openssl_certificate – Generate and/or check OpenSSL certificates¶

New in version 2.4.

Synopsis
Requirements
Parameters
Notes
See Also
Examples
Return Values
Status

Synopsis ¶

This module allows one to (re)generate OpenSSL certificates.
It implements a notion of provider (ie. selfsigned, ownca, acme, assertonly) for your certificate.
The assertonly provider is intended for use cases where one is only interested in checking properties of a supplied certificate.
The ownca provider is intended for generating OpenSSL certificate signed with your own CA (Certificate Authority) certificate (self-signed certificate).
Many properties that can be specified in this module are for validation of an existing or newly generated certificate. The proper place to specify them, if you want to receive a certificate with these properties is a CSR (Certificate Signing Request).
Please note that the module regenerates existing certificate if it doesn’t match the module’s options, or if it seems to be corrupt. If you are concerned that this could overwrite your existing certificate, consider using the backup option.
It uses the pyOpenSSL or cryptography python library to interact with OpenSSL.
If both the cryptography and PyOpenSSL libraries are available (and meet the minimum version requirements) cryptography will be preferred as a backend over PyOpenSSL (unless the backend is forced with select_crypto_backend)

Requirements ¶

The below requirements are needed on the host that executes this module.

PyOpenSSL >= 0.15 or cryptography >= 1.6 (if using selfsigned or assertonly provider)
acme-tiny (if using the acme provider)

Parameters ¶

Parameter	Choices/Defaults	Comments
acme_accountkey_path path		The path to the accountkey for the `acme` provider. This is only used by the `acme` provider.
acme_chain boolean added in 2.5	Choices: no ← yes	Include the intermediate certificate to the generated certificate This is only used by the `acme` provider. Note that this is only available for older versions of `acme-tiny`. New versions include the chain automatically, and setting acme_chain to `yes` results in an error.
acme_challenge_path path		The path to the ACME challenge directory that is served on http://<HOST>:80/.well-known/acme-challenge/ This is only used by the `acme` provider.
attributes string added in 2.3		The attributes the resulting file or directory should have. To get supported flags look at the man page for chattr on the target system. This string should contain the attributes in the same order as the one displayed by lsattr. The `=` operator is assumed as default, otherwise `+` or `-` operators need to be included in the string. aliases: attr
backup boolean added in 2.8	Choices: no ← yes	Create a backup file including a timestamp so you can get the original certificate back if you overwrote it with a new one by accident. This is not used by the `assertonly` provider.
csr_path path		Path to the Certificate Signing Request (CSR) used to generate this certificate. This is not required in `assertonly` mode.
extended_key_usage list		The extended_key_usage extension field must contain all these values. This is only used by the `assertonly` provider. aliases: extendedKeyUsage
extended_key_usage_strict boolean	Choices: no ← yes	If set to `yes`, the extended_key_usage extension field must contain only these values. This is only used by the `assertonly` provider. aliases: extendedKeyUsage_strict
force boolean	Choices: no ← yes	Generate the certificate, even if it already exists.
group string		Name of the group that should own the file/directory, as would be fed to chown.
has_expired boolean	Choices: no ← yes	Checks if the certificate is expired/not expired at the time the module is executed. This is only used by the `assertonly` provider.
invalid_at string		The certificate must be invalid at this point in time. The timestamp is formatted as an ASN.1 TIME. This is only used by the `assertonly` provider.
issuer dictionary		The key/value pairs that must be present in the issuer name field of the certificate. If you need to specify more than one value with the same key, use a list as value. This is only used by the `assertonly` provider.
issuer_strict boolean added in 2.5	Choices: no ← yes	If set to `yes`, the issuer field must contain only these values. This is only used by the `assertonly` provider.
key_usage list		The key_usage extension field must contain all these values. This is only used by the `assertonly` provider. aliases: keyUsage
key_usage_strict boolean	Choices: no ← yes	If set to `yes`, the key_usage extension field must contain only these values. This is only used by the `assertonly` provider. aliases: keyUsage_strict
mode string		The permissions the resulting file or directory should have. For those used to /usr/bin/chmod remember that modes are actually octal numbers. You must either add a leading zero so that Ansible's YAML parser knows it is an octal number (like `0644` or `01777`) or quote it (like `'644'` or `'1777'`) so Ansible receives a string and can do its own conversion from string into number. Giving Ansible a number without following one of these rules will end up with a decimal number which will have unexpected results. As of Ansible 1.8, the mode may be specified as a symbolic mode (for example, `u+rwx` or `u=rw,g=r,o=r`).
not_after string		The certificate must expire at this point in time. The timestamp is formatted as an ASN.1 TIME. This is only used by the `assertonly` provider. aliases: notAfter
not_before string		The certificate must start to become valid at this point in time. The timestamp is formatted as an ASN.1 TIME. This is only used by the `assertonly` provider. aliases: notBefore
ownca_digest string added in 2.7	Default: "sha256"	The digest algorithm to be used for the `ownca` certificate. This is only used by the `ownca` provider.
ownca_not_after string added in 2.7	Default: "+3650d"	The point in time at which the certificate stops being valid. Time can be specified either as relative time or as absolute timestamp. Time will always be interpreted as UTC. Valid format is `[+-]timespec \| ASN.1 TIME` where timespec can be an integer + `[w \| d \| h \| m \| s]` (e.g. `+32w1d2h`. Note that if using relative time this module is NOT idempotent. If this value is not specified, the certificate will stop being valid 10 years from now. This is only used by the `ownca` provider.
ownca_not_before string added in 2.7	Default: "+0s"	The point in time the certificate is valid from. Time can be specified either as relative time or as absolute timestamp. Time will always be interpreted as UTC. Valid format is `[+-]timespec \| ASN.1 TIME` where timespec can be an integer + `[w \| d \| h \| m \| s]` (e.g. `+32w1d2h`. Note that if using relative time this module is NOT idempotent. If this value is not specified, the certificate will start being valid from now. This is only used by the `ownca` provider.
ownca_path path added in 2.7		Remote absolute path of the CA (Certificate Authority) certificate. This is only used by the `ownca` provider.
ownca_privatekey_passphrase string added in 2.7		The passphrase for the ownca_privatekey_path. This is only used by the `ownca` provider.
ownca_privatekey_path path added in 2.7		Path to the CA (Certificate Authority) private key to use when signing the certificate. This is only used by the `ownca` provider.
ownca_version integer added in 2.7	Default: 3	The version of the `ownca` certificate. Nowadays it should almost always be `3`. This is only used by the `ownca` provider.
owner string		Name of the user that should own the file/directory, as would be fed to chown.
path path / required		Remote absolute path where the generated certificate file should be created or is already located.
privatekey_passphrase string		The passphrase for the privatekey_path. This is required if the private key is password protected.
privatekey_path path		Path to the private key to use when signing the certificate.
provider string / required	Choices: acme assertonly ownca selfsigned	Name of the provider to use to generate/retrieve the OpenSSL certificate. The `assertonly` provider will not generate files and fail if the certificate file is missing.
select_crypto_backend string added in 2.8	Choices: auto ← cryptography pyopenssl	Determines which crypto backend to use. The default choice is `auto`, which tries to use `cryptography` if available, and falls back to `pyopenssl`. If set to `pyopenssl`, will try to use the pyOpenSSL library. If set to `cryptography`, will try to use the cryptography library.
selevel string	Default: "s0"	The level part of the SELinux file context. This is the MLS/MCS attribute, sometimes known as the `range`. When set to `_default`, it will use the `level` portion of the policy if available.
selfsigned_digest string	Default: "sha256"	Digest algorithm to be used when self-signing the certificate. This is only used by the `selfsigned` provider.
selfsigned_not_after string	Default: "+3650d"	The point in time at which the certificate stops being valid. Time can be specified either as relative time or as absolute timestamp. Time will always be interpreted as UTC. Valid format is `[+-]timespec \| ASN.1 TIME` where timespec can be an integer + `[w \| d \| h \| m \| s]` (e.g. `+32w1d2h`. Note that if using relative time this module is NOT idempotent. If this value is not specified, the certificate will stop being valid 10 years from now. This is only used by the `selfsigned` provider. aliases: selfsigned_notAfter
selfsigned_not_before string	Default: "+0s"	The point in time the certificate is valid from. Time can be specified either as relative time or as absolute timestamp. Time will always be interpreted as UTC. Valid format is `[+-]timespec \| ASN.1 TIME` where timespec can be an integer + `[w \| d \| h \| m \| s]` (e.g. `+32w1d2h`. Note that if using relative time this module is NOT idempotent. If this value is not specified, the certificate will start being valid from now. This is only used by the `selfsigned` provider. aliases: selfsigned_notBefore
selfsigned_version integer added in 2.5	Default: 3	Version of the `selfsigned` certificate. Nowadays it should almost always be `3`. This is only used by the `selfsigned` provider.
serole string		The role part of the SELinux file context. When set to `_default`, it will use the `role` portion of the policy if available.
setype string		The type part of the SELinux file context. When set to `_default`, it will use the `type` portion of the policy if available.
seuser string		The user part of the SELinux file context. By default it uses the `system` policy, where applicable. When set to `_default`, it will use the `user` portion of the policy if available.
signature_algorithms list		A list of algorithms that you would accept the certificate to be signed with (e.g. ['sha256WithRSAEncryption', 'sha512WithRSAEncryption']). This is only used by the `assertonly` provider.
state string	Choices: absent present ←	Whether the certificate should exist or not, taking action if the state is different from what is stated.
subject dictionary		The key/value pairs that must be present in the subject name field of the certificate. If you need to specify more than one value with the same key, use a list as value. This is only used by the `assertonly` provider.
subject_alt_name list		The subject_alt_name extension field must contain these values. This is only used by the `assertonly` provider. aliases: subjectAltName
subject_alt_name_strict boolean	Choices: no ← yes	If set to `yes`, the subject_alt_name extension field must contain only these values. This is only used by the `assertonly` provider. aliases: subjectAltName_strict
subject_strict boolean added in 2.5	Choices: no ← yes	If set to `yes`, the subject field must contain only these values. This is only used by the `assertonly` provider.
unsafe_writes boolean added in 2.2	Choices: no ← yes	Influence when to use atomic operation to prevent data corruption or inconsistent reads from the target file. By default this module uses atomic operations to prevent data corruption or inconsistent reads from the target files, but sometimes systems are configured or just broken in ways that prevent this. One example is docker mounted files, which cannot be updated atomically from inside the container and can only be written in an unsafe manner. This option allows Ansible to fall back to unsafe methods of updating files when atomic operations fail (however, it doesn't force Ansible to perform unsafe writes). IMPORTANT! Unsafe writes are subject to race conditions and can lead to data corruption.
valid_at string		The certificate must be valid at this point in time. The timestamp is formatted as an ASN.1 TIME. This is only used by the `assertonly` provider.
valid_in string		The certificate must still be valid at this relative time offset from now. Valid format is `[+-]timespec \| number_of_seconds` where timespec can be an integer + `[w \| d \| h \| m \| s]` (e.g. `+32w1d2h`. Note that if using this parameter, this module is NOT idempotent. This is only used by the `assertonly` provider.
version integer		The version of the certificate. Nowadays it should almost always be 3. This is only used by the `assertonly` provider.

Notes ¶

Note

All ASN.1 TIME values should be specified following the YYYYMMDDHHMMSSZ pattern.
Date specified should be UTC. Minutes and seconds are mandatory.
For security reason, when you use ownca provider, you should NOT run openssl_certificate on a target machine, but on a dedicated CA machine. It is recommended not to store the CA private key on the target machine. Once signed, the certificate can be moved to the target machine.

Examples ¶

- name: Generate a Self Signed OpenSSL certificate
  openssl_certificate:
    path: /etc/ssl/crt/ansible.com.crt
    privatekey_path: /etc/ssl/private/ansible.com.pem
    csr_path: /etc/ssl/csr/ansible.com.csr
    provider: selfsigned

- name: Generate an OpenSSL certificate signed with your own CA certificate
  openssl_certificate:
    path: /etc/ssl/crt/ansible.com.crt
    csr_path: /etc/ssl/csr/ansible.com.csr
    ownca_path: /etc/ssl/crt/ansible_CA.crt
    ownca_privatekey_path: /etc/ssl/private/ansible_CA.pem
    provider: ownca

- name: Generate a Let's Encrypt Certificate
  openssl_certificate:
    path: /etc/ssl/crt/ansible.com.crt
    csr_path: /etc/ssl/csr/ansible.com.csr
    provider: acme
    acme_accountkey_path: /etc/ssl/private/ansible.com.pem
    acme_challenge_path: /etc/ssl/challenges/ansible.com/

- name: Force (re-)generate a new Let's Encrypt Certificate
  openssl_certificate:
    path: /etc/ssl/crt/ansible.com.crt
    csr_path: /etc/ssl/csr/ansible.com.csr
    provider: acme
    acme_accountkey_path: /etc/ssl/private/ansible.com.pem
    acme_challenge_path: /etc/ssl/challenges/ansible.com/
    force: yes

# Examples for some checks one could use the assertonly provider for:

# How to use the assertonly provider to implement and trigger your own custom certificate generation workflow:
- name: Check if a certificate is currently still valid, ignoring failures
  openssl_certificate:
    path: /etc/ssl/crt/example.com.crt
    provider: assertonly
    has_expired: no
  ignore_errors: yes
  register: validity_check

- name: Run custom task(s) to get a new, valid certificate in case the initial check failed
  command: superspecialSSL recreate /etc/ssl/crt/example.com.crt
  when: validity_check.failed

- name: Check the new certificate again for validity with the same parameters, this time failing the play if it is still invalid
  openssl_certificate:
    path: /etc/ssl/crt/example.com.crt
    provider: assertonly
    has_expired: no
  when: validity_check.failed

# Some other checks that assertonly could be used for:
- name: Verify that an existing certificate was issued by the Let's Encrypt CA and is currently still valid
  openssl_certificate:
    path: /etc/ssl/crt/example.com.crt
    provider: assertonly
    issuer:
      O: Let's Encrypt
    has_expired: no

- name: Ensure that a certificate uses a modern signature algorithm (no SHA1, MD5 or DSA)
  openssl_certificate:
    path: /etc/ssl/crt/example.com.crt
    provider: assertonly
    signature_algorithms:
      - sha224WithRSAEncryption
      - sha256WithRSAEncryption
      - sha384WithRSAEncryption
      - sha512WithRSAEncryption
      - sha224WithECDSAEncryption
      - sha256WithECDSAEncryption
      - sha384WithECDSAEncryption
      - sha512WithECDSAEncryption

- name: Ensure that the existing certificate belongs to the specified private key
  openssl_certificate:
    path: /etc/ssl/crt/example.com.crt
    privatekey_path: /etc/ssl/private/example.com.pem
    provider: assertonly

- name: Ensure that the existing certificate is still valid at the winter solstice 2017
  openssl_certificate:
    path: /etc/ssl/crt/example.com.crt
    provider: assertonly
    valid_at: 20171221162800Z

- name: Ensure that the existing certificate is still valid 2 weeks (1209600 seconds) from now
  openssl_certificate:
    path: /etc/ssl/crt/example.com.crt
    provider: assertonly
    valid_in: 1209600

- name: Ensure that the existing certificate is only used for digital signatures and encrypting other keys
  openssl_certificate:
    path: /etc/ssl/crt/example.com.crt
    provider: assertonly
    key_usage:
      - digitalSignature
      - keyEncipherment
    key_usage_strict: true

- name: Ensure that the existing certificate can be used for client authentication
  openssl_certificate:
    path: /etc/ssl/crt/example.com.crt
    provider: assertonly
    extended_key_usage:
      - clientAuth

- name: Ensure that the existing certificate can only be used for client authentication and time stamping
  openssl_certificate:
    path: /etc/ssl/crt/example.com.crt
    provider: assertonly
    extended_key_usage:
      - clientAuth
      - 1.3.6.1.5.5.7.3.8
    extended_key_usage_strict: true

- name: Ensure that the existing certificate has a certain domain in its subjectAltName
  openssl_certificate:
    path: /etc/ssl/crt/example.com.crt
    provider: assertonly
    subject_alt_name:
      - www.example.com
      - test.example.com

Return Values ¶

Common return values are documented here, the following are the fields unique to this module:

Key	Returned	Description
backup_file string	changed and if backup is `yes`	Name of backup file created. Sample: /path/to/www.ansible.com.crt.2019-03-09@11:22~
filename string	changed or success	Path to the generated Certificate Sample: /etc/ssl/crt/www.ansible.com.crt

Status ¶

This module is not guaranteed to have a backwards compatible interface. [preview]
This module is maintained by the Ansible Community. [community]

Authors¶

Yanis Guenane (@Spredzy)
Markus Teufelberger (@MarkusTeufelberger)

Hint

If you notice any issues in this documentation you can edit this document to improve it.