Rundeck Unleashed: Accelerating DevOps Workflows with Self-Service Empowerment

~ Tom's IT Cafe

As DevOps practitioners, we’re always on the lookout for new tools that can help us streamline our workflows and improve our processes. One such tool that we’ve recently been exploring is Rundeck, an open-source automation platform that can help us manage and execute our jobs and tasks more efficiently.

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Installation

Step 1: Install Docker or Podman

Before we can install Rundeck using Docker, we need to install Docker itself.

Alternatively we can use Podman.

Step 2: Create a Docker container for Rundeck
Now that we have Docker installed, we can create a container for Rundeck.

We’ll use the following commands to do this:

$ docker pull rundeck/rundeck:4.16.0
$ docker volume create rundeck-data
$ docker run -d --rm --name rundeck -p 4440:4440 -v rundeck-data:/home/rundeck/server/data -e RUNDECK_GRAILS_URL=http://<server ip>:4440 <image id>

This command will create a new development container named “rundeck” using the 4.16.0 version of the Rundeck image. It will also map port 4440 in the container to port 4440 on our host machine, so we can access the Rundeck web interface.

Step 3: Verify the installation
Once the container is up and running, we can verify that Rundeck is installed and working by visiting http://<server ip>:4440 in our web browser. We should see the Rundeck login page, where we can log in with the default credentials (username “admin”, password “admin”).

Installation with Docker Compose and MySQL

For production scenarios we can install Rundeck with Docker Compose (or Podman Compose) employing the advantages of an external database server.

Step 1: Create a docker-compose.yml file:

version: '3'

services:
    rundeck:
        image: rundeck/rundeck:4.16.0
        links:
          - mysql
        depends_on:
          - mysql
        environment:
            RUNDECK_DATABASE_DRIVER: org.mariadb.jdbc.Driver
            RUNDECK_DATABASE_USERNAME: rundeck
            RUNDECK_DATABASE_PASSWORD: <secret db pw>
            RUNDECK_DATABASE_URL: jdbc:mysql://mysql/rundeck?autoReconnect=true&useSSL=false
            RUNDECK_GRAILS_URL: http://<server ip>:4440
        ports:
          - 4440:4440
    mysql:
        image: mysql:5.7
        expose:
          - 3306
        environment:
          - MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=root
          - MYSQL_DATABASE=rundeck
          - MYSQL_USER=rundeck
          - MYSQL_PASSWORD=<secret db pw>
        volumes:
          - dbdata:/var/lib/mysql

volumes:
    dbdata:

Step 2: Start the services with the docker compose command:

$ docker compose up -d

After 1-3 minutes Rundeck will be available in the http://<server ip>:4440 URL. We can log in with the admin/admin credentials.

Review

Now that we’ve successfully installed Rundeck Community Edition, let’s take a closer look at its features and functionality.

  1. User Interface
    Rundeck’s user interface is intuitive and easy to use. The navigation is straightforward, and the dashboard provides a quick overview of job status and execution history. The job listing is well-organized, and the workflow editor provides a graphical representation of job workflows. Using the Community Edition we have to edit and reference text files on the system. We can open a shell in the Rundeck container with the docker exec -it rundeck_docker-rundeck-1 /bin/bash command.
  2. Node Management
    In Rundeck Community Edition we have to create and edit the resources.yml file in our Rundeck container. After creating this file we will be able to reference it at the Project Nodes and edit it in the browser.
  3. Job Execution
    Rundeck’s job execution capabilities are powerful and flexible. We can execute jobs on demand or schedule them to run at specific times. Job workflows allow us to define complex job dependencies and logic, and the job execution history provides a detailed log of job runs.
  4. Integrations
    Rundeck’s integration capabilities are extensive. It can be integrated with many different tools and platforms, including Jenkins, Ansible, and Puppet. Plugins are available to extend Rundeck’s functionality even further.
  5. Security
    Rundeck’s security features are robust. It supports LDAP and Active Directory authentication, and roles and permissions can be configured to control access to jobs and resources. Communication between Rundeck nodes can be secured using SSL/TLS encryption.
  6. Performance
    Rundeck’s performance is impressive. It can handle a large number of jobs and job runs without slowing down or crashing. Load testing has shown that Rundeck can handle up to 1000 concurrent job executions without any issues.
  7. Community Support
    Rundeck has a strong and active community. The official documentation is comprehensive, and many forums and resources are available for users to get help and support.

Pros and Cons
Overall, Rundeck is a powerful and flexible automation platform that can help DevOps practitioners manage and execute their jobs and tasks more efficiently. Its user interface is intuitive, and its job execution capabilities are powerful and flexible. It has extensive integration capabilities and strong security features, and its performance is impressive.

However, one potential drawback is that Rundeck can be complex to configure and set up initially, especially for users who are new to automation platforms.

Join the Discussion! I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences on the topic! Share your insights, ask questions, or engage with fellow readers in the comments section below!

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