Automate Linux User Management with Ansible: A Comprehensive Guide

Learn how to automate Linux user and group management with Ansible. Explore modules for user creation, password changes, and group management for efficient IaC.

Automating your Linux user management (local user and group) with Ansible enables you to achieve Infrastructure As Code (IaC).

Using IaC you're going to be able to automate your workflow, your CI/CD pipelines for example, and be faster about your critical business demands.

Beginners

Ansible provides various modules to manage user management (local user and group).

I'll show you step by step how to prepare your Ansible controller to interact with the Linux user and group directory.

This initial configuration sometimes is a roadblock for some Docker users to start using Ansible.

User management

[Create user account - Ansible module user](/articles/create-user-account-ansible-module-user)

[Add a User to a Second Group on Linux - Ansible module user](/articles/add-a-user-to-a-second-group-on-linux-ansible-module-user)

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[Change the User Primary Group on Linux - Ansible module user](/articles/change-the-user-primary-group-on-linux-ansible-module-user)

[Change user password - Ansible module user.md](/articles/change-user-password-ansible-module-user)

[User password expiration - Ansible module user](/articles/user-password-expiration-ansible-module-user)

[Enable user account - Ansible module user.md](/articles/enable-user-account-ansible-module-user)

[Disable user account - Ansible module user](/articles/disable-user-account-ansible-module-user)

[Remove user account - Ansible module user](/articles/remove-user-account-ansible-module-user)

Group management

[Create a group - Ansible module group](/articles/create-a-group-ansible-module-group)

[Delete a group - Ansible module group](/articles/delete-a-group-ansible-module-group)

PostgreSQL

[Allow md5 Connection for a PostgreSQL User or Role - Ansible module postgresql_pg_hba](/articles/allow-md5-connection-for-a-postgresql-user-or-role-ansible-module-postgresqlpghba)

[Create a PostgreSQL User or Role - Ansible module postgresql_user](/articles/create-a-postgresql-user-or-role-ansible-module-postgresqluser)

[Grant Privileges to User or Role on PostgreSQL Database - Ansible module postgresql_privs](/articles/grant-privileges-to-user-or-role-on-postgresql-database-ansible-module-postgresqlprivs)

Windows

[Change local user password on Windows-like systems - Ansible module win_user.md](/articles/change-local-user-password-on-windows-like-systems-ansible-module-winuser)

[Create a local group on Windows-like systems - Ansible module win_group.md](/articles/create-a-local-group-on-windows-like-systems-ansible-module-wingroup)

[Create a local user on Windows-like systems - Ansible module win_user](/articles/create-a-local-user-on-windows-like-systems-ansible-module-winuser)

[Remove a local group on Windows-like systems - Ansible module win_group.md](/articles/remove-a-local-group-on-windows-like-systems-ansible-module-wingroup)

[Remove a local user on Windows-like systems - Ansible module win_user.md](/articles/remove-a-local-user-on-windows-lik