Launch EC2 Instances Declaratively

Instead of clicking through the AWS console, you describe the instance you want and let Ansible make reality match it.

The amazon.aws.ec2_instance module creates and manages EC2 virtual machines straight from a playbook task.

An image_id tells AWS which base image to boot, like a specific Ubuntu or Amazon Linux AMI in your region.

The instance_type sets the size and cost, such as t3.micro for small workloads or m5.large for heavier ones.

Set key_name to an existing EC2 key pair so you can SSH into the new box once it boots.

Add tags to label instances by role or environment. Tags power billing, search, and dynamic inventory grouping later.

The state key controls the lifecycle: present to ensure it exists, running to start it, or absent to terminate it.

Run the task twice and Ansible matches on the instance name or tags. The second run reports ok and creates nothing new.

The count parameter spins up multiple identical instances in one task, perfect for a small fleet of web nodes.

register saves the module output so you can read back the new public IPs and instance IDs in later tasks.

Cleanup is just another declared state. Set state: absent and Ansible terminates the matching instance for you.

You want exactly one EC2 instance to exist, no matter how often you run the play. Which key ensures that?

You launched EC2 declaratively with amazon.aws.ec2_instance: pick an AMI, type and key, tag it, set state, and register the result. ✨