--- title: "How to Use Ansible Create User Functionality in Linux" description: "Learn how to create and manage users and user attributes with the Ansible create user functionalities in a Linux system in this tutorial!" canonical: "https://adamtheautomator.com/ansible-create-user/" --- # How to Use Ansible Create User Functionality in Linux > Learn how to create and manage users and user attributes with the Ansible create user functionalities in a Linux system in this tutorial! Source: https://adamtheautomator.com/ansible-create-user/ --- ATA Learning Tap to hide [ ATA Learning ](/) * [Home](/) * [Tutorials](/tutorials/) * [Instructors](/author/) * [Advertising](/advertising/) * [Recommended Resources](/resources/) * [About Adam](/about-adam/) Search for: * [](https://twitter.com/adbertram) * [](https://github.com/Adam-the-Automator) * [](https://www.linkedin.com/company/adam-the-automator-llc) * [](/feed/) ![How to Use Ansible Create User Functionality in Linux](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/How-to-Use-Ansible-Create-User-Functionality-in-Linux.jpg) # How to Use Ansible Create User Functionality in Linux [![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/2beb65fca997135120ed98dc6a2e57dcdf1a7d7d2f5ff687b5d91dc7ccd7a6b5?s=192&d=mm&r=g)Sagar](https://adamtheautomator.com/author/shanky-mendiratta/)23 December 20217 min. read Categories: [DevOps](/category/devops/) Tags:[Ansible](/tag/ansible/) Table of Contents * [Prerequisites](#prerequisites) * [Creating Linux Users Using Ansible Ad Hoc Commands](#creating-linux-users-using-ansible-ad-hoc-commands) * [Building Ansible Playbook to Create and Manage Users](#building-ansible-playbook-to-create-and-manage-users) * [Generating Secure User Passwords in Ansible Playbook](#generating-secure-user-passwords-in-ansible-playbook) * [Generating SSH Keys for Remote Node Authentication](#generating-ssh-keys-for-remote-node-authentication) * [Setting and Removing Password Expiry Date of Linux Users](#setting-and-removing-password-expiry-date-of-linux-users) * [Conclusion](#conclusion) If you’re looking for a way to create and manage users in a Linux system without compromising security, [Ansible create user](https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/collections/ansible/builtin/user_module.html) functionality is worth looking into. The Ansible create user functionality lets you effectively manage users and user attributes with a single playbook and a single command. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create and manage users in one go like a champ with the Ansible create user module. Read on and start creating tons of users with different attributes! ## Prerequisites This tutorial comprises step-by-step instructions. If you’d like to follow along, be sure you have the following in place: * An [Ansible controller host](https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/installation_guide/index.html) – This tutorial uses Ansible v2.11.7 on an Ubuntu 20.04.3 LTS machine. Related:[Guide: How to Setup Ansible (Ubuntu, RHEL, CentOS, macOS)](https://adamtheautomator.com/install-ansible/) * A remote Linux computer – This tutorial uses Ubuntu 20.04.3 LTS as the remote node to test the create user functionality. * An [inventory file](https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/user_guide/intro_inventory.html) set up and one or more hosts already configured to run Ansible command and playbooks on. The remote Linux computer is called _myserver,_ and this tutorial uses an inventory group called _web_. * Python v3.6 or later installed both on your Ansible controller host and the remote node machine. This tutorial uses Python v3.8.10 on a Ubuntu machine. Related:[How Do You Install Python 3.6?](https://adamtheautomator.com/install-python-36/) ## Creating Linux Users Using Ansible Ad Hoc Commands Do you plan to create a user quickly? Running ad hoc commands will do the trick. Ad hoc commands are a quick way to run a single command on a remote host and deploy the specified changes. Log onto your Ansible controller host, and open your terminal. Now, run the `ansible` command below to connect to the host called `web` using the [ansible.builtin.user](https://adamtheautomator.com/ansible-create-user/) module (`-m`). The command passes an argument (`-a`) that lets Ansible create a new user (`adambertram`) on the remote node with the [uid](https://linux.die.net/man/3/uid) (`uid=1041`) you specified in the command. ```bash ansible web -m ansible.builtin.user -a "name=adambertram uid=1041 group=admin" ``` Once the command completes, you’ll see a `CHANGED` message, as shown below, that confirms Ansible successfully created the new user on the remote host with the below parameters, as indicated by the `changed: true` result, along with additional information. ![Creating a New User in the Linux System via Ad Hoc Command](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/image-195.png) Creating a New User in the Linux System via Ad Hoc Command ## Building Ansible Playbook to Create and Manage Users Creating a single user or managing an attribute of a single user may be okay with an ad-hoc command, but creating or managing dozens of users can be challenging. So instead of using ad-hoc commands, integrate the [Ansible create user](https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/collections/ansible/builtin/user_module.html) functionality with a playbook using the [`ansible-playbook`](https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/user_guide/playbooks.html) command. 1\. First, log in to the Ansible controller host, 2\. Run the following commands to create the `~/ansible_create_user` directory and change to that directory. This directory will contain the [playbook](https://www.redhat.com/en/topics/automation/what-is-an-ansible-playbook#:~:text=An%20Ansible%C2%AE%20playbook%20is,make%20up%20an%20Ansible%20inventory) and all the required configuration files that you’ll use to invoke the Ansible create user module. ```yaml mkdir ~/ansible_create_user cd ~/ansible_create_user ``` 3\. Now, open your favorite text editor and create a file called _main.yml_ in the _~/ansible\_create\_user_ directory. Copy and paste the following YAML playbook contents to the _main.yml_ file. The playbook below creates the user and manages the user attributes, such as name, group, state, shell type, and home directory. > _To list available valid login shells for use at the time, run the `cat /etc/shells` command on the Linux machine._ ```yaml --- - name: Ansible Create user functionlity module demo hosts: web # Defining the remote server inventory host group # Defining the remote server where the ansible create user module # will manage the objects remote_user: ubuntu # Using Remote user as ubuntu tasks: # name - Defines the username that is present or to create # groups - Adds users in secondary groups or use groups # state: present - Creates a user or works with a user # state: absent - Deletes a user # shell - Specifies shell-type a user can work on # home - Sets a user’s home directory # createhome: yes - Create a home directory for a user # createhome: no - Do not create a home directory for a user # Creating the user Adam Listek - name: Add the user 'Adam Listek' with a specific uid and a primary group of 'sudo' ansible.builtin.user: name: adamlis comment: AdamListek uid: 1077 group: sudo createhome: yes # Defaults to yes home: /home/adamlis # Defaults to /home/ # Adding the user qa_editor in the editor group - name: Add group "editor" to remote node group: name: qa_editor gid: 2212 state: present # Adding the user Rochela in the qa_editor group and bash shell - name: Add the user 'Rochella' with a bash shell, appending the group 'editor' to the user's groups ansible.builtin.user: name: rochella shell: /bin/bash groups: qa_editor append: yes # Removing the user shanky from the system - name: Remove the user 'Shanky' if present in the linux system ansible.builtin.user: name: shanky3 state: absent remove: yes ``` 4\. Run the command below to invoke the playbook (`main.yml`) that executes the tasks to create users on the remote host. The `-u` flag specifies the user `ubuntu`, and the `--become` flag sets `ubuntu` as superuser. ```bash ansible-playbook main.yml -u ubuntu --become ``` Below, you can see that some tasks show **changed** status, which indicates the remote host wasn’t in the proper state and was modified to run the command. At the same time, the other tasks that show an **ok** status don’t require any changes. ![Running the Ansible playbook to create and manage users](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/image-196.png) Running the Ansible playbook to create and manage users 5\. Now, run the `cat` command below to verify if Ansible successfully created all the objects defined in the _main.yml_ playbook. ```bash cat /etc/passwd ``` As you can see below, Ansible created all the users with their respective user IDs as specified in the _main.yml_ file. ![Checking the users created using ansible-playbook](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/image-197.png) Checking the users created using ansible-playbook ## Generating Secure User Passwords in Ansible Playbook You already know how to create the user without a password, which is fine if you need to use it for development purposes. But ideally, securing a user password is a must as it’s crucial to keep the user account safe. You’ll generate a secure encrypted password and apply it in the playbook to secure a user password. But first, you’ll install the [whois](https://www.manpagez.com/man/1/whois/) software on your machine, which contains the `mkpasswd` utility used to generate a password. 1\. Run the following command to install the `whois` software package with the `apt` package manager on your machine. ```bash apt install whois ``` ![Installing the whois software which contains the mkpasswd utility.](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/image-198.png) Installing the `whois` software which contains the `mkpasswd` utility 2\. Next, run the `mkpasswd` command below to generate an encrypted password (`--method=sha-512`). ```bash mkpasswd --method=sha-512 ``` Specify a user password in the prompt, then you’ll see a generated encrypted password, as shown below. ![Generating an encrypted password](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/image-199.png) Generating an encrypted password Now, create the playbook named _main\_secure.yaml_ and copy/paste the code below. The playbook below creates the user `matt` with `uid: 1053`, `group: sudo`, and the generated encrypted password from step two. ```bash --- - name: Ansible Create user functionlity module demo hosts: web # Defining the remote server where the ansible create user module will manage the objects remote_user: ubuntu # Using Remote user as ubuntu tasks: - name: Add the user 'Matt' with a specific uid and a primary group of 'sudo' ansible.builtin.user: name: matt comment: matt_ata uid: 1053 group: sudo password: '$6$kjPn3KClxO.Lujw$BjDr2y4vvJK3Q.C/nLET.A/FD9OxN6DNASmLetapq9LiXVVlTrYnvlEGuITZiVkV3JhX.vbsZ68/hnbdRsYnx1' createhome: yes # Defaults to yes home: /home/matt # Defaults to /home/ ``` 4\. Finally, run the `ansible-playbook` command below to execute the playbook (`main_secure.yaml`), creating a secure password user. The command, `-u ubuntu`, tells the remote system to use the `ubuntu` user while also elevating permissions via sudo with the `--become` command. ```bash ansible-playbook main_secure.yaml -u ubuntu --become ``` ![Running the Ansible playbook to create the user with a secure password](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/image-200.png) Running the Ansible playbook to create the user with a secure password ## Generating SSH Keys for Remote Node Authentication If users need to log in to remote nodes securely, two potential ways to authenticate are either by using a username and password or with SSH keys. SSH keys are sets of matching cryptographic keys used for authentication and are highly secure. In this example, you’ll generate SSH keys for a user using an Ansible playbook. Create a playbook named _ssh.yaml_, then copy/paste the following code. The below playbook creates the SSH keys for the user `matt` inside the home directory, which you can further use to authenticate. ```bash --- - name: Ansible SSH functionlity module demo hosts: web # Defining the remote server where the ansible create user module will manage the objects remote_user: ubuntu # Using Remote user as ubuntu tasks: # Creating the SSH key for the user matt in .ssh directory - name: Create a 2048-bit SSH key for user matt in ~matt/.ssh/id_rsa ansible.builtin.user: name: matt generate_ssh_key: yes ssh_key_bits: 2048 ssh_key_file: ~/.ssh/id_rsa ``` Now run the below command to execute the playbook (`ssh.yaml`), which generates SSH keys for a user (matt). ```bash ansible-playbook ssh.yaml -u ubuntu --become ``` ![Generating the SSH keys of the user using Ansible playbook](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/image-201.png) Generating the SSH keys of the user using Ansible playbook ## Setting and Removing Password Expiry Date of Linux Users Managing user accounts doesn’t stop at creating them. Setting and removing password expiry dates is also crucial in user account management. If users’ passwords expire, users cannot perform any function on the system. 1\. Assuming you are still on Ansible controller host node, create another playbook named _expiry.yaml_, then copy/paste the code below and save it. The below playbook sets and removes different users’ password expiry dates. ```bash --- - name: Ansible user expiry functionality module demo hosts: web # Defining the remote server where the ansible create user module # will manage the objects remote_user: ubuntu # Using Remote user as ubuntu tasks: - name: To set the limit to expire the QA Tester's account ansible.builtin.user: name: rochella shell: /bin/zsh groups: qa_editor expires: 1422403388 - name: Removing the expiry time of the user shanky ansible.builtin.user: name: shanky expires: -1 - name: Set maximum expiration date for password for user AdamListek user: name: adamlis password_expire_max: 16 - name: Set minimum expiration date for password for user AdamListek user: name: adamlis password_expire_min: 6 ``` 2\. Now run the below command to execute the playbook (`expiry.yaml`), which automatically sets and removes users’ password expiry dates. ![Running the Ansible playbook to manage users password expiry](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/image-202.png) Running the Ansible playbook to manage users password expiry 3\. Finally, run the command below to verify if Ansible successfully updated the user’s (`adamlis`) attributes, such as password expiry. ```bash sudo chage -l adamlis ``` As you see below, for user `adamlis`, the maximum number of days between password change is set to `16` and minimum to `6`. ![Checking a User’s Password Expiry Information](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/image-203.png) Checking a User’s Password Expiry Information ## Conclusion Throughout this tutorial, you’ve learned how to declare multiple Ansible create user functionalities in a playbook to create and manage Linux users. With the Ansible create module, you get a quick way to effectively work with Linux users and user attributes on remote hosts. Now, would you prefer Ansible as the automation tool to help you create and manage users in a Linux system? Share this article [Share on X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fadamtheautomator.com%2Fansible-create-user%2F&text=How%20to%20Use%20Ansible%20Create%20User%20Functionality%20in%20Linux)[Share on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fadamtheautomator.com%2Fansible-create-user%2F)[Share on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fadamtheautomator.com%2Fansible-create-user%2F) ## Related Posts ![](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/A-Step-by-Step-Guide-to-Getting-Started-with-Ansible-on-Windows.jpg) ### [Mastering Ansible on Windows: Your Go-To Expert Guide](/ansible-on-windows/) Ansible on Windows made simple. A complete guide to hassle-free installation and configuration, perfect for users seeking quick and effective mastery. ![](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/How-to-Manage-Python-Libraries-with-Ansible-Pip.jpg) ### [How to Manage Python Libraries with Ansible Pip](/ansible-pip/) Learn how to effectively manage Python libraries with the Ansible Pip module and take control of your Python dependencies! ![](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Highly-Effective-Automation-with-Ansible-AWX.jpg) ### [Highly Effective Automation with Ansible AWX](/ansible-awx/) Learn how Ansible AWX can take your Ansible playbooks to the next level and automate all the things with this ATA Learning tutorial! ## Categories * [IT Ops](/category/it-ops/) * [Cloud](/category/cloud/) * [DevOps](/category/devops/) * [Home Ops](/category/home-ops/) * [Information Security](/category/infosec/) * [Software Development](/category/software-development/) ## Site * [Home](/) * [Tutorials](/tutorials/) * [Instructors](/author/) * [Advertising](/advertising/) * [Recommended Resources](/resources/) * [About Adam](/about-adam/) Copyright 2026© ATA Learning | [Privacy Policy](/privacy/)