How to deploy Apache Httpd webserver on Docker using Ansible

Content

• About Ansible
• About Docker
• About Apache HTTPD Webserver
• Project Understanding

About Ansible

What is Ansible ?

Ansible is a radically simple IT automation engine that automates cloud provisioning, configuration management, application deployment, intra-service orchestration, and many other IT needs.

Why use Ansible ?

1. Simple
   • Human readable automation
   • No special coding skills needed
   • Tasks executed in order
   • Get productive quickly


2. Powerful
   • App deployment
   • Configuration management
   • Workflow orchestration
   • Orchestrate the app lifecycle


3. Agentless
   • Agentless architecture
   • Uses OpenSSH and WinRM
   • No agents to exploit or update
   • Predictable, reliable and secure

For Ansible Documentation, visit the link mentioned below:
https://docs.ansible.com/

About Docker

• Docker is a open source platform for building, deploying and managing containerized applications. It enables developer to package applications into containers.
• Containers are the executable components that combines the application source code with the Operating System(OS) libraries and dependencies required to run the code in any environment.
• Docker makes it easier, simpler and safer to build, deploy and manage containers

For Docker Documentation, visit the link mentioned below:
https://docs.docker.com/

About Apache HTTPD Webserver

• The Apache HTTP Server, colloquially called Apache, is a free and open-source cross-platform web server software, released under the terms of Apache License 2.0.
• Apache is developed and maintained by an open community of developers under the auspices of the Apache Software Foundation.
• The vast majority of Apache HTTP Server instances run on a Linux distribution, but current versions also run on Microsoft Windows, OpenVMS and a wide variety of Unix-like systems.

For Apache HTTPD Documentation, visit the link mentioned below:
https://httpd.apache.org/docs/

Project Understanding

Let's understand this implementation part by part

Part 1 : Ansible Playbook (main.yml)

Let's understand it task by task:

• "Mount Directory Creation" : Creation of Mount Directory



- name: Mount Directory Creation
 file:
   state: directory
   path: "{{ mount_directory }}"



• "Mount Directory to CDROM" : Mount the directory created in previous task to the CDROM



- name: Mount Directory to CDROM
 mount:
   src: "/dev/cdrom"
   path: "{{ mount_directory }}"
   state: mounted
   fstype: "iso9660"



• "YUM Repository - AppStream" : Addition of AppStream YUM repository



- name: YUM Repository - AppStream
 yum_repository:
   baseurl: "{{ mount_directory }}/AppStream"
   name: "DVD1"
   description: "YUM Repository - AppStream"
   enabled: true
   gpgcheck: no



• "YUM Repository - BaseOS" : Addition of BaseOS YUM repository



- name: YUM Repository - BaseOS
 yum_repository:
   baseurl: "{{ mount_directory }}/BaseOS"
   name: "DVD2"
   description: "YUM Repository - BaseOS"
   enabled: true
   gpgcheck: no



• "Docker Repository Setup" : Creation of repository for Docker tor its installation



- name: Docker Repository Setup
 yum_repository:
   baseurl: https://download.docker.com/linux/centos/7/x86_64/stable/
   name: "docker"
   description: "Docker repo"
   enabled: true
   gpgcheck: no



• "Setting pip installer" : Setting up pip installer to install Docker SDK for Python



- name: Setting pip installer
 package:
   name: "python36"
   state: present



• "Setting SELinux Permissive" : Disabling SELinux for successful creation of Docker container



- name: Setting SELinux Permissive
 selinux:
   policy: targeted      
   state: permissive



• "Check whether Docker is installed or not" : Checks for presence of Docker by using the command "rpm -q docker-ce" and is used to make Docker Installation idempotent



- name: Check whether Docker is installed or not
 command: "rpm -q docker-ce"
 register: docker_check
 ignore_errors: yes



• "Docker Installation" : Installs Docker only when the above task satisfies the when condition



- name: Docker Installation
 command: "yum install docker-ce --nobest -y"
 when: '"is not installed" in docker_check.stdout'



• "Starting Docker Service" : Starts Docker service



- name: Starting Docker Service
 systemd:
   name: "docker"
   state: started



• "Stopping Firewall Service" : Disabling Firewall for accessing web page from the browser present outside the VM(Virtual Machine)



- name: Stopping Firewall Service
 systemd:
   name: "firewalld"
   state: stopped



• "Installation of Docker SDK for Python for using Docker modules in Ansible" : Installation of Docker SDK for Python i.e., "docker-py' for using Docker modules in Ansible



- name: Installation of Docker SDK for Python for using Docker modules in Ansible
 pip:
   name: "docker-py"



• "Creation of directory" : Creation of directory to be mounted with the HTTPD's document root within Docker container



- name: Creation of directory
 file:
   path: /root/web_page/
   state: directory



• "Copying the web page to the directory created" : Web page present within web directory(more details below) is copied to the directory created in previous tasks



- name: Copying the web page to the directory created
 copy:
   src: web/index.html
   dest: /root/web_page/



• "Restarting Docker Service" : Docker Service is restarted to resolve the error mentioned below



- name: Restarting Docker Service
 systemd:
   name: "docker"
   state: restarted






• "Creation of Docker container for httpd" : Involves creation of Docker container using httpd image, the directory created in previous tasks is mounted to the Document Root of httpd and PAT(Port Address Translation) is performed to expose the container created



- name: Creation of Docker container for httpd
 docker_container:
   name: httpd_container
   image: httpd
   pull: yes
   detach: yes
   state: started
   ports:
   - "{{ port_number }}:80"
   volumes: 
   - /root/web_page/:/usr/local/apache2/htdocs/

Part 2 : Variable File (vars.yml)

mount_directory: "/dvd1"
port_number: "82"

Used to make Playbook more dynamic and it specifies the value of Port Number(for PAT) and Mount Directory

Part 3 : Web Page

Hello, it's working

It specifies the web page to be accessed from outside the container

Part 4 : Implementation & Output

• Implementation






• Output

Thank You 😃

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