Introduction

Managing Ansible automation at scale can get complicated. While the command line is effective, it lacks a central point for team collaboration and visibility. This is the problem Ansible AWX solves.

Ansible AWX is an open-source web interface and task engine for Ansible. It has an easy-to-use console to handle your playbooks, inventories, and credentials in a single location. You can think of it as a control tower for all your automation activities. It has important features such as role-based access control (RBAC), scheduling of jobs, and in-depth logging so the whole team can use Ansible.

For individuals and teams looking to build strong automation foundations, integrating tools like AWX into their workflows alongside structured Ansible and Terraform training can greatly enhance both capability and confidence.

In this blog, we will discuss what Ansible AWS is, its key components, and the key differences between AWX and the Ansible automation platform. We will also explore the AWX dashboard for a better understanding and also look into the installation of AWX.

Let us first understand what Ansible AWX is.

What is Ansible AWX?

Ansible AWX is an open-source web-based interface, REST API, and task engine for Ansible automation. It has a centralized command center to administer playbooks, inventories, credentials, job templates, and schedules with fewer command-line requirements. AWX supports role-based access control, logging, notifications, and automation of workflows, making it an ideal solution for teams and enterprises.

Being the upstream project of the Ansible Automation Platform of Red Hat, it offers the same core features with community support and deployment flexibility: it can run on Docker or Kubernetes.

Let us now look at the core difference between the Ansible AWX and the Ansible Automation Platform.

What is the difference between Ansible AWX and Ansible Automation Platform?

AWX is the upstream community-developed project on which the Ansible Automation Platform is based. It is released under a free/open license and is regularly updated. The Ansible Automation Platform, which is offered by Red Hat, on the other hand, is a supported product. It includes all of AWX’s core functionality plus enterprise features like role-based access control, increased security, analytics, and formal support.

AWX is a flexible environment in which experiments or small-scale applications may be carried out, but in contrast to AAP, you cannot expect support or a defined set of advanced features.

Ansible AWX vs Ansible Tower: Key Differences

Previously a separate product, Ansible Tower (which is now branded as the automation controller) is now offered as part of the more comprehensive Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform. Tower is an Ansible product that is aimed at providing a UI and management function.

Both Ansible AWX and Ansible Tower offer similar core functionality, such as job scheduling, role-based access control, and workflow management. Tower is tailored for production use with long-term support, regular patches, and integration into the Red Hat ecosystem. AWX is free of charge, though it does not contain SLAs and compliance assurances, which makes Tower the superior solution in terms of critical automation requirements.

Let us now discuss the key elements of Ansible AWX along with their functionalities.

Components of Ansible AWX and their functionalities

Ansible AWX consists of several key components that simplify automation. Here are some of AWS’s important components, which serve different purposes when automating your workflows.

Ansible AWX consists of several key components that simplify automation. Here are some of AWS’s important components, which serve different purposes when automating your workflows.

1. Projects

Projects in AWX act as a patterned holder of Ansible playbooks and are usually in tune with a version control system such as GitHub or GitLab. This integration enables all changes to be traceable, which simplifies the management of playbook versions between environments.

2. Inventories

Inventories will designate what infrastructure is the target of your automation, the list of hosts, and group them in logical structures to facilitate the quick processing of many tasks. Dynamic inventories rely on external sources to update inventories as infrastructure changes. They can be used to complement static ways of inventorying resources (such as manually defined host lists).

3. Credentials

Credentials in AWX allow one to keep authentication keys and tokens like SSH keys, API credentials, and cloud credentials securely. These are coded and securely saved, which means that sensitive details will be secured to connect Ansible to distant systems in a non-intrusive manner. This employment of credentials decreases the manual effort and prevents the threat of uncontrolled access in automation.

4. Job templates

Job templates are pre-configured templates for running Ansible jobs. They interrelate the major components, such as a playbook (a project), an inventory (host targets), and credentials (access).

Templates could be parameterized, e.g, a particular template could be reused in different contexts by providing suitable parameters. By integrating with scheduling, they allow error-free, unattended execution of tasks wherever they are needed in your infrastructure.

5. Organizations

Organizations in AWX provide a system whereby user access and resources can be organized in a shared common space. They make it easier to delegate automation work as they separate users, teams, projects, and inventories into groups.

Role-based access control is built in, so an organization can be sure that users only get the authorizations they require. This can be particularly effective when teams are operating in distinct environments or business units, as it facilitates security and increases operational visibility.

Ansible AWX dashboard overview

The Ansible AWX dashboard provides a comprehensive view of automation tasks. It shows current activities, job statuses, and system usage. The overview is a way in which we can be able to keep a check on the progress of the processes and how resources are being used.

Configuration options are placed in left sidebar so that they could be navigated easily. It consists of such section as Projects, Inventories, Credentials, and Templates. Each of the sections is logically consolidated to help facilitate workflow management.

Let us now move on to our next section where we will look into the installation of Ansible AWX.

How to install Ansible AWX

To install Ansible AWX, use either Docker Compose (quick for local use and testing) or Kubernetes (for production-grade deployments). The production-ready and recommended mechanism of deploying AWX is use as a Kubernetes Operator.

Now, here is how the installation can be seen with Docker Compose:

• Install Docker and Docker Compose.

• Clone the AWX repository:

• Navigate to the Docker Compose directory:

• Run:

This will start AWX locally for testing.

How to use Ansible AWX for automation

In this section, we will review the steps involved in using Ansible AWX to organize automation efforts.

Step 1: Log into AWX

Start with the AWX interface sign-in

To gain access to the dashboard, you must log in to the login screen, which requires an admin user. In this example, we have an accepted admin username and secure password.

Methods of acquiring the initial credentials differ according to how Ansible AWX is deployed and configured.

Step 2: Create an inventory

To make an inventory, select Inventories and click Add Inventory, name it, and assign an organization (e.g., Default). Optionally, set the Instance Groups, Labels, and the setting of Prevent Instance Group Fallback to achieve resource control. That Variables section can take dynamic YAML/JSON configurations, but we will leave that aside. Click Save to create the inventory record. When you are finished with this, you can then add hosts to the inventory to run the automation with.

Step 3: Configure hosts and Inventory view

First, add a host named Webserver 1 to your inventory. Repeat the process to add a second host, such as Webserver 2. For each host, you must provide the target machine’s IP address to ensure AWX can connect to it.

Once saved, both hosts will appear in your inventory, displaying their names and IP addresses. AWX also shows a host status, which allows you to verify the configuration is correct before running playbooks. This approach keeps your inventory organized and streamlines the management of multiple systems.

Step 4: Create a project

In Ansible AWX, Projects act as hubs for managing automation assets. To add, open Projects → Add Project, name it (e.g., AWX Demo Playbook), and associate it with the Default organization. Projects also pull playbooks out of version-controlled repositories such as Git so that deployments become consistent and trackable. Select Git as the Source Control Type, enter the repository URL with your playbooks, and leave all the other parameters to their default values. The project is aimed at centralizing playbook workflows, maintenance, and simplifying automation within environments.

Step 5: Review your playbook and code

Once you create a project in AWX and link it to a source control repository (like GitHub), AWX automatically syncs your playbooks. This ensures your automation is always running from the latest code.

In this example, the playbook automates a standard web server setup. The tasks it will execute are:

• Clearing the apt cache.
• Installing the Nginx package.
• Starting the Nginx service.
• Creating a test HTML file with the correct permissions.

This entire process demonstrates how AWX uses playbooks from a central repository to automate server configuration and deployment.

Step 6: Set up credentials for SSH access

In Ansible AWX, Credentials enable secure connections to hosts for playbook execution. To generate one, use Credentials → Add Credential and enter a name, e.g., Ansible SSH Key. Select Machine as the type of credential that can be used to authenticate with SSH. In the User Name field, enter your EC2 username, e.g., ubuntu. Type in the SSH Private Key to secure access. Leave the passphrase blank unless required. Click Save to save the credential.

Step 7: Create a job template

In Ansible AWX, job templates act as reusable definitions for running playbooks with specific settings. One can be created by going to the “Templates” section and clicking on “Add Job Template.” To make it easy to understand what it is doing, we have labeled this template as install_nginx.

Configure the following fields in your job template:

• Job Type: Set this to Run, which tells AWX to execute a playbook.
• Inventory: Select My Inventory to target the hosts you configured in the previous section.
• Project: Choose AWX Demo Playbook. This links the template to your synced playbooks.
• Playbook: From the dropdown menu, select demo-playbook.yml. This is the specific playbook that will install and configure Nginx.
• Credentials: Select the Ansible SSH Key credential you created earlier. This grants AWX the necessary SSH access to run the playbook on your hosts.

After reviewing all the information, Click on Save.

Step 8: Launching the job

To launch the “Deploy Nginx” template, click the “Rocket” icon. Returns to the job execution interface with live updates. Each playbook task is displayed with a status indicator that indicates the progress automatically.

On successful execution of the playbook, verify the installation of Nginx. The real-time updates depict the real-time information about the job.

Step 9: Review job execution and output

After launching in Ansible AWX, the playbook executes successfully with detailed task-by-task output. The logs validate such actions as updating the apt-cache, installation and startup of Nginx, creation of a custom HTML file, and set secure permissions. Outputs of AWX are written to the screen in a manner resembling Ansible CLI, such as task timings, system changes, and summaries.

Play Recap is an overview of accomplished actions that justify the automation success. Every action, including fact gathering and setting up files, is documented to be accountable and even audited. This end-to-end reporting provides transparency, reliability, and confidence in automated workflows and eases troubleshooting when managing many systems.

Step 10: Monitoring the dashboard

By going back to the dashboard upon job completion, job status is reported as successful, that is, Nginx was deployed on the two servers.

There is a timeline of recent activities that helps us trace the history of automation.

This summary facilitates effective automation workflow examination and management. All the execution information is consolidated on the dashboard.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is the main use of Ansible AWX?

Ansible AWX provides a web UI and API for Ansible automation, enabling centralized management of playbooks, inventories, and job executions with better visibility and control.

Q2. How is Ansible AWX different from Ansible Automation Platform?

AWX is the open-source upstream project with community support, while the Automation Platform is Red Hat’s enterprise-grade product with advanced features, security, and formal support.

Q3. Can Ansible AWX be used in production environments?

While possible, AWX is mainly suited for testing, development, and small-scale automation. For enterprise production, Red Hat Automation Platform is recommended.

Q4. What deployment methods are available for Ansible AWX?

Ansible AWX can be deployed using Docker Compose for testing or Kubernetes Operator for production-grade scalability, flexibility, and reliability.

Conclusion

Ansible AWX simplifies IT automation by providing a centralized, web-based interface for managing playbooks, inventories, and credentials. It enables teams to automate their verification workflows and promises an additional level of security with features such as role-based access control, scheduling, and safe credentials storage. Its compatibility with version control systems makes it consistent and avoids collaboration. Free and open-source AWX is less centralized and has a community-driven support model, which is better suited for testing, small-scale deployments, or learning automation before adopting enterprise-level solutions via the sibling Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform.