# Rundeck — Open Source Runbook Automation and Job Scheduler

> Automate operations tasks with Rundeck. Define runbooks as jobs with steps, schedule them, delegate execution to teams via self-service, and audit every action with built-in logging.

## Install

Save in your project root:

# Rundeck — Open Source Runbook Automation and Job Scheduler

## Quick Use
```bash
# Docker quickstart
docker run -d --name rundeck -p 4440:4440 
  -e RUNDECK_GRAILS_URL=http://localhost:4440 
  rundeck/rundeck:5.0.0
# Open http://localhost:4440 — login admin/admin
# Create your first job via the web UI or CLI
rd jobs load -f my-job.yaml -p MyProject
```

## Introduction
Rundeck is an open-source operations automation platform that turns manual runbooks into repeatable, auditable jobs. It provides a web UI and CLI for defining multi-step workflows that execute commands across fleets of servers via SSH, WinRM, or APIs. Teams use it to standardize incident response, automate deployments, manage patching, and offer self-service operations portals to developers without granting direct server access.

## What Rundeck Does
- Defines multi-step jobs with commands, scripts, and plugin steps executed in sequence or parallel
- Dispatches commands to remote nodes via SSH, WinRM, Ansible, or Kubernetes plugins
- Schedules jobs with cron expressions or triggers them via webhooks and API calls
- Provides role-based access control so teams can run approved jobs without root access
- Logs every execution with full output, timing, and user attribution for compliance auditing

## Architecture Overview
Rundeck runs as a Java web application backed by an embedded H2 or external MySQL/PostgreSQL database. The server holds project definitions, job configurations, node inventories, and execution logs. When a job runs, Rundeck connects to target nodes using configured executors (SSH by default), streams command output back to the server, and stores it. A plugin system extends node sources (AWS EC2, Kubernetes, ServiceNow CMDB), step types, and notification channels.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Deploy via Docker, RPM/DEB packages, or WAR file on any Java 11+ server
- Configure the database backend in `rundeck-config.properties` (MySQL or PostgreSQL for production)
- Define node sources as YAML resource files, AWS EC2 plugins, or Kubernetes pod inventories
- Set up LDAP or SSO (SAML/OIDC) authentication for team access management
- Install community plugins from the Rundeck Plugin Repository for Ansible, PagerDuty, Slack

## Key Features
- Self-service operations portal lets developers trigger approved workflows safely
- Job options allow parameterized execution with dropdowns, regex validation, and defaults
- Node filtering dispatches jobs to specific hosts based on tags, OS, or custom attributes
- Webhook triggers and API endpoints enable event-driven automation from monitoring tools
- Execution logs with live streaming provide full visibility during and after job runs

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **Ansible Tower/AWX** — focused on Ansible playbooks; Rundeck supports any command or script type
- **Jenkins** — CI/CD-focused; Rundeck is purpose-built for operations automation and self-service
- **Temporal** — code-first durable workflows; Rundeck offers a visual job builder for ops teams
- **StackStorm** — event-driven automation; Rundeck is simpler for runbook-style sequential jobs

## FAQ
**Q: Is Rundeck free?**
A: Yes. Rundeck Community (OSS) is fully free. PagerDuty Process Automation (formerly Rundeck Enterprise) adds commercial features like guided workflows and SSO.

**Q: Can Rundeck replace cron?**
A: Yes. Rundeck provides cron-style scheduling with logging, error handling, notifications, and a web UI — all features that raw cron lacks.

**Q: Does Rundeck support Windows?**
A: Yes. It connects to Windows nodes via WinRM and can execute PowerShell scripts and batch commands.

**Q: How does Rundeck handle secrets?**
A: Rundeck has a built-in Key Storage vault for SSH keys and passwords. It also integrates with HashiCorp Vault and CyberArk.

## Sources
- https://github.com/rundeck/rundeck
- https://docs.rundeck.com

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Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/d1bf0e61-3939-11f1-9bc6-00163e2b0d79
Author: AI Open Source