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Ubuntu images

Ubuntu images provide a familiar apt-based environment for Ansible automation. They are a good fit for teams already using Ubuntu workstations, GitHub Actions runners, cloud images, or internal documentation based on Ubuntu packages.

Ubuntu convenience tag

The ubuntu convenience tag currently points to Ansible 2.21 on Ubuntu 24.04.

Available Ubuntu tags

Base image Supported tags
Ubuntu 26.04 2.21-ubuntu-26.04, 2.20-ubuntu-26.04
Ubuntu 24.04 2.21-ubuntu-24.04, 2.20-ubuntu-24.04, 2.19-ubuntu-24.04, 2.18-ubuntu-24.04

See the complete supported tag matrix for all base images.

Pull an Ubuntu image

docker pull willhallonline/ansible:ubuntu

docker pull willhallonline/ansible:2.21-ubuntu-24.04

docker pull willhallonline/ansible:2.21-ubuntu-26.04

Ubuntu 22.04

No active image builds are published for Ubuntu 22.04. Use Ubuntu 24.04 or Ubuntu 26.04 for current images.

Run Ansible from an Ubuntu image

docker run --rm -it   -v "$PWD:/work"   -w /work   willhallonline/ansible:2.21-ubuntu-24.04   ansible-playbook -i inventory site.yml

Run ansible-lint in the same container:

docker run --rm -it   -v "$PWD:/work"   -w /work   willhallonline/ansible:2.21-ubuntu-24.04   ansible-lint

Characteristics

Property Ubuntu images
Package manager apt
C library glibc
Best fit CI, cloud workflows, Ubuntu-based teams
Convenience tag ubuntu
Watch point Tags differ by Ubuntu release and Ansible stream coverage

Ubuntu images are often the easiest choice when project documentation, bootstrap scripts, or CI examples already assume Ubuntu packages. They also provide a familiar shell environment for local troubleshooting.

Release guidance

Ubuntu release Guidance
26.04 Use for the newest supported Ubuntu base with Ansible 2.20 or 2.21
24.04 Broadest Ubuntu coverage across Ansible 2.18 through 2.21
22.04 No active image builds; use Ubuntu 24.04 or 26.04

Use Ubuntu 24.04 for broad compatibility

Ubuntu 24.04 has the widest supported Ubuntu tag coverage and is the target of the ubuntu convenience tag.

What's included

Each Ubuntu image includes:

  • ansible-core from PyPI;
  • the ansible community package from PyPI;
  • ansible-lint from PyPI;
  • Python; and
  • the tooling needed to run Ansible against remote hosts.

That supporting tooling is intended for normal Ansible control-node operation, including remote SSH access, Git-based workflows, and common dependency handling. See what's inside for more detail.

When to choose Ubuntu

Choose Ubuntu when:

  • your CI environment already uses Ubuntu images;
  • your team is comfortable debugging Ubuntu containers;
  • your custom image needs packages from Ubuntu repositories;
  • vendor install instructions target Ubuntu; or
  • you want the ubuntu convenience tag for quick tests.

Consider another family when:

  • you need the smallest image, where Alpine is usually better;
  • you prefer Debian slim variants;
  • your organization standardizes on Enterprise Linux; or
  • you need an Ansible stream not available for a specific Ubuntu release.

Extending Ubuntu images

Use standard non-interactive apt-get patterns in Dockerfiles:

FROM willhallonline/ansible:2.21-ubuntu-24.04

RUN apt-get update     && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends jq     && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*

Add Python packages only when they are project requirements:

FROM willhallonline/ansible:2.21-ubuntu-24.04

RUN pip install --no-cache-dir molecule

See extending images for more guidance.

Dockerfiles

The Ubuntu Dockerfiles are in the upstream repository under ansible-core/: