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The reliable Ansible pattern is a two-pass ACME workflow: request the challenge, publish the HTTP-01 or DNS-01 proof, then call community.crypto.acme_certificate again with the registered challenge data. Store the resulting fullchain.pem and privkey.pem, reload the service only when the certificate changes, and test renewal before relying on it in production.
What you are automating
Let’s Encrypt issues TLS certificates through the Automated Certificate Management Environment (ACME) protocol. Its certificates are valid for 90 days, so issuance is only half the job: your automation must also detect certificates approaching expiry, complete validation again, deploy the new files, and reload the service that uses them.
On Ubuntu, Ansible can control that entire workflow without handing configuration ownership to a web-server plugin. The community.crypto.acme_certificate module is part of the separately installed community.crypto collection, not ansible-core. The module deliberately works in two passes:
- The first invocation creates or updates an ACME order and returns the challenge data.
- Your playbook publishes the returned proof where Let’s Encrypt can find it.
- The second invocation receives the registered result through
dataand downloads the certificate, chain, and full chain.
The two calls must use the same ACME account, CSR, domain set, and challenge type. Ansible’s documentation describes the requirement plainly: “To use this module, it has to be executed twice.”
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Choose HTTP-01 or DNS-01 first
The challenge determines what your network and playbook must be able to do. Use HTTP-01 when the requested names resolve to the Ubuntu host and inbound TCP port 80 can reach it. Use DNS-01 when port 80 cannot be exposed, when validation must happen independently of the web server, or when you need a wildcard name.
| Decision | HTTP-01 | DNS-01 |
|---|---|---|
| Proof location | A file under /.well-known/acme-challenge/ |
A TXT record under _acme-challenge |
| Inbound port 80 | Required | Not required |
| Wildcard certificates | Not supported | Required for names such as *.example.com |
| Automation dependency | Control of the webroot or a temporary standalone listener | Permission to create TXT records through your DNS provider’s API or equivalent |
| Typical complication | DNS or firewall sends the request elsewhere | Wrong DNS zone, slow propagation, or insufficient API permissions |
DNS-01 is also the only validation method that can obtain a wildcard certificate from Let’s Encrypt. A wildcard covers subdomains matching the pattern; it does not automatically cover the bare apex name, so request both example.com and *.example.com when both are needed.
Prerequisites on Ubuntu
- A registered domain whose DNS records are under your control.
- An Ubuntu host reachable by Ansible with privilege escalation available for writing certificate directories and reloading the service.
- A decision about the validation path. For HTTP-01, confirm that the public DNS A/AAAA records point to this host and that TCP port 80 is permitted through every firewall and load balancer. For DNS-01, confirm that the DNS provider can create TXT records and that the automation identity has the narrowest permissions needed.
- An ACME account key, kept separate from the private key for the certificate itself.
- A CSR containing every name that the certificate should contain.
Install the collection on the Ansible control node:
ansible-galaxy collection install community.cryptoIf you intend to let Certbot handle renewal instead of having Ansible call the ACME module on a schedule, install Certbot using your chosen Ubuntu-supported method. The renewal details differ depending on how Certbot was installed; the twice-daily systemd timer discussed below applies to the snap installation.
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Create and protect the ACME account key and CSR
The account key identifies your ACME account. The certificate private key proves possession of the certificate later. They should be different files, owned by root, and readable only by the processes that need them.
You can create the keys with the crypto collection. This example requests a certificate for the apex name and one wildcard name:
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- name: Create the ACME account key
community.crypto.openssl_privatekey:
path: /etc/letsencrypt/accounts/account.key
type: RSA
size: 4096
mode: '0600'
- name: Create the certificate private key
community.crypto.openssl_privatekey:
path: "/etc/letsencrypt/private/{{ le_domain }}.key"
type: RSA
size: 2048
mode: '0600'
- name: Create a CSR with all requested names
community.crypto.openssl_csr:
path: "/etc/letsencrypt/csr/{{ le_domain }}.csr"
privatekey_path: "/etc/letsencrypt/private/{{ le_domain }}.key"
common_name: "{{ le_domain }}"
subject_alt_name:
- "DNS:{{ le_domain }}"
- "DNS:*.{{ le_domain }}"
mode: '0644'For a non-wildcard certificate, omit the wildcard SAN and list each additional hostname explicitly. Replacing a multi-domain certificate with a reduced name set is a common operational mistake: if you intend to replace the existing set, keep the complete set in the CSR and the ACME request.
Keep the account email in Ansible Vault or another secret-management system when policy requires it. Never print account keys, private keys, DNS API tokens, or complete module results in CI logs.
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Build the two-pass Ansible workflow
The following skeleton uses HTTP-01 and a webroot. Set the ACME directory to the production Let’s Encrypt directory for live certificates; use the staging directory while developing to avoid production rate limits. The paths can be changed to match your service, but the certificate files should be placed in a directory with controlled ownership.
- name: Issue or renew a Let's Encrypt certificate
hosts: web
become: true
collections:
- community.crypto
vars:
le_domain: example.com
le_webroot: /var/www/html
acme_directory: https://acme-v02.api.letsencrypt.org/directory
account_key: /etc/letsencrypt/accounts/account.key
csr_file: "/etc/letsencrypt/csr/{{ le_domain }}.csr"
cert_file: "/etc/letsencrypt/live/{{ le_domain }}/cert.pem"
chain_file: "/etc/letsencrypt/live/{{ le_domain }}/chain.pem"
fullchain_file: "/etc/letsencrypt/live/{{ le_domain }}/fullchain.pem"
tasks:
- name: Ensure certificate directories exist
ansible.builtin.file:
path: "{{ item }}"
state: directory
owner: root
group: root
mode: '0755'
loop:
- /etc/letsencrypt/accounts
- /etc/letsencrypt/csr
- /etc/letsencrypt/live/{{ le_domain }}
- name: Request ACME challenge data
community.crypto.acme_certificate:
acme_directory: "{{ acme_directory }}"
account_key_src: "{{ account_key }}"
account_email: "tls-admin@example.com"
terms_agreed: true
challenge: http-01
csr: "{{ csr_file }}"
dest: "{{ cert_file }}"
chain_dest: "{{ chain_file }}"
fullchain_dest: "{{ fullchain_file }}"
remaining_days: 30
register: acme_order
- name: Create the challenge directory
ansible.builtin.file:
path: "{{ le_webroot }}/.well-known/acme-challenge"
state: directory
owner: root
group: root
mode: '0755'
# Publish the returned challenge values here.
# The exact loop is shown in the next section.
- name: Finalize the order and download the certificate
community.crypto.acme_certificate:
acme_directory: "{{ acme_directory }}"
account_key_src: "{{ account_key }}"
account_email: "tls-admin@example.com"
terms_agreed: true
challenge: http-01
csr: "{{ csr_file }}"
dest: "{{ cert_file }}"
chain_dest: "{{ chain_file }}"
fullchain_dest: "{{ fullchain_file }}"
data: "{{ acme_order }}"
remaining_days: 30
notify: Reload the TLS service
handlers:
- name: Reload the TLS service
ansible.builtin.service:
name: nginx
state: reloadedremaining_days: 30 makes the run idempotent: an existing certificate with more than 30 days remaining does not trigger another issuance. Do not use forced issuance as a routine renewal strategy.
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The first module result contains one or more challenge records. For each record, write its resource_value to the path formed from resource. Your web server must serve that file without authentication, application routing, or a redirect that strips the challenge path.
- name: Publish each HTTP-01 challenge
ansible.builtin.copy:
content: "{{ item.value.resource_value }}"
dest: "{{ le_webroot }}/.well-known/acme-challenge/{{ item.value.resource }}"
owner: root
group: root
mode: '0644'
loop: "{{ acme_order.challenge_data | dict2items }}"
when: acme_order.challenge_data is defined
- name: Verify that the challenge directory is reachable locally
ansible.builtin.uri:
url: "http://127.0.0.1/.well-known/acme-challenge/{{ item.value.resource }}"
return_content: true
status_code: 200
loop: "{{ acme_order.challenge_data | dict2items }}"
when: acme_order.challenge_data is definedIf several virtual hosts share the machine, use the webroot belonging to the names in the CSR and verify the public hostname, not only loopback. A successful local request does not prove that public DNS, a reverse proxy, a cloud firewall, and IPv6 routing all reach the same host.
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Standalone validation is an alternative when no webroot is available, but the temporary listener must bind port 80. It fails if another service already occupies that port. Stop or coordinate the service during validation, or use webroot or DNS-01 instead.
Fulfill DNS-01 for wildcards or private HTTP infrastructure
For DNS-01, the first module result supplies a TXT value and the returned _acme-challenge name. Create every returned record in the authoritative zone, then wait for the provider’s changes to propagate before the second module call.
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The DNS write itself is provider-specific, so use that provider’s Ansible module or an authenticated API task. Keep the API token in Ansible Vault, pass it to the module without displaying it, and grant permission only to the required zone and record type. Do not assume that the zone is the same as the full hostname: for www.example.com, the authoritative zone may be example.com or a delegated subzone.
Propagation time is variable. A fixed short pause can make an otherwise correct playbook flaky; prefer the provider’s wait facility or poll authoritative DNS until the exact TXT value is visible from outside the Ubuntu host. Remove obsolete challenge records after the order completes when your DNS provider and automation design permit it.
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Change the module’s challenge value to dns-01, retain the same two-pass sequence, and make the second call only after every TXT record returned by the first call is published and observable.
Deploy the files safely
Ubuntu’s conventional live paths are:
/etc/letsencrypt/live/<domain>/fullchain.pemfor the server certificate followed by the intermediate chain./etc/letsencrypt/live/<domain>/privkey.pemfor the certificate private key.
The example keeps the private key at a separate path; configure the service to use the actual path produced by your playbook. Web servers normally need fullchain.pem, not only the leaf certificate, or clients may report an incomplete chain. Restrict private-key permissions, avoid copying keys into world-readable application directories, and verify that the service account can read the key without making it readable to unrelated users.
Reload only after the second ACME task changes the certificate. A reload handler avoids needless interruptions and ensures that a service does not continue using an old keypair after a successful renewal. After deployment, inspect the active listener with the service’s configuration test and an external TLS check; the files on disk can be new while the running process still has the previous certificate loaded.
Make renewal operational
Ansible-managed renewal
Schedule the playbook often enough to notice failures before the 90-day certificate expires, such as a daily systemd timer or an orchestrator job. The playbook should be safe to run repeatedly: retain remaining_days, leave existing files in place when no renewal is needed, and notify the service only when the module reports a change. Alert on failed runs and on certificates approaching expiry, rather than waiting for an outage.
Certbot-managed renewal
If Certbot owns the certificate, its snap installation creates a systemd renewal timer that runs twice daily. Test the complete path with:
sudo certbot renew --dry-runA dry run verifies account access, validation, and renewal logic without replacing the production certificate. Certbot can reload services handled by its supported plugins, but services outside that integration need a deploy hook. The hook must reload or restart the consumer after a successful renewal; otherwise Certbot can report success while the public listener continues presenting the old certificate.
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Do not make both Certbot and Ansible independently issue the same certificate without a clear ownership plan. Choose one renewal authority, document where it writes the files, and connect its change event to the service reload.
Quick Recap
Troubleshoot the common failures
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| HTTP-01 validation times out or returns the wrong content | DNS points elsewhere, port 80 is blocked, or a proxy routes the challenge to another webroot | Resolve every A and AAAA record, test the public URL, inspect firewall and load-balancer rules, and confirm the exact challenge file is served |
| Standalone mode cannot start | Another process already owns port 80 | Identify the listener, stop or coordinate it briefly, or switch to webroot or DNS-01 |
| DNS-01 remains pending | TXT record is in the wrong zone, has not propagated, or the API token cannot edit it | Query authoritative DNS for the exact name and value, inspect delegation, and review token permissions |
| Second module call reports missing challenge data | The registered result was not passed unchanged | Use data: "{{ acme_order }}" from the first call and keep the account, CSR, directory, and challenge consistent |
| Renewal succeeds but clients see the old certificate | The service was not reloaded or is reading a different path | Check the handler, service configuration, active listener, symlinks, and process reload logs |
| A replacement certificate loses names | The new CSR contains only a subset of the previous SANs | Include the complete intended domain set in the CSR and ACME request |
Production checklist
- DNS resolves every requested name to the intended validation path.
- The selected challenge matches the certificate scope; wildcard names use DNS-01.
community.cryptois installed on the control node and pinned according to your change-management policy.- The ACME account key and certificate private key are separate, protected, and backed up according to your recovery policy.
- The CSR contains the full intended SAN set.
- The first module call is registered, every challenge is fulfilled, and the second call passes the unchanged result through
data. - The service uses the full chain and the correct private key path.
- Reloads are change-triggered, not unconditional.
- A renewal dry run or equivalent scheduled Ansible run has succeeded, and alerts exist for failures and approaching expiry.
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