Run AWS CLI Tasks in Ansible Tower: A Step-by-Step Guide (2026)

Managing AWS resources efficiently is crucial for any organization leveraging cloud infrastructure. Ansible Tower provides a powerful platform for automating IT tasks, including those involving AWS CLI commands. However, executing AWS CLI commands within Ansible Tower presents unique challenges, especially regarding credential management.

In this guide, you will learn how to configure and execute AWS CLI command tasks in Ansible Tower effectively. We'll cover the requirements, configuration steps, potential pitfalls, and troubleshooting tips to ensure seamless integration and execution.

Key Takeaways

• Understand the role of environment variables in AWS CLI command execution.
• Learn how to configure Ansible Tower to run AWS CLI commands.
• Identify and resolve common issues related to AWS credentials in Ansible Tower.
• Explore best practices for secure credential management.

Introduction

Ansible Tower is a robust tool for managing automation tasks across your infrastructure. When integrating AWS CLI commands within Ansible Tower, the primary challenge is managing AWS credentials correctly. While these commands may work seamlessly in your local environment with environment variables, Ansible Tower presents a different set of credentials management issues.

This tutorial aims to bridge the gap between executing AWS CLI commands locally and within Ansible Tower. By the end, you'll have a working setup that allows you to automate AWS tasks securely and efficiently.

Prerequisites

• Basic knowledge of AWS CLI and Ansible.
• Access to an Ansible Tower instance (2026 version).
• Valid AWS account with necessary permissions to execute CLI commands.
• Installed AWS CLI (version 2.9 or later) on your Ansible Tower host.
• Understanding of environment variables and their role in AWS CLI authentication.

Step 1: Configure AWS Credentials

To execute AWS CLI commands in Ansible Tower, you must ensure the correct AWS credentials are available. Ansible Tower typically overrides environment variables such as AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID and AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY. Follow these steps to manage credentials effectively:

1. Create an AWS IAM user with programmatic access and attach necessary policies.
2. Note down the AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID and AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY for this user.
3. Store these credentials securely within Ansible Tower using its credentials management feature.

Step 2: Create a Credentials Template in Ansible Tower

Next, create a credentials template in Ansible Tower to securely store and reference your AWS credentials:

1. Navigate to the Credentials section in Ansible Tower.
2. Click Add to create a new credential.
3. Select Amazon Web Services as the credential type.
4. Enter the AWS Access Key and Secret Key obtained earlier.
5. Save the credential for use in playbooks.

Step 3: Write an Ansible Playbook for AWS CLI Commands

Write a simple Ansible playbook to execute AWS CLI commands. Ensure you use the credentials template created in the previous step:

---
- name: Run AWS CLI command
  hosts: localhost
  tasks:
    - name: List S3 buckets
      shell: aws s3 ls
      register: s3_buckets
    - debug:
        var: s3_buckets.stdout

This playbook lists all S3 buckets in your AWS account. Ensure the AWS CLI is installed and accessible from the Ansible Tower host.

Step 4: Execute the Playbook in Ansible Tower

To run your playbook in Ansible Tower, follow these steps:

1. Create a new Job Template from the Templates section.
2. Select the project containing your playbook.
3. Choose the playbook file you created as the playbook to run.
4. Under Credentials, select the AWS credential you created earlier.
5. Save and launch the job template.

Upon successful execution, you should see a list of S3 buckets in the output logs.

Common Errors/Troubleshooting

When running AWS CLI commands in Ansible Tower, you may encounter the following common issues:

• Invalid AWS credentials: Double-check the AWS Access Key and Secret Key for accuracy.
• Insufficient permissions: Ensure the IAM user has the necessary permissions for the AWS CLI commands you are executing.
• Command not found: Verify that the AWS CLI is installed and in the PATH of the Ansible Tower execution environment.
• Network connectivity issues: Ensure your Ansible Tower instance has internet access or the necessary VPC settings to reach AWS services.

Conclusion

By following this guide, you can effectively run AWS CLI command tasks within Ansible Tower, leveraging its powerful automation capabilities while securely managing credentials. This setup not only simplifies your AWS management tasks but also enhances operational efficiency.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use AWS session tokens with Ansible Tower?

Yes, Ansible Tower supports AWS session tokens. Ensure you include the session token in your credentials template.

How do I rotate AWS credentials in Ansible Tower?

Update the credentials in the Ansible Tower credentials section and ensure all job templates using these credentials are updated.

What if I have multiple AWS accounts?

Create separate credentials templates for each AWS account and select the appropriate template when creating job templates.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use AWS session tokens with Ansible Tower?

Yes, Ansible Tower supports AWS session tokens. Ensure you include the session token in your credentials template.

How do I rotate AWS credentials in Ansible Tower?

Update the credentials in the Ansible Tower credentials section and ensure all job templates using these credentials are updated.

What if I have multiple AWS accounts?

Create separate credentials templates for each AWS account and select the appropriate template when creating job templates.