Patch a Linux fleet
Run your patching playbook against a selected inventory. Use a host limit for a smaller batch, then review the host results.
Share a prepared jobRun Ansible playbooks as shared team jobs
Keep your playbooks in Git. Use Semaphore to run them with saved inventories and credentials, schedule maintenance, and inspect results for each host.
The playbook is shared. Can the team run it?
The inventory, SSH key, Vault password and flags still live in someone’s shell history. Every handover starts with the same setup.
Save the run setup alongside the playbook
- Select the hosts and credential references once
- Expose limits, tags and run-time inputs
- Let teammates run the job and inspect its output
Use your playbooks for everyday infrastructure work
Deploy an application release
Select the release through run inputs and reuse the saved repository, inventory and Vault credentials.
Share a prepared job
Renew certificates on a schedule
Schedule your renewal playbook and configure alerts for failed tasks. Keep an execution record for each run.
Set up a scheduleConfigure a playbook, run it and inspect the hosts
One template keeps the repository, playbook path, inventory, Vault credentials, and runtime choices together.
At launch, engineers choose only the options the template exposes, such as limits, tags, dry run, or diff.
The finished run shows play output and the host recap, so the team can see which targets succeeded or failed.
Ansible behind a hosting control panel
Savvii uses Semaphore to run provisioning playbooks behind its Laravel middleware. In the published case study, the architecture serves an agency fleet of around 600 servers.
See how Savvii runs itProvision, configure and verify in one Workflow
Connect Terraform provisioning, Ansible configuration and Python checks in a Workflow. Pass infrastructure outputs into the playbook’s inputs, then pass the configured service values to verification. Add approval and failure paths where the operation needs them.
Provision the environment
On success→Outputs → inputs
Configure the servers
On success→Outputs → inputs
Check the services
On failure
Collect diagnostics
Collect diagnosticsAnsible controls, with the execution setup saved
Select hosts without rebuilding the job
Use a static inventory, a repository file or a dynamic inventory supported by your environment. Enable the Limit prompt when a run needs to target only part of the inventory.
Keep tags, limits and check mode
Save defaults in the template and expose the Ansible options your team needs at launch. Survey Variables collect custom inputs such as a release version or change reference.
Reuse Git and Vault credentials
Attach saved credentials for repository and host access, and multiple Ansible Vault passwords where needed. Your playbooks, roles and collections stay in their existing repository.
Schedule maintenance or coordinate several jobs
Run the same template manually, from an API integration or on a schedule. Use a Workflow for dependencies, approvals and success or failure paths between jobs.
Documentation and related features
FAQ
Can I run my existing Ansible playbooks through Semaphore?
Yes. Create an Ansible Task Template, select the repository and playbook path, and attach the inventory, variables and credentials it needs. Your roles, collections and Git review process stay in place. Prepare the required Ansible dependencies on the execution environment.
Which inventory approaches can I use?
Use a static inventory, an inventory file from a repository or a dynamic inventory supported by your environment. Save the inventory in the template. Enable the Limit prompt when engineers need to narrow a run to particular hosts or groups.
Can engineers choose Ansible tags, limits, or check mode?
Yes. Configure the supported prompts and options in the template, then use them when starting a task. Defaults stay saved for future runs. For supported API overrides such as a host limit, enable the corresponding prompt in the template first.
How can I let another team run a playbook without editing it?
Assign project roles that separate task execution from editing resources. The team runs a prepared template with its saved configuration. Enterprise custom roles can narrow access to selected templates. Review all assigned roles because their permissions add together.
Can I schedule patching and certificate renewal playbooks?
Yes. Create a working Ansible Task Template, then add a schedule for its recurring runs. Your playbook performs the patching or renewal. Semaphore starts the task at the configured time and keeps the output and status of each occurrence.
Can Ansible run after Terraform or OpenTofu in a Workflow?
Yes. Connect their Task Templates in a Workflow so infrastructure provisioning can be followed by Ansible configuration and a separate verification task. Add success or failure conditions and an approval where your procedure needs a decision before continuing.
Where should I store SSH keys and Ansible Vault passwords?
Save credential entries in Semaphore’s Key Store or connect a supported external secret source. Attach their references to the resources and template that need them. A job reuses that configuration without teammates copying secret values into each run.
Do I need Ansible installed on every teammate’s machine?
No. Ansible runs in the execution environment used by Semaphore. Prepare its version, collections and access there. Teammates launch the saved Task Template through the UI or API, and review the recorded output without recreating the runtime on their laptops.