee install convinced me to place an order

[@aybekabdullaev8901]

im having fatal bad boolean config value '0 error here

[@ernstmayer3868]

I am struggling to understand the use case of Ansible Semaphore. It is just extracting some configuration bits into UI, right? All the details still have to be provided in these text fields. Why should I do this? There is no sytax highlighting, no linting and there are no "templates" to quickly build upon. What is the reason to not engage with the configuration directly?

[@Washout001]

Suspect the main use-case is more for the non-ansible IT users who can just fire this up, make sure the server is in the inventory and run whatever task are setup. Bootstrapping/software installs/updates etc. Also, I think the ability to cron tasks could be used for hardening and ensure config drift can't happen. Like an agentless DSC. Can then setup fancy dashboards to keep your infosec team happy. Or jump on your head the second something goes red.

[@MyouKyuubi]

I have a huge problem with linux, i can't seem to find any way to adjust the bit depth and sample rate of audio output!!! Is there a software i need to install for this? And if not, how do i go about figuring this out on LMDE 6 and Linux Mint Edge? Have you made videos on this before? If so, i would love a link to those videos! I need my audio output to be 32bit 96kHz! I'm trying to get into Linux, so i'm completely green here! I'm flabbergasted at the fact that Linux seems to have neglected proper audio options! These things are very easy to change in Windows, but with Linux, you apparently have to alter files of which do not exist on LMDE 6! Or maybe i'm just doing something wrong... In any case, a video on this would be greatly appreciated!

[@AxelWerner]

You can do all that or just fire up an Ansible-Semaphore some Docker Containers using a single docker-compose file within 15mins to get started.

[@jdratlif]

This is how I would do it, too, but it can be nice knowing exactly how everything works and not hide any of the complexity.

[@ozmosyd]

Not wanting to sound rude but why are you here? If you have a compose file to take care of it all no need to view or really comment on this here. Most of us here want to know how the bits come together to complete the desired results. I suppose your not interested in the mechanics?

[@txreal2]

@@ozmosyd for me I just want something that I can start tinkering around with before spending a weekend on installation 😢

[@txreal2]

Thanks

[@rihananshari-vn3wq]

Joo

[@alan_marx]

Que penteado mais estranho! 😂

[@RajeshKumarcomedy-uj4ld]

Hay sar my name ise Rajesh dhobi I am from Nepal Linux basic course completely step by step watching the video please please sir help me Linux basic course one video please sar