Semaphore

Semaphore is an open-source Ansible UI (by Ansible Semaphore). This setup runs Semaphore and a MySQL 8 database with Podman Compose, using environment variables for configuration.

What the compose file does

Service: `semaphore_db`

Image: mysql:8
Role: Database for Semaphore
Config: All from environment variables (MYSQL_USER, MYSQL_PASSWORD, MYSQL_DATABASE, MYSQL_RANDOM_ROOT_PASSWORD)
Volume: Named volume semaphore-db for /var/lib/mysql
Network: semaphore_network

Service: `semaphore`

Image: public.ecr.aws/semaphore/pro/server:v2.16.51
Port: 3010 → container 3000
Depends on: semaphore_db
Environment: Database connection, admin user, TOTP, optional Telegram alerts, Ansible options, etc. (see below)
Volumes: Named volumes for data, config, and temp
Network: semaphore_network

Volumes and network

Volumes: semaphore-db, semaphore-data, semaphore-config, semaphore-tmp
Network: semaphore_network (bridge)

Required environment variables

Create a .env file in the same directory as podman-compose.yml (do not commit real passwords). Example:

# Database
MYSQL_USER=semaphore
MYSQL_PASSWORD=your_db_password
MYSQL_DATABASE=semaphore
MYSQL_RANDOM_ROOT_PASSWORD=yes

SEMAPHORE_DB_DIALECT=mysql
SEMAPHORE_DB_HOST=semaphore_db
SEMAPHORE_DB_NAME=semaphore
SEMAPHORE_DB_USER=semaphore
SEMAPHORE_DB_PASS=your_db_password

# Admin user (first login)
SEMAPHORE_ADMIN=admin
SEMAPHORE_ADMIN_PASSWORD=admin_password
SEMAPHORE_ADMIN_NAME=Admin
SEMAPHORE_ADMIN_EMAIL=admin@example.com

# Optional
SEMAPHORE_SCHEDULE_TIMEZONE=Europe/Berlin
SEMAPHORE_TOTP_ENABLED=false
SEMAPHORE_AUTO_MIGRATE=true
ANSIBLE_HOST_KEY_CHECKING=false

Optional: Telegram alerts (SEMAPHORE_TELEGRAM_ALERT, SEMAPHORE_TELEGRAM_CHAT, SEMAPHORE_TELEGRAM_TOKEN).

Prerequisites

Podman and Podman Compose installed
.env file with the variables above (and matching DB credentials)

How to use

Go to the project folder:
```
cd semaphore
```
Create .env with the required variables (see above).
Start the stack:
```
podman-compose up -d
```
Open the UI:
http://<your-host>:3010
Log in with SEMAPHORE_ADMIN / SEMAPHORE_ADMIN_PASSWORD.
Stop:
```
podman-compose down
```

Data is kept in named volumes, so databases and config survive down unless you remove volumes.

Useful commands

Action	Command
Start	`podman-compose up -d`
Stop	`podman-compose down`
Logs	`podman-compose logs -f`
Restart	`podman-compose restart`

Customization

Change the host port by editing 3010:3000 under semaphore → ports.
Adjust TOTP, Telegram, or timezone in .env; no need to edit the compose file for those.