---
lastproofread: '2026-03-19'
---

(terraformaz)=

# Deploy VyOS on Microsoft Azure with Terraform and Ansible

You can use Terraform to quickly deploy VyOS-based infrastructure
on Microsoft Azure (hereafter referred to as *Azure*) and remove
infrastructure when it's no longer needed.
Additionally, you can use Ansible for provisioning.

On this page you'll learn how to:

- Create the necessary files for Terraform and Ansible.
- Use Terraform to create a single instance on Azure and use Ansible for
  provisioning.

## Prepare to deploy VyOS with Terraform on Azure

To create a single instance and install your configuration using
Terraform, Ansible, and Azure, follow these steps:

### Azure

- Create an [Azure account](https://azure.microsoft.com/).

### Terraform

```{eval-rst}
1. Create an UNIX or Windows instance.

2. Download and install
   `Terraform <https://developer.hashicorp.com/terraform/install>`__.

3. Create the folder for example ``/root/azvyos/``.

.. code-block:: none

  mkdir /root/azvyos

.. stop_vyoslinter

4. Copy all files into your Terraform project "/root/azvyos"
   (``vyos.tf``, ``var.tf``, ``terraform.tfvars``). For more details, see
   `Structure of files in Terraform for Azure <#structure-of-files-in-terraform-for-azure>`_.

.. start_vyoslinter

5. Log in to Azure using the command:

  .. code-block:: none

    az login

6. Run the following commands to initialize Terraform:

  .. code-block:: none

    cd /<your folder>
    terraform init
```


### Ansible

1. Create an UNIX instance either locally or in the cloud.

2. Download and install Ansible

3. Create a folder, for example `/root/az/`.

4. Copy all files into your Ansible project `/root/az/` (`ansible.cfg`,
   `instance.yml`, `all`). For more details, see
   [Structure of files in Ansible for Azure](#structure-of-files-in-ansible-for-azure)

### Deploy with Terraform

Run the following commands on your Terraform instance:

```none
cd /<your folder>
terraform plan
terraform apply
yes
```

After executing all the commands, your VyOS instance is deployed to
Azure with your configuration.
If you need to delete the instance, run the following command:

```none
terraform destroy
```


## Structure of files in Terraform for Azure

```none
.
├── vyos.tf                            # The main script
├── var.tf                             # File for the Terraform version.
└── terraform.tfvars           # Values for all variables (passwords,
                       # login, IP addresses, etc.)
```


## File contents of Terraform for Azure

`vyos.tf`

```none
##############################################################################
# HashiCorp Guide to Using Terraform on Azure
# This Terraform configuration will create the following:
# Resource group with a virtual network and subnet
# A VyOS server without SSH key (only login+password)
##############################################################################

# Choose a provider

provider "azurerm" {
  features {}
}

# Create a resource group. In Azure, every resource belongs to a
# resource group.

resource "azurerm_resource_group" "azure_vyos" {
  name     = "${var.resource_group}"
  location = "${var.location}"
}

# The next resource is a Virtual Network.

resource "azurerm_virtual_network" "vnet" {
  name                = "${var.virtual_network_name}"
  location            = "${var.location}"
  address_space       = ["${var.address_space}"]
  resource_group_name = "${var.resource_group}"
}

# Build a subnet to run your VMs.

resource "azurerm_subnet" "subnet" {
  name                 = "${var.prefix}subnet"
  virtual_network_name = "${azurerm_virtual_network.vnet.name}"
  resource_group_name = "${var.resource_group}"
  address_prefixes       = ["${var.subnet_prefix}"]
}

##############################################################################
# Build a VyOS VM from the Marketplace.
# To find the necessary image, use the command:
#
# az vm image list --offer vyos --all
#
# Now that you have a network, you can deploy a VyOS server.
# An Azure Virtual Machine has several components. In this example,
# you build a security group, a network interface, a public IP
# address, a storage account, and finally the VM itself. Terraform
# handles all the dependencies automatically, and each resource is
# named with user-defined variables.
##############################################################################


# Security group to allow inbound access on port 22 (SSH)

resource "azurerm_network_security_group" "vyos-sg" {
  name                = "${var.prefix}-sg"
  location            = "${var.location}"
  resource_group_name = "${var.resource_group}"

  security_rule {
    name                       = "SSH"
    priority                   = 100
    direction                  = "Inbound"
    access                     = "Allow"
    protocol                   = "Tcp"
    source_port_range          = "*"
    destination_port_range     = "22"
    source_address_prefix      = "${var.source_network}"
    destination_address_prefix = "*"
  }
}

# A network interface.

resource "azurerm_network_interface" "vyos-nic" {
  name                      = "${var.prefix}vyos-nic"
  location                  = "${var.location}"
  resource_group_name       = "${var.resource_group}"

  ip_configuration {
    name                          = "${var.prefix}ipconfig"
    subnet_id                     = "${azurerm_subnet.subnet.id}"
    private_ip_address_allocation = "Dynamic"
    public_ip_address_id          = "${azurerm_public_ip.vyos-pip.id}"
  }
}

# Add a public IP address.

resource "azurerm_public_ip" "vyos-pip" {
  name                         = "${var.prefix}-ip"
  location                     = "${var.location}"
  resource_group_name          = "${var.resource_group}"
  allocation_method            = "Dynamic"
}

# Build a virtual machine. This is a standard VyOS instance from
# Marketplace.

resource "azurerm_virtual_machine" "vyos" {
  name                = "${var.hostname}-vyos"
  location            = "${var.location}"
  resource_group_name = "${var.resource_group}"
  vm_size             = "${var.vm_size}"

  network_interface_ids         = ["${azurerm_network_interface.vyos-nic.id}"]
  delete_os_disk_on_termination = "true"

# To find information about the plan, use the command:
# az vm image list --offer vyos --all

  plan {
    publisher = "sentriumsl"
    name      = "vyos-1-3"
    product   = "vyos-1-2-lts-on-azure"
  }

  storage_image_reference {
    publisher = "${var.image_publisher}"
    offer     = "${var.image_offer}"
    sku       = "${var.image_sku}"
    version   = "${var.image_version}"
  }

  storage_os_disk {
    name              = "${var.hostname}-osdisk"
    managed_disk_type = "Standard_LRS"
    caching           = "ReadWrite"
    create_option     = "FromImage"
  }

  os_profile {
    computer_name  = "${var.hostname}"
    admin_username = "${var.admin_username}"
    admin_password = "${var.admin_password}"
  }

  os_profile_linux_config {
    disable_password_authentication = false
  }
}

data "azurerm_public_ip" "example" {
  depends_on = ["azurerm_virtual_machine.vyos"]
  name                = "vyos-ip"
  resource_group_name = "${var.resource_group}"
}
output "public_ip_address" {
  value = data.azurerm_public_ip.example.ip_address
}

# IP of AZ instance copied to a file ip.txt in the local system.

resource "local_file" "ip" {
    content  = data.azurerm_public_ip.example.ip_address
    filename = "ip.txt"
}

# Connect to the Ansible control node via SSH

resource "null_resource" "nullremote1" {
depends_on = ["azurerm_virtual_machine.vyos"]
connection {
 type     = "ssh"
 user     = "root"
 password = var.password
     host = var.host
}

# Copy the ip.txt file to the Ansible control node from the local
# system

 provisioner "file" {
    source      = "ip.txt"
    destination = "/root/az/ip.txt"
       }
}

resource "null_resource" "nullremote2" {
depends_on = ["azurerm_virtual_machine.vyos"]
connection {
      type     = "ssh"
      user     = "root"
      password = var.password
      host = var.host
}

# Run the Ansible playbook on the remote Linux OS

provisioner "remote-exec" {

    inline = [
      "cd /root/az/",
      "ansible-playbook instance.yml"
]
}
}
```

`var.tf`

```none
##############################################################################
# Variables File
#
# Default values for all variables used in Terraform code.
##############################################################################

variable "resource_group" {
  description = "The name of your Azure Resource Group."
  default     = "my_resource_group"
}

variable "prefix" {
  description = "This prefix will be included in the name of some resources."
  default     = "vyos"
}

variable "hostname" {
  description = "Virtual machine hostname. Used for local hostname, DNS, and storage-related names."
  default     = "vyos_terraform"
}

variable "location" {
  description = "The region where the virtual network is created."
  default     = "centralus"
}

variable "virtual_network_name" {
  description = "The name for your virtual network."
  default     = "vnet"
}

variable "address_space" {
  description = "The address space that is used by the virtual network. You can supply more than one address space. Changing this forces a new resource to be created."
  default     = "10.0.0.0/16"
}

variable "subnet_prefix" {
  description = "The address prefix to use for the subnet."
  default     = "10.0.10.0/24"
}

variable "storage_account_tier" {
  description = "Defines the storage tier. Valid options are Standard and Premium."
  default     = "Standard"
}

variable "storage_replication_type" {
  description = "Defines the replication type to use for this storage account. Valid options include LRS, GRS etc."
  default     = "LRS"
}

# The most cost-effective size

variable "vm_size" {
  description = "Specifies the size of the virtual machine."
  default     = "Standard_B1s"
}

variable "image_publisher" {
  description = "Name of the publisher of the image (az vm image list)"
  default     = "sentriumsl"
}

variable "image_offer" {
  description = "Name of the offer (az vm image list)"
  default     = "vyos-1-2-lts-on-azure"
}

variable "image_sku" {
  description = "Image SKU to apply (az vm image list)"
  default     = "vyos-1-3"
}

variable "image_version" {
  description = "Version of the image to apply (az vm image list)"
  default     = "1.3.3"
}

variable "admin_username" {
  description = "Administrator user name"
  default     = "vyos"
}

variable "admin_password" {
  description = "Administrator password"
  type        = string
  sensitive   = true
}

variable "source_network" {
  description = "Allow access from this network prefix. Defaults to '*'."
  default     = "*"
}

variable "password" {
   description = "pass for Ansible"
   type = string
   sensitive = true
}
variable "host"{
   description = "IP of my Ansible"
}
```

`terraform.tfvars`

```none
password  = ""   # password for Ansible SSH
host      = ""   # IP of my Ansible
```


## Structure of files in Ansible for Azure

```none
.
├── group_vars
    └── all
├── ansible.cfg
└── instance.yml
```


## File contents of Ansible for Azure

`ansible.cfg`

```none
[defaults]
inventory = /root/az/ip.txt
host_key_checking= False
remote_user=vyos
```

`instance.yml`

```none
##############################################################################
# About tasks:
# "Wait 300 seconds, but only start checking after 60 seconds" - Tries
# to make SSH connection every 60 seconds until 300 seconds.
# "Configure general settings for the VyOS hosts group" - Provision
# the Azure VyOS node.
# Add all necessary commands for VyOS under the block "lines:"
##############################################################################


- name: integration of terraform and ansible
  hosts: all
  gather_facts: 'no'

  tasks:

    - name: "Wait 300 seconds, but only start checking after 60 seconds"
      wait_for_connection:
        delay: 60
        timeout: 300

    - name: "Configure general settings for the VyOS hosts group"
      vyos_config:
        lines:
          - set system name-server xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
        save:
          true
```

`group_vars/all`

```none
ansible_connection: ansible.netcommon.network_cli
ansible_network_os: vyos.vyos.vyos

# user and password gets from terraform variables "admin_username" and "admin_password" in the file /root/azvyos/var.tf
ansible_user: vyos
ansible_ssh_pass: "{{ vault_vyos_ssh_pass }}"
```


## Source files on GitHub

All files related to deploying VyOS on Azure with Terraform and Ansible
can be found in the [vyos-automation] repository.

[vyos-automation]: <https://github.com/vyos/vyos-automation/tree/main/TerraformCloud/Azure_terraform_ansible_single_vyos_instance-main>