Web-app-semaphore Role

Description: Web UI and API for running Ansible, Terraform/OpenTofu, and shell automation on a schedule or on demand

Variables

• author: Kevin Veen-Birkenbach

• description: Web UI and API for running Ansible, Terraform/OpenTofu, and shell automation on a schedule or on demand

• license: Infinito.Nexus Community License (Non-Commercial)

• company: Kevin Veen-Birkenbach https://www.veen.world

• min_ansible_version: 2.9

• platforms: [{‘name’: ‘ArchLinux’, ‘versions’: [‘all’]}, {‘name’: ‘Debian’, ‘versions’: [‘all’]}, {‘name’: ‘EL’, ‘versions’: [‘all’]}, {‘name’: ‘Fedora’, ‘versions’: [‘all’]}, {‘name’: ‘Ubuntu’, ‘versions’: [‘all’]}]

• galaxy_tags: [‘semaphore’, ‘ansible’, ‘automation’, ‘ci-cd’, ‘docker’, ‘compose’, ‘ldap’, ‘sso’]

• issue_tracker_url: https://s.infinito.nexus/issues

README

Semaphore UI

Description

Semaphore UI is a modern web UI and API for running Ansible playbooks, Terraform/OpenTofu plans, and shell scripts on a schedule or on demand. This role deploys the official `semaphoreui/semaphore <https://github.com/semaphoreui/semaphore>`__ container behind the Infinito.Nexus reverse proxy with central PostgreSQL, native Keycloak OIDC Single Sign-On, and optional LDAP login.

Overview

The role deploys the single Semaphore container (with its embedded task runner) and wires it into the platform via SEMAPHORE_* environment variables. The setup wizard is bypassed by seeding the initial admin from rendered secrets, so a fresh deploy lands directly on the Semaphore login page. When SSO is enabled, the Keycloak administrator is created at deploy time as an external Semaphore admin via semaphore user add --admin --external; the OIDC callback matches it by email and signs the operator in as a Semaphore admin.

Cosmos

The diagram places Semaphore UI in the Infinito.Nexus cosmos: the components it deploys (capabilities), the central services it consumes (dependencies), and its outward reach (federation and bridged external networks).

flowchart LR
    subgraph deps [Dependencies]
        dep_svc_bkp_volume_2_local["svc-bkp-volume-2-local 💻"]
        dep_svc_db_openldap["svc-db-openldap 🐳🐝"]
        dep_svc_db_postgres["svc-db-postgres 🐳🐝"]
        dep_svc_net_tor["svc-net-tor 🐳🐝"]
        dep_web_app_dashboard["web-app-dashboard 🐳🐝"]
        dep_web_app_keycloak["web-app-keycloak 🐳🐝"]
        dep_web_app_matomo["web-app-matomo 🐳🐝"]
        dep_web_app_prometheus["web-app-prometheus 🐳🐝"]
        dep_web_app_stalwart["web-app-stalwart 🐳🐝"]
        dep_web_svc_css["web-svc-css 💻"]
        dep_web_svc_logout["web-svc-logout 🐳🐝"]
    end
    subgraph role [web-app-semaphore 🐳🐝]
        svc_sso["sso"]
        svc_ldap["ldap"]
        svc_logout["logout"]
        svc_dashboard["dashboard"]
        svc_matomo["matomo"]
        svc_email["email"]
        svc_css["css"]
        svc_prometheus["prometheus"]
        svc_postgres["postgres"]
        svc_semaphore["semaphore"]
        svc_tor["tor"]
        svc_container_backup["container_backup"]
    end
    dep_svc_bkp_volume_2_local -. "0..1" .-> svc_container_backup
    dep_svc_db_openldap -. "0..1" .-> svc_ldap
    dep_svc_db_postgres -. "0..1" .-> svc_postgres
    dep_svc_net_tor -. "0..1" .-> svc_tor
    dep_web_app_dashboard -. "0..1" .-> svc_dashboard
    dep_web_app_keycloak -. "0..1" .-> svc_sso
    dep_web_app_matomo -. "0..1" .-> svc_matomo
    dep_web_app_prometheus -. "0..1" .-> svc_prometheus
    dep_web_app_stalwart -. "0..1" .-> svc_email
    dep_web_svc_css -. "0..1" .-> svc_css
    dep_web_svc_logout -. "0..1" .-> svc_logout

Solid 1:1 edges are fixed relationships; dashed 0..1 edges are conditional (enabled only in matching deployments); red 0..0 edges are turned off in this role. Node markers show the role’s deploy modes (💻 host, 🐳 compose, 🐝 swarm); ❌ marks a service that is explicitly turned off, and ⚙️ an Ansible role dependency declared in meta/main.yml.

Features

• Central PostgreSQL: SEMAPHORE_DB_DIALECT=postgres against the shared svc-db-postgres (or a per-role engine when not shared), with centralised backup and monitoring.

• Native OIDC SSO: Semaphore renders its own “Sign in with Keycloak” button via SEMAPHORE_OIDC_PROVIDERS; the Keycloak client is auto-provisioned by web-app-keycloak.

• LDAP login: When svc-db-openldap is present, Semaphore’s login form binds against the central OpenLDAP directory (SEMAPHORE_LDAP_*). With LDAP enabled the form is LDAP-only; there is no local-password fallback.

• Break-glass local admin: SEMAPHORE_ADMIN* seeds a local admin from the web-app-semaphore-breakglass user in every variant, reachable through the login form only when LDAP is disabled.

• Embedded runner: Automation executes inside the main container.

Quick Setup

Development

Clone, set up the workstation, and deploy Semaphore UI onto the local stack:

git clone https://github.com/infinito-nexus/core.git
cd core
make onboard
make compose-deploy mode=reinstall apps=web-app-semaphore full_cycle=false

Production

Run the published image to provision the inventory and deploy Semaphore UI to a managed server (the mounted volume persists the inventory):

APP=web-app-semaphore
HOST=<your-server>
DOMAIN=<your-domain>
TLS_MODE=self_signed
SSH_PUBLIC_KEY="<your-ssh-public-key>"

docker run --rm -it \
  -v "$PWD/inventories:/etc/infinito.nexus/inventories" \
  -e APP="$APP" -e HOST="$HOST" -e DOMAIN="$DOMAIN" -e TLS_MODE="$TLS_MODE" -e SSH_PUBLIC_KEY="$SSH_PUBLIC_KEY" \
  ghcr.io/infinito-nexus/core/debian bash -c '
    INVENTORY=/etc/infinito.nexus/inventories/production
    infinito administration inventory provision "$INVENTORY" \
      --inventory-file "$INVENTORY/devices.yml" \
      --host "$HOST" \
      --include "$APP" \
      --vars "{\"TLS_MODE\": \"$TLS_MODE\", \"DOMAIN_PRIMARY\": \"$DOMAIN\", \"users\": {\"administrator\": {\"authorized_keys\": [\"$SSH_PUBLIC_KEY\"]}}}" &&
    infinito administration deploy dedicated "$INVENTORY/devices.yml" \
      --password-file "$INVENTORY/.password" \
      --diff -vv'

Further Resources

• Semaphore UI Official Website

• Semaphore Documentation

• OIDC / Keycloak configuration

• Semaphore GitHub Repository

Credits

Implemented by Kevin Veen-Birkenbach. Part of the Infinito.Nexus Project and maintained by Kevin Veen-Birkenbach. Licensed under the Infinito.Nexus Community License (Non-Commercial).