AnsibleByExample

How to Install Ansible on Ubuntu 20.04, 22.04, and 24.04

BeginneransibleinstallUbuntuoperating system

2024-01-014By Luca Berton

Lesson 1 of 15 in Foundations

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This guide covers three methods to install Ansible on Ubuntu — the system package manager (apt), the Ansible PPA for newer versions, and pip for the latest release. Each method has trade-offs between simplicity, version freshness, and control.

Which Installation Method Should You Use?

Method	Best For	Ansible Version	Updates
apt (Universe)	Quick setup, no external repos	Older (distro version)	With system updates
PPA	Newer version via apt	Recent stable	PPA updates
pip	Latest version, virtual envs	Latest	`pip install --upgrade`

Recommendation: Use pip in a virtual environment for production control nodes. Use apt or PPA for quick testing.

Method 1: Install via apt (Universe Repository)

The simplest method — uses Ubuntu's built-in universe repository:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y ansible

Verify Installation

ansible --version

Version by Ubuntu Release

Ubuntu Version	Ansible Package Version
20.04 LTS	2.9.x
22.04 LTS	2.10.x
24.04 LTS	2.16.x

Note: Ubuntu 20.04 ships Ansible 2.9, which is significantly outdated and missing many modern features (collections, FQCN support). Consider PPA or pip for 20.04.

Method 2: Install via Ansible PPA

The official Ansible PPA provides newer versions:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y software-properties-common
sudo add-apt-repository --yes --update ppa:ansible/ansible
sudo apt install -y ansible

Verify

ansible --version
# Should show a much newer version than the universe repo

Why Use the PPA?

Gets Ansible updates faster than Ubuntu's release cycle
Maintained by the Ansible team
Still uses apt for easy management

Remove Old Version First

If you previously installed from universe:

sudo apt remove -y ansible
sudo add-apt-repository --yes --update ppa:ansible/ansible
sudo apt install -y ansible

Method 3: Install via pip (Recommended for Production)

For maximum control and the latest version:

Create a Virtual Environment (Best Practice)

# Install prerequisites
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y python3 python3-pip python3-venv

# Create virtual environment
python3 -m venv ~/ansible-venv

# Activate it
source ~/ansible-venv/bin/activate

# Install Ansible
pip install ansible

# Verify
ansible --version

Install Globally via pip

sudo apt install -y python3-pip
pip install ansible

Upgrade Ansible

pip install --upgrade ansible

Install a Specific Version

pip install ansible==9.0.0
pip install ansible-core==2.16.0

Post-Installation Setup

Verify Ansible Works

# Check version
ansible --version

# Test with localhost
ansible localhost -m ping

Expected output:

localhost | SUCCESS => {
    "changed": false,
    "ping": "pong"
}

Create a Basic Configuration

mkdir -p ~/ansible
cat > ~/ansible/ansible.cfg << 'EOF'
[defaults]
inventory = ./inventory
host_key_checking = False
retry_files_enabled = False

[privilege_escalation]
become = True
become_method = sudo
EOF

Create a Test Inventory

cat > ~/ansible/inventory << 'EOF'
[local]
localhost ansible_connection=local

[webservers]
# Add your servers here
# web1.example.com
# web2.example.com
EOF

Troubleshooting

"ansible: command not found"

# Check if it's installed
which ansible
pip show ansible

# If installed via pip in venv, activate it first
source ~/ansible-venv/bin/activate

Python Version Conflicts

# Ensure python3 is the default
python3 --version

# Set the interpreter explicitly
export ANSIBLE_PYTHON_INTERPRETER=/usr/bin/python3

Permission Errors with pip

# Use --user flag instead of sudo
pip install --user ansible

# Or use a virtual environment (recommended)
python3 -m venv ~/ansible-venv

PPA GPG Key Errors

# Re-add the PPA with key
sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys 93C4A3FD7BB9C367
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ansible/ansible

Uninstalling Ansible

Uninstall apt Package

sudo apt remove -y ansible
sudo apt autoremove -y

Uninstall pip Package

pip uninstall ansible ansible-core

Remove PPA

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:ansible/ansible

Links

Conclusion

For Ubuntu 20.04, avoid the universe repository (ships Ansible 2.9) and use PPA or pip. For Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04, the universe repository provides reasonably current versions. For production control nodes, pip in a virtual environment gives you the most control over versions and upgrades. Whichever method you choose, verify with ansible localhost -m ping before proceeding.