How to deploy a Linux VM on Azure using Ansible – step‑by‑step guide

This guide outlines a clear, repeatable procedure for provisioning a Linux virtual machine on Azure with Ansible. It assumes you have an Azure subscription and basic familiarity with command‑line tools.

1. Install and configure Ansible
   • Install Ansible on your workstation or use Azure Cloud Shell (az extension add --name ansible).
   • Authenticate to Azure using either Azure Cloud Shell (az login) or the Azure CLI (az login) as described in the documentation.
2. Set up a dynamic inventory
   • Follow the "Tutorial Configure a dynamic inventory" to create an inventory script that queries Azure for your target VMs.
   • Test the inventory with ansible-inventory --graph -y to ensure it returns the expected hosts.
3. Create a deployment playbook
   • Write a playbook (e.g., deploy_linux_vm.yml) that uses the azure_rm_virtualmachine module to define VM size, image, admin username, SSH key, and network settings.
   • Include a tasks section that installs any required packages (e.g., apt or yum) and starts services.
4. Execute the playbook
   • Run ansible-playbook -i azure_rm.yml deploy_linux_vm.yml.
   • Monitor the output for success messages; Ansible will report changed/ok status per task.
5. Verify the deployment
   • SSH into the newly created VM using the public IP or DNS name shown in the Azure portal.
   • Run a simple check, e.g., uname -a or systemctl status sshd, to confirm the VM is running and configured as expected.
6. Rollback (if needed)
   • If verification fails, use the azure_rm_resourcegroup module to delete the resource group or the specific VM: ansible-playbook -i azure_rm.yml destroy_vm.yml where the playbook contains a state: absent task.
   • Re‑run the deployment playbook after correcting any errors.