DebOps is a free, open-source collection of Ansible roles and playbooks for automating secure, production-ready Debian and Ubuntu infrastructure.
Category
Communication
Pricing
Free/Open Source, from Free
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Last updated
July 18, 2026
Founded
2013
APIOpen SourceSelf-Hosted
Overview
DebOps is a free, open-source collection of Ansible roles and playbooks for bootstrapping and managing Debian- or Ubuntu-based IT infrastructure, describing itself as 'your Debian-based data center in a box.' It was founded in October 2013 by Polish system administrator Maciej Delmanowski.
The project is released under the GPL-3.0-or-later license, mirroring the Debian project's strong free-software ethos, and is built entirely as a curated library on top of Ansible rather than a replacement for it.
Key Features
DebOps ships more than 128 individually documented, independently usable Ansible roles covering SQL and NoSQL databases, web servers, DNS, mail systems, monitoring, and virtualization technologies like KVM/libvirt, Docker, and LXC.
Roles are built for heavy customization through Ansible inventory variables, and DebOps' 'project directories' concept lets one administrator manage multiple independent environments -- production, staging, personal -- from the same shared role library without configurations interfering with each other.
Pricing
DebOps is entirely free and open-source with no commercial tier, company, or support contract behind it. It is installed via the debops Python package on PyPI combined with Ansible roles pulled from the project's GitHub repositories.
Support is community-driven through documentation at docs.debops.org and the project's GitHub organization rather than a paid vendor helpdesk.
Key Features
128+ Ansible roles — A broad, curated library covering databases, web servers, DNS, mail, monitoring, and virtualization technologies.
Inventory-driven customization — Roles expose behavior through Ansible inventory variables so the same code produces different configurations per environment.
Project directories — Self-contained folders bundling inventory, playbooks, and roles, letting one team manage multiple independent environments.
Security-conscious defaults — Roles are built with secure, production-ready defaults reflecting the Debian project's free-software and security culture.
Virtualization support — Roles for deploying KVM/libvirt, Docker, and LXC-based virtualization environments.
Extensive documentation — A versioned, comprehensive documentation site covering every role and playbook in detail.
Debian/Ubuntu-first design — Purpose-built for Debian-family distributions rather than generic cross-distribution automation.
PyPI-distributed CLI — The debops command-line tool is installed via standard Python packaging for easy setup.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Completely free and open-source under GPL-3.0-or-later
Large, internally consistent, well-tested role library rather than a fragmented marketplace
Over a decade of continuous maintenance by the same founding project
Strong security-conscious defaults reflecting the Debian community's ethos
Cons
Debian/Ubuntu-focused, offering less value for Red Hat-family or other distributions
Requires Ansible and general infrastructure-as-code familiarity to use effectively
No commercial support contract or SLA available
Smaller contributor base than mainstream configuration management tools like Ansible Galaxy's most popular roles
Pricing
Open Source Free N/A
Frequently Asked Questions
Is DebOps free to use?
Yes, DebOps is completely free and open-source under the GPL-3.0-or-later license.
What is DebOps built on?
DebOps is built entirely on top of Ansible, providing a curated library of more than 128 roles rather than replacing Ansible itself.
Which operating systems does DebOps support?
DebOps is designed specifically for Debian and Ubuntu Linux infrastructure.
Who created DebOps?
DebOps was founded in October 2013 by Polish system administrator Maciej Delmanowski.
How do I install DebOps?
The debops command-line tool is distributed via PyPI (Python packaging) and works alongside Ansible roles pulled from the project's GitHub repositories.
What are 'project directories' in DebOps?
They are self-contained folders that bundle their own Ansible inventory, playbooks, and roles, letting one team manage multiple environments independently from a shared role library.