Day 88 · Ansible

Deploy Httpd Web Server and Configure Index Page Using Ansible

By Varun DeshpandePublished 2026-08-07Ansible~1h to complete

Technical Overview

What is Apache HTTP Server (`httpd`)?

The Apache HTTP Server (commonly known as httpd on Red Hat Enterprise Linux and CentOS systems) is one of the most widely deployed open-source web servers in modern enterprise infrastructure. It delivers high-performance HTTP web content, supports modular extensions (e.g., SSL/TLS encryption, URL rewriting, proxying), and serves as the primary front-end web server for multi-tier web applications.

Automated Web Deployment in Ansible

Automating web application deployments across multi-node server clusters requires orchestrating three fundamental operational phases:

Package Provisioning (ansible.builtin.yum): Installing the httpd package binary on managed nodes.
Service Lifecycle Management (ansible.builtin.service): Enabling the httpd system service to start automatically on system boot and ensuring its current operational state is started.
Configuration & Artifact Distribution (ansible.builtin.blockinfile): Injecting and maintaining structured HTML/configuration content inside web root directories (/var/www/html/index.html) while enforcing strict file ownership and mode permissions (apache:apache, 0644).

The `ansible.builtin.blockinfile` Module

The ansible.builtin.blockinfile module inserts, updates, or removes a multi-line block of text within an existing or new file. Unlike the copy or template modules (which manage entire files), blockinfile manages designated text blocks demarcated by customizable marker comments (e.g., # BEGIN ANSIBLE MANAGED BLOCK).

Key capabilities of blockinfile:

Idempotency: Re-running the playbook checks whether the managed block inside the markers matches the defined string. If no changes are needed, Ansible skips modification (changed: false).
Atomic File Creation (create: yes): If the destination file does not exist, setting create: yes instructs Ansible to create a new file.
Inline Permission Enforcement: Accepts owner, group, and mode parameters to set target file metadata in a single atomic task.

graph TD subgraph ControlNode ["Jump Host (Ansible Controller)"] ThorUser["User: thor"] InvFile["Inventory File /home/thor/ansible/inventory"] PlaybookFile["Playbook File /home/thor/ansible/playbook.yml"] AnsibleCLI["Ansible Engine ansible-playbook -i inventory playbook.yml"] end subgraph StratosDC ["Stratos Datacenter (App Servers)"] subgraph ManagedNodes ["Target: all (stapp01, stapp02, stapp03)"] App1["stapp01 User: tony"] App2["stapp02 User: steve"] App3["stapp03 User: banner"] end HTTPDService["Service: httpd (started & enabled)"] IndexFile["File: /var/www/html/index.html Owner: apache:apache | Mode: 0644"] end InvFile -->|"Supply Connection Details"| AnsibleCLI PlaybookFile -->|"Supply Tasks (yum, service, blockinfile)"| AnsibleCLI AnsibleCLI -->|"1. Install httpd package"| ManagedNodes AnsibleCLI -->|"2. Start & enable httpd service"| HTTPDService AnsibleCLI -->|"3. Insert block content into index.html"| IndexFile

Core Concepts & Directive Definitions

Playbook Blueprint (`playbook.yml`)

---
- name: Install and Setup Apache Web Server with Custom Index Page
  hosts: all
  become: yes
  tasks:
    - name: Install httpd package
      ansible.builtin.yum:
        name: httpd
        state: present

    - name: Start and enable httpd service
      ansible.builtin.service:
        name: httpd
        state: started
        enabled: yes

    - name: Deploy index.html content using blockinfile module
      ansible.builtin.blockinfile:
        path: /var/www/html/index.html
        create: yes
        owner: apache
        group: apache
        mode: '0644'
        block: |
          Welcome to XfusionCorp!

          This is  Nautilus sample file, created using Ansible!

          Please do not modify this file manually!

Key Parameter Explanations

Module Directive	Parameter	Function
`ansible.builtin.yum`	`name: httpd`	Specifies the RPM package name for Apache Web Server.
	`state: present`	Ensures `httpd` is installed without forcing unnecessary re-downloads.
`ansible.builtin.service`	`name: httpd`	Specifies the `systemd` unit name.
	`state: started`	Ensures the web server process is actively running.
	`enabled: yes`	Enables the service to start automatically on system boot.
`ansible.builtin.blockinfile`	`path: /var/www/html/index.html`	Absolute path to target file on managed servers.
	`create: yes`	Creates `/var/www/html/index.html` if it does not already exist.
	`owner: apache`	Sets user ownership of the file to `apache`.
	`group: apache`	Sets group ownership of the file to `apache`.
	`mode: '0644'`	Sets read/write for owner, read-only for group/others (`-rw-r--r--`).
	`block: \|`	Literal multiline block scalar holding the target text content.

Infrastructure & Configuration Requirements

Server Inventory Matrix

Host Role	Hostname / Alias	SSH User	SSH Password	Target Role
Ansible Controller	`jump_host`	`thor`	Native	Control Node
App Server 1	`stapp01`	`tony`	`Ir0nM@n`	Managed Node 1
App Server 2	`stapp02`	`steve`	`Am3ric@`	Managed Node 2
App Server 3	`stapp03`	`banner`	`BigGr33n`	Managed Node 3

Inventory File Content (`/home/thor/ansible/inventory`)

stapp01 ansible_host=stapp01 ansible_ssh_pass=Ir0nM@n ansible_user=tony
stapp02 ansible_host=stapp02 ansible_ssh_pass=Am3ric@ ansible_user=steve
stapp03 ansible_host=stapp03 ansible_ssh_pass=BigGr33n ansible_user=banner

Requirements Checklist

Inventory Location: /home/thor/ansible/inventory
Playbook Location: /home/thor/ansible/playbook.yml
Target Hosts: all (all application servers in inventory)
Package Requirement: httpd installed via yum module
Service Requirement: httpd service started and enabled
File Requirement: /var/www/html/index.html created/updated via blockinfile
File Metadata: Owner apache, Group apache, Permissions 0644
Validation Compatibility: Must execute cleanly via:
```
ansible-playbook -i inventory playbook.yml
```

Step-by-Step Implementation

Step 1: Connect to Jump Host

ssh thor@jump_host

Step 2: Navigate to Ansible Working Directory

Change directory to /home/thor/ansible:

cd /home/thor/ansible

Step 3: Inspect Inventory Configuration

Verify the existing inventory file content:

cat /home/thor/ansible/inventory

Output:

stapp01 ansible_host=stapp01 ansible_ssh_pass=Ir0nM@n ansible_user=tony
stapp02 ansible_host=stapp02 ansible_ssh_pass=Am3ric@ ansible_user=steve
stapp03 ansible_host=stapp03 ansible_ssh_pass=BigGr33n ansible_user=banner

Step 4: Test SSH Connectivity Across All Nodes

Verify connectivity using the Ansible ping module targeting all:

ansible -i inventory all -m ping

Expected Output: Returns "ping": "pong" with status SUCCESS for stapp01, stapp02, and stapp03.

Step 5: Create the Ansible Playbook

Create /home/thor/ansible/playbook.yml using cat:

cat << 'EOF' > /home/thor/ansible/playbook.yml
---
- name: Install and Setup Apache Web Server with Custom Index Page
  hosts: all
  become: yes
  tasks:
    - name: Install httpd package
      ansible.builtin.yum:
        name: httpd
        state: present

    - name: Start and enable httpd service
      ansible.builtin.service:
        name: httpd
        state: started
        enabled: yes

    - name: Deploy index.html content using blockinfile module
      ansible.builtin.blockinfile:
        path: /var/www/html/index.html
        create: yes
        owner: apache
        group: apache
        mode: '0644'
        block: |
          Welcome to XfusionCorp!

          This is  Nautilus sample file, created using Ansible!

          Please do not modify this file manually!
EOF

Step 6: Perform Syntax Validation

Check the playbook YAML syntax for errors:

ansible-playbook -i inventory playbook.yml --syntax-check

Expected Output:

playbook: playbook.yml

Step 7: Execute the Playbook

Run the playbook using the exact validation command:

ansible-playbook -i inventory playbook.yml

Verification & Validation

1. Playbook Execution Output

Verify that all tasks execute successfully with changed status on initial run:

PLAY [Install and Setup Apache Web Server with Custom Index Page] ********************************

TASK [Gathering Facts] ***************************************************************************
ok: [stapp01]
ok: [stapp02]
ok: [stapp03]

TASK [Install httpd package] *********************************************************************
changed: [stapp01]
changed: [stapp02]
changed: [stapp03]

TASK [Start and enable httpd service] ************************************************************
changed: [stapp01]
changed: [stapp02]
changed: [stapp03]

TASK [Deploy index.html content using blockinfile module] ****************************************
changed: [stapp01]
changed: [stapp02]
changed: [stapp03]

PLAY RECAP ***************************************************************************************
stapp01                    : ok=4    changed=3    unreachable=0    failed=0    skipped=0    rescued=0    ignored=0   
stapp02                    : ok=4    changed=3    unreachable=0    failed=0    skipped=0    rescued=0    ignored=0   
stapp03                    : ok=4    changed=3    unreachable=0    failed=0    skipped=0    rescued=0    ignored=0

2. Verify Web Server Content via HTTP (`curl`)

Test HTTP responses from all three application servers from the Jump Host:

curl http://stapp01
curl http://stapp02
curl http://stapp03

Expected HTTP Body Output:

# BEGIN ANSIBLE MANAGED BLOCK
Welcome to XfusionCorp!

This is  Nautilus sample file, created using Ansible!

Please do not modify this file manually!
# END ANSIBLE MANAGED BLOCK

3. Verify File Ownership and Permissions

Run an ad-hoc shell command to verify /var/www/html/index.html file attributes on all managed servers:

ansible -i inventory all -m shell -a "ls -l /var/www/html/index.html"