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AWX supports dynamic inventory integration with major cloud providers, allowing automatic discovery and synchronization of hosts from cloud infrastructure. This eliminates manual inventory management and ensures inventory remains current.

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Supported Cloud Providers

AWX integrates with the following cloud platforms:
  • Amazon EC2 (AWS)
  • Google Compute Engine (GCP)
  • Microsoft Azure Resource Manager
  • VMware vCenter
  • VMware ESXi
  • Red Hat Virtualization (RHV)
  • OpenStack
  • Red Hat Satellite 6
  • Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform (Controller)
  • Red Hat Insights
  • OpenShift Virtualization
  • Terraform State

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Amazon Web Services (AWS)

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AWS Credential Configuration

Create an AWS credential with your access credentials: 
Credential Type: Amazon Web Services
Fields:
  Access Key: AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE
  Secret Key: wJalrXUtnFEMI/K7MDENG/bPxRfiCYEXAMPLEKEY
  # Optional:
  STS Token: <temporary session token>

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AWS EC2 Inventory Source

Create a dynamic inventory source: 
Inventory Source:
  Name: AWS Production Inventory
  Source: Amazon EC2
  Credential: <AWS Credential>
  Regions: us-east-1, us-west-2
  Instance Filters: tag:Environment=production
  Update on Launch: Yes
  Overwrite: Yes
  Overwrite Variables: No

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Custom EC2 Inventory Plugin

For advanced configuration, create an SCM inventory with a custom plugin configuration: 
# inventory/aws_ec2.yml
plugin: amazon.aws.aws_ec2
regions:
  - us-east-1
  - us-west-2
filters:
  instance-state-name: running
  tag:Environment: production
keyed_groups:
  - key: tags.Application
    prefix: app
  - key: placement.region
    prefix: region
compose:
  ansible_host: public_ip_address

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AWS Regions

Supported AWS regions include:
  • us-east-1, us-east-2, us-west-1, us-west-2
  • eu-west-1, eu-west-2, eu-west-3, eu-central-1
  • ap-northeast-1, ap-northeast-2, ap-southeast-1, ap-southeast-2
  • ca-central-1, sa-east-1
  • And all other AWS regions

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Microsoft Azure

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Azure Credential Configuration

Credential Type: Microsoft Azure Resource Manager
Fields:
  Subscription ID: xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx
  Client ID: xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx
  Client Secret: <your-client-secret>
  Tenant ID: xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx
  # Optional:
  Cloud Environment: AzureCloud (or AzureUSGovernment, AzureChinaCloud)

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Creating Azure Service Principal

# Create service principal
az ad sp create-for-rbac --name "AWX-ServicePrincipal" \
  --role="Reader" \
  --scopes="/subscriptions/{subscription-id}"

# Output:
# {
#   "appId": "<client-id>",
#   "password": "<client-secret>",
#   "tenant": "<tenant-id>"
# }

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Azure Inventory Source

Inventory Source:
  Name: Azure Production VMs
  Source: Microsoft Azure Resource Manager
  Credential: <Azure Credential>
  Update on Launch: Yes

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Custom Azure Inventory Plugin

# inventory/azure_rm.yml
plugin: azure.azcollection.azure_rm
include_vm_resource_groups:
  - production-rg
  - staging-rg
auth_source: auto
keyed_groups:
  - prefix: tag
    key: tags
conditional_groups:
  linux: "'Linux' in os_profile.system"
  windows: "'Windows' in os_profile.system"

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Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

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GCE Credential Configuration

Credential Type: Google Compute Engine
Fields:
  Service Account Email: [email protected]
  Service Account JSON File: |
    {
      "type": "service_account",
      "project_id": "your-project-id",
      "private_key_id": "key-id",
      "private_key": "-----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----\n...\n-----END PRIVATE KEY-----\n",
      "client_email": "[email protected]",
      "client_id": "123456789",
      "auth_uri": "https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/auth",
      "token_uri": "https://oauth2.googleapis.com/token"
    }
  Project: your-project-id

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GCE Inventory Source

Inventory Source:
  Name: GCP Instances
  Source: Google Compute Engine
  Credential: <GCE Credential>
  Regions: us-central1, us-east1
  Update on Launch: Yes

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Custom GCP Inventory Plugin

# inventory/gcp_compute.yml
plugin: google.cloud.gcp_compute
projects:
  - my-gcp-project
auth_kind: serviceaccount
service_account_file: /path/to/credentials.json
zones:
  - us-central1-a
  - us-central1-b
filters:
  - status = RUNNING
  - labels.environment = production
keyed_groups:
  - key: labels.app
    prefix: app
  - key: zone
    prefix: zone

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VMware vCenter

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VMware Credential Configuration

Credential Type: VMware vCenter
Fields:
  vCenter Host: vcenter.example.com
  Username: [email protected]
  Password: <vcenter-password>

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VMware Inventory Source

Inventory Source:
  Name: VMware VMs
  Source: VMware vCenter
  Credential: <VMware Credential>
  Update on Launch: Yes

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VMware Inventory Variables

Configure additional source variables: 
validate_certs: false  # For self-signed certificates
with_tags: true
with_nested_properties: true

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Custom VMware Inventory Plugin

# inventory/vmware.yml
plugin: community.vmware.vmware_vm_inventory
hostname: vcenter.example.com
username: [email protected]
password: "{{ lookup('env', 'VMWARE_PASSWORD') }}"
validate_certs: false
with_tags: true
properties:
  - name
  - config.guestId
  - guest.ipAddress
  - summary.runtime.powerState
keyed_groups:
  - key: config.guestId
    prefix: os
  - key: summary.runtime.powerState
    prefix: state
compose:
  ansible_host: guest.ipAddress

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Red Hat Virtualization (RHV)

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RHV Credential Configuration

Credential Type: Red Hat Virtualization
Fields:
  Host: https://rhv-manager.example.com/ovirt-engine/api
  Username: admin@internal
  Password: <rhv-password>
  CA File: |
    -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
    ...
    -----END CERTIFICATE-----

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RHV Inventory Source

Inventory Source:
  Name: RHV Virtual Machines
  Source: Red Hat Virtualization
  Credential: <RHV Credential>
  Update on Launch: Yes

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OpenStack

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OpenStack Credential Configuration

Credential Type: OpenStack
Fields:
  Authentication URL: https://openstack.example.com:5000/v3
  Username: admin
  Password: <openstack-password>
  Project Name: admin
  Domain Name: Default
  # Optional:
  Project Domain Name: Default
  User Domain Name: Default

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OpenStack Inventory Source

Inventory Source:
  Name: OpenStack Instances
  Source: OpenStack
  Credential: <OpenStack Credential>
  Update on Launch: Yes

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Red Hat Satellite 6

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Satellite 6 Credential Configuration

Credential Type: Red Hat Satellite 6
Fields:
  Satellite 6 URL: https://satellite.example.com
  Username: admin
  Password: <satellite-password>

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Satellite 6 Inventory Source

Inventory Source:
  Name: Satellite Managed Hosts
  Source: Red Hat Satellite 6
  Credential: <Satellite Credential>
  Update on Launch: Yes

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Terraform State

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Terraform Backend Credential

For Terraform state integration, create credentials based on your backend: 
# For S3 backend
Credential Type: Amazon Web Services
Fields:
  Access Key: <aws-access-key>
  Secret Key: <aws-secret-key>

# For Azure backend
Credential Type: Microsoft Azure Resource Manager
# ... Azure credentials ...

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Terraform Inventory Source

Inventory Source:
  Name: Terraform Infrastructure
  Source: Terraform State
  Credential: <Backend Credential>
  Backend Type: s3
  Backend Config:
    bucket: my-terraform-state
    key: production/terraform.tfstate
    region: us-east-1

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OpenShift Virtualization

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OpenShift Credential Configuration

Credential Type: OpenShift or Kubernetes API Bearer Token
Fields:
  OpenShift or Kubernetes API Endpoint: https://api.openshift.example.com:6443
  API Authentication Bearer Token: <your-token>
  Verify SSL: Yes
  Certificate Authority Data: |
    -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
    ...
    -----END CERTIFICATE-----

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OpenShift Virtualization Inventory

Inventory Source:
  Name: OpenShift VMs
  Source: OpenShift Virtualization
  Credential: <OpenShift Credential>
  Update on Launch: Yes

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Inventory Update Configuration

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Update Options

Inventory Source Options:
  Update on Launch: Yes         # Update before job runs
  Update on Project Update: No  # Update when source project updates
  Overwrite: Yes                # Replace existing hosts
  Overwrite Variables: No       # Keep existing host variables
  Update Cache Timeout: 0       # Seconds to cache (0 = always update)
  Verbosity: 1                  # 0=Warning, 1=Info, 2=Debug

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Scheduling Updates

Create scheduled inventory updates: 
curl -X POST https://awx.example.org/api/v2/inventory_sources/1/schedules/ \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Daily Update",
    "rrule": "DTSTART:20260101T060000Z RRULE:FREQ=DAILY;INTERVAL=1",
    "enabled": true
  }'

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Host Variables and Grouping

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Automatic Host Variables

Cloud inventory sources automatically populate host variables: 
# AWS Example
ansible_host: 54.123.45.67
ec2_ami_id: ami-0abcdef1234567890
ec2_instance_type: t3.medium
ec2_region: us-east-1
ec2_vpc_id: vpc-12345678

# Azure Example
ansible_host: 40.123.45.67
azure_vm_size: Standard_D2s_v3
azure_location: eastus
azure_resource_group: production-rg

# GCP Example
ansible_host: 35.123.45.67
gce_machine_type: n1-standard-2
gce_zone: us-central1-a
gce_project: my-project

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Dynamic Grouping

Hosts are automatically grouped by various attributes: 
# AWS groups
tag_Environment_production
tag_Application_web
region_us_east_1
instance_type_t3_medium

# Azure groups
tag_environment_production
location_eastus
resource_group_production_rg

# GCP groups
zone_us_central1_a
machine_type_n1_standard_2
network_default

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Troubleshooting

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Common Issues

Authentication Failures:
  • Verify credentials are valid and not expired
  • Check service account/principal has required permissions
  • Ensure API endpoints are accessible from AWX
No Hosts Discovered:
  • Verify filter expressions are correct
  • Check that instances are running
  • Ensure credential has read access to resources
  • Review inventory update job output
SSL Certificate Errors:
  • Add CA certificates to credential configuration
  • Consider disabling SSL verification for testing (not recommended for production)
Performance Issues:
  • Limit regions/zones to only what’s needed
  • Use instance filters to reduce query scope
  • Increase cache timeout for large inventories

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Debug Inventory Updates

# View inventory source details
curl https://awx.example.org/api/v2/inventory_sources/1/ \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>"

# Get latest update job
curl https://awx.example.org/api/v2/inventory_sources/1/inventory_updates/ \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>"

# View update output
curl https://awx.example.org/api/v2/inventory_updates/123/stdout/ \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>"

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Best Practices

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Security

  • Use IAM roles/managed identities when running in cloud
  • Apply least privilege to service accounts
  • Rotate credentials regularly
  • Store credentials in external secret managers when possible
  • Enable SSL/TLS verification

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Performance

  • Use specific regions/zones instead of “all”
  • Apply instance filters to limit scope
  • Schedule updates during off-peak hours
  • Increase cache timeout for stable environments
  • Use “Update on Launch” sparingly for large inventories

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Organization

  • Create separate inventory sources per environment
  • Use consistent tagging strategies across clouds
  • Document filter expressions and grouping logic
  • Test inventory updates before applying to production

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API Examples

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Create AWS Inventory Source

curl -X POST https://awx.example.org/api/v2/inventory_sources/ \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "AWS Production",
    "inventory": 1,
    "source": "ec2",
    "credential": 5,
    "source_vars": "regions: us-east-1\ninstance_filters: tag:Environment=production",
    "update_on_launch": true,
    "overwrite": true
  }'

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Trigger Manual Update

curl -X POST https://awx.example.org/api/v2/inventory_sources/1/update/ \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>"

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See Also

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