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certbot-auto was removed from the certbot repo by EFF in 2021 (see issue #204), which leaves certbot_install_method: source broken — the existing install-from-source.yml still references {{ certbot_dir }}/certbot-auto, a path that no longer exists after the git clone. This adds a new install method `pip` that follows EFF's recommended install path (https://certbot.eff.org/instructions?os=pip): create a Python venv at {{ certbot_dir }}, pip install certbot, symlink the binary onto PATH at /usr/local/bin/certbot. Plugins (e.g. certbot-dns-rfc2136, certbot-dns-cloudflare) can be opted into per-host via a new certbot_pip_extra_packages list, which installs additional pip packages into the same venv after certbot. The legacy `source` method is left in place for backwards compatibility but is now documented as deprecated in the README and defaults file. Tested on Debian 12 and Debian 13.
186 lines
10 KiB
Markdown
186 lines
10 KiB
Markdown
# Ansible Role: Certbot (for Let's Encrypt)
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[](https://github.com/geerlingguy/ansible-role-certbot/actions/workflows/ci.yml)
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Installs and configures Certbot (for Let's Encrypt).
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## Requirements
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If installing from source (deprecated), Git is required. You can install Git using the `geerlingguy.git` role.
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For the `pip` install method, only Debian-family targets are supported (apt is used for the `python3-venv` / `libaugeas-dev` / `gcc` prerequisites).
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If you want an always-latest Certbot install on modern distros, prefer `pip` (see `Pip Installation` below) over `source` — the legacy source method relies on `certbot-auto`, which EFF removed from the Certbot repo in 2021.
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## Role Variables
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certbot_install_method: package
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Controls how Certbot is installed. Available options are 'package', 'snap', 'pip', and 'source' (deprecated).
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certbot_auto_renew: true
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certbot_auto_renew_user: "{{ ansible_user | default(lookup('env', 'USER')) }}"
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certbot_auto_renew_hour: "3"
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certbot_auto_renew_minute: "30"
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certbot_auto_renew_options: "--quiet"
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By default, this role configures a cron job to run under the provided user account at the given hour and minute, every day. The defaults run `certbot renew` (or `certbot-auto renew`) via cron every day at 03:30:00 by the user you use in your Ansible playbook. It's preferred that you set a custom user/hour/minute so the renewal is during a low-traffic period and done by a non-root user account.
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### Automatic Certificate Generation
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Currently the `standalone` and `webroot` method are supported for generating new certificates using this role.
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**For a complete example**: see the fully functional test playbook in [molecule/default/playbook-standalone-nginx-aws.yml](molecule/default/playbook-standalone-nginx-aws.yml).
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certbot_create_if_missing: false
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Set `certbot_create_if_missing` to `yes` or `True` to let this role generate certs.
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certbot_create_method: standalone
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Set the method used for generating certs with the `certbot_create_method` variable — current allowed values are: `standalone` or `webroot`.
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certbot_testmode: false
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Enable test mode to only run a test request without actually creating certificates.
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certbot_hsts: false
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Enable (HTTP Strict Transport Security) for the certificate generation.
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certbot_admin_email: email@example.com
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The email address used to agree to Let's Encrypt's TOS and subscribe to cert-related notifications. This should be customized and set to an email address that you or your organization regularly monitors.
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certbot_certs: []
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# - email: janedoe@example.com
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# webroot: "/var/www/html"
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# domains:
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# - example1.com
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# - example2.com
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# - domains:
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# - example3.com
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A list of domains (and other data) for which certs should be generated. You can add an `email` key to any list item to override the `certbot_admin_email`. When using the `webroot` creation method, a `webroot` item has to be provided, specifying which directory to use for the authentication. Make sure your webserver correctly delivers contents from this directory.
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certbot_create_command: "{{ certbot_script }} certonly --standalone --noninteractive --agree-tos --email {{ cert_item.email | default(certbot_admin_email) }} -d {{ cert_item.domains | join(',') }}"
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The `certbot_create_command` defines the command used to generate the cert. See the full default command inside `defaults/main.yml` for a full example—and you can easily add in extra arguments that are not in the default command with the `certbot_create_extra_args` variable.
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#### Standalone Certificate Generation
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certbot_create_standalone_stop_services:
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- nginx
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Services that should be stopped while `certbot` runs it's own standalone server on ports 80 and 443. If you're running Apache, set this to `apache2` (Ubuntu), or `httpd` (RHEL), or if you have Nginx on port 443 and something else on port 80 (e.g. Varnish, a Java app, or something else), add it to the list so it is stopped when the certificate is generated.
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These services will only be stopped the first time a new cert is generated.
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### Snap Installation
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Beginning in December 2020, the Certbot maintainers decided to recommend installing Certbot from Snap rather than maintain scripts like `certbot-auto`.
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Setting `certbot_install_method: snap` configures this role to install Certbot via Snap.
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This install method is currently experimental and may or may not work across all Linux distributions.
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#### Webroot Certificate Generation
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When using the `webroot` creation method, a `webroot` item has to be provided for every `certbot_certs` item, specifying which directory to use for the authentication. Also, make sure your webserver correctly delivers contents from this directory.
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### Pip Installation
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Setting `certbot_install_method: pip` installs Certbot into a Python virtual environment at `{{ certbot_dir }}` (default `/opt/certbot`) using EFF's recommended pip install path: <https://certbot.eff.org/instructions?os=pip>. The `certbot` binary is symlinked into `/usr/local/bin` so it is on `PATH`.
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This is the modern equivalent of the legacy `source` install — use it when you want an always-latest Certbot on a distro whose packaged version is too old. Only Debian-family targets are supported by the included tasks; the necessary apt prerequisites (`python3-venv`, `libaugeas-dev`, `gcc`, etc.) are installed automatically.
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If `certbot_keep_updated: true` (the default), each role run will upgrade Certbot to the latest version on PyPI.
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certbot_dir: /opt/certbot
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The directory used as the venv root for the `pip` install (and the clone target for the legacy `source` install).
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certbot_pip_extra_packages: []
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Extra pip packages installed alongside Certbot in the same venv when using the `pip` install method. Use this for plugins, e.g.:
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certbot_pip_extra_packages:
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- certbot-dns-rfc2136
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- certbot-dns-cloudflare
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### Source Installation from Git (deprecated)
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> **Deprecated.** EFF removed the `certbot-auto` shim from the Certbot repo in 2021, so this install path no longer produces a working `certbot` binary. Use `certbot_install_method: pip` for the modern equivalent.
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You can install Certbot from it's Git source repository if desired with `certbot_install_method: source`. This might be useful in several cases, but especially when older distributions don't have Certbot packages available (e.g. CentOS < 7, Ubuntu < 16.10 and Debian < 8).
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certbot_repo: https://github.com/certbot/certbot.git
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certbot_version: master
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certbot_keep_updated: true
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Certbot Git repository options. If installing from source, the configured `certbot_repo` is cloned, respecting the `certbot_version` setting. If `certbot_keep_updated` is set to `yes`, the repository is updated every time this role runs.
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### Wildcard Certificates
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Let's Encrypt supports [generating wildcard certificates](https://community.letsencrypt.org/t/acme-v2-and-wildcard-certificate-support-is-live/55579), but the process for generating and using them is slightly more involved. See comments in [this pull request](https://github.com/geerlingguy/ansible-role-certbot/pull/60#issuecomment-423919284) for an example of how to use this role to maintain wildcard certs.
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Michael Porter also has a walkthrough of [Creating A Let’s Encrypt Wildcard Cert With Ansible](https://www.michaelpporter.com/2018/09/creating-a-wildcard-cert-with-ansible/), specifically with Cloudflare.
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## Dependencies
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None.
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## Example Playbook
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- hosts: servers
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vars:
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certbot_auto_renew_user: your_username_here
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certbot_auto_renew_minute: "20"
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certbot_auto_renew_hour: "5"
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roles:
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- geerlingguy.certbot
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See other examples in the `tests/` directory.
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### Manually creating certificates with certbot
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_Note: You can have this role automatically generate certificates; see the "Automatic Certificate Generation" documentation above._
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You can manually create certificates using the `certbot` (or `certbot-auto`) script (use `letsencrypt` on Ubuntu 16.04, or use `/opt/certbot/certbot-auto` if installing from source/Git. Here are some example commands to configure certificates with Certbot:
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# Automatically add certs for all Apache virtualhosts (use with caution!).
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certbot --apache
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# Generate certs, but don't modify Apache configuration (safer).
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certbot --apache certonly
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If you want to fully automate the process of adding a new certificate, but don't want to use this role's built in functionality, you can do so using the command line options to register, accept the terms of service, and then generate a cert using the standalone server:
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1. Make sure any services listening on ports 80 and 443 (Apache, Nginx, Varnish, etc.) are stopped.
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2. Register with something like `certbot register --agree-tos --email [your-email@example.com]`
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- Note: You won't need to do this step in the future, when generating additional certs on the same server.
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3. Generate a cert for a domain whose DNS points to this server: `certbot certonly --noninteractive --standalone -d example.com -d www.example.com`
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4. Re-start whatever was listening on ports 80 and 443 before.
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5. Update your webserver's virtualhost TLS configuration to point at the new certificate (`fullchain.pem`) and private key (`privkey.pem`) Certbot just generated for the domain you passed in the `certbot` command.
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6. Reload or restart your webserver so it uses the new HTTPS virtualhost configuration.
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### Certbot certificate auto-renewal
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By default, this role adds a cron job that will renew all installed certificates once per day at the hour and minute of your choosing.
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You can test the auto-renewal (without actually renewing the cert) with the command:
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/opt/certbot/certbot-auto renew --dry-run
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See full documentation and options on the [Certbot website](https://certbot.eff.org/).
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## License
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MIT / BSD
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## Author Information
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This role was created in 2016 by [Jeff Geerling](https://www.jeffgeerling.com/), author of [Ansible for DevOps](https://www.ansiblefordevops.com/).
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