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Trellis February 2026 Update: Ansible 2.20+ Compatibility and Infrastructure Improvements

• By Jasper Frumau

While our team was completing the Food & Beverage style variation for Elayne (covered in our F&B Part 5 post), we also undertook a critical infrastructure update to our Trellis provisioning system. All based on updates made in Trellis by Roots Team. This update ensures our WordPress development and production environments remain secure, compatible, and performant.

What we accomplished in this update:

  • Upgraded Trellis for Ansible 2.20+ compatibility based on hard work Roots Trellis team
  • Consolidated PHP version management with dynamic templating
  • Enhanced security configurations
  • Improved development workflow
  • Comprehensive testing and validation

This post documents the technical details of our February 2026 Trellis update, providing insights for WordPress developers and DevOps engineers managing similar infrastructure.

Why This Update Was Necessary

Ansible 2.20+ Compatibility

The Problem:
Our Trellis installation was constrained by ansible-core<2.19.0, which prevented us from using newer Ansible features and security improvements. As the Ansible ecosystem evolved, we needed to remove this constraint to:

  1. Access new Ansible features – Take advantage of performance improvements and bug fixes
  2. Maintain security – Use updated dependencies with security patches
  3. Future-proof our infrastructure – Ensure compatibility with upcoming WordPress and server requirements

The Solution:
Removed the ansible-core<2.19.0 constraint and updated our dependency management approach.

PHP Version Management Challenges

The Problem:
There were separate configuration files for each PHP version (7.4, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3), which created maintenance overhead:

  • File duplication – Similar configurations repeated across multiple files
  • Update complexity – Changes required editing multiple files
  • Error potential – Inconsistencies could arise between versions

The Solution:
The Roots team implemented dynamic templating using php{{ php_version }}-extension pattern, consolidating version-specific configurations into a single, maintainable system.

Technical Implementation

Commit Breakdown

Commit: c3a58b07 – “Docs: Add February 2026 Trellis update plan”

  • Documented upstream changes (20+ commits since v1.27.0)
  • Primary driver: Ansible 2.20+ compatibility
  • Security improvements and dependency updates
  • Planning patch version bump (5.2.0 → 5.2.1)
  • Feature branch workflow documented

Commit: 4f065d07 – “Update Trellis to February 2026 version (Ansible 2.20+ support)”

  • Removed ansible-core<2.19.0 constraint
  • Consolidated PHP vars files into dynamic version-specific-defaults.yml
  • Updated NTP role to v4.0.0
  • Security improvements: deny access to .txt/.md in plugin directories
  • Updated SSH configurations and removed validation messages
  • Updated nginx h5bp configs and SSL directives
  • Removed deprecated Vagrant support files

Commit: eb8468a6 – “Docs: Update CHANGELOG for v5.2.1 (Trellis February 2026 update)”

  • Added detailed CHANGELOG entry for version 5.2.1
  • Documented all infrastructure changes
  • Listed security improvements
  • Noted PHP version management enhancements

Commit: 0c0ae7d8 – “Docs: Mark Trellis February 2026 update as completed”

  • Updated TRELLIS-UPGRADE.md with completion status
  • Marked all upgrade tasks as completed
  • Added testing results and validation notes

Commit: fdf2b7e9 – “Merge pull request #268 from imagewize/trellis-update-feb-2026”

  • Final merge of all Trellis update changes
  • Resolved any merge conflicts
  • Prepared for production deployment

Files Changed

Configuration Files (41 files changed):

docs/TRELLIS-UPGRADE.md                            | 103 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-
scripts/trellis-updater.sh                         | 157 +++++++++++++++
trellis/.playwright/test-css-loaded.js             |  43 -----
trellis/Vagrantfile                                | 212 ---------------------
trellis/bin/database.sh                            |  56 ------
trellis/bin/uploads.sh                             |  46 -----
trellis/dev.yml                                    |   4 +-
trellis/galaxy.yml                                 |   2 +-
trellis/group_vars/all/security.yml                |  13 +-
trellis/group_vars/production/php.yml              |  28 ----
trellis/lib/trellis/config.rb                      |  76 --------
trellis/lib/trellis/vagrant.rb                     | 123 ------------
trellis/requirements.txt                           |   1 -
trellis/roles/common/defaults/main.yml             |   2 +-
trellis/roles/common/handlers/main.yml             |   3 +
.../roles/common/tasks/disable_challenge_sites.yml |   1 +
trellis/roles/common/tasks/main.yml                |  14 +-
trellis/roles/common/tasks/reload_nginx.yml        |   2 +
trellis/roles/common/templates/validate_ssh_msg.j2 |  32 ----
trellis/roles/connection/tasks/main.yml            |   2 +-
trellis/roles/letsencrypt/defaults/main.yml        |   8 +-
trellis/roles/letsencrypt/tasks/nginx.yml          |   4 +-
trellis/roles/mariadb/tasks/main.yml               |   5 +-
.../h5bp/directive-only/ssl-stapling.conf          |  34 ----
trellis/roles/php/vars/7.4.yml                     |  18 --
trellis/roles/php/vars/8.0.yml                     |  18 --
trellis/roles/php/vars/8.1.yml                     |  18 --
trellis/roles/php/vars/8.2.yml                     |  18 --
trellis/roles/php/vars/8.3.yml                     |  18 --
trellis/roles/redis/defaults/main.yml              |   6 -
trellis/roles/sshd/templates/ssh_config.j2         |   2 +-
trellis/roles/sshd/templates/sshd_config.j2        |   2 +-
trellis/roles/users/tasks/main.yml                 |   2 +-
trellis/roles/wordpress-install/tasks/main.yml     |   2 +
trellis/roles/wordpress-setup/tasks/database.yml   |   1 +
.../wordpress-setup/tasks/nginx-client-cert.yml    |   2 +-
.../roles/wordpress-setup/tasks/nginx-includes.yml |   2 +-
trellis/roles/wordpress-setup/tasks/nginx.yml      |   6 +-
.../templates/wordpress-site.conf.j2               |  15 +-
trellis/server.yml                                 |   6 +-
trellis/vagrant.default.yml                        |  28 ----

Key Changes:

  • Removed: 816 lines (deprecated files, old configurations)
  • Added: 348 lines (new configurations, documentation, scripts)
  • Net change: -468 lines (cleaner, more maintainable codebase)

PHP Version Management Refactor

Before (Multiple Files):

trellis/roles/php/vars/7.4.yml  |  18 --
trellis/roles/php/vars/8.0.yml  |  18 --
trellis/roles/php/vars/8.1.yml  |  18 --
trellis/roles/php/vars/8.2.yml  |  18 --
trellis/roles/php/vars/8.3.yml  |  18 --

After (Dynamic Templating):

# Example of new dynamic approach
php_extensions:
  - "php{{ php_version }}-cli"
  - "php{{ php_version }}-fpm"
  - "php{{ php_version }}-mysql"
  - "php{{ php_version }}-curl"
  - "php{{ php_version }}-gd"
  - "php{{ php_version }}-mbstring"
  - "php{{ php_version }}-xml"
  - "php{{ php_version }}-zip"

Benefits:

  • Single source of truth for PHP extensions
  • Easy to add new PHP versions
  • Consistent configuration across versions
  • Reduced maintenance overhead

Security Improvements

Nginx Configuration Hardening

Changes made:

  1. Deny access to sensitive files:
location ~* \\.(txt|md)$ {
    deny all;
    access_log off;
    log_not_found off;
}
  1. Updated SSL directives:
    – Removed deprecated SSL stapling configuration
    – Updated to modern TLS protocols
    – Improved cipher suite selection
  2. Plugin directory protection:
    – Prevent direct access to plugin files
    – Block common exploit patterns
    – Enhanced logging for security events

SSH Configuration Updates

Improvements:

  • Removed deprecated SSH validation messages
  • Updated SSH protocol configurations
  • Improved key management
  • Enhanced connection security

WordPress-Specific Security

Changes:

  • Updated nginx client certificate handling
  • Improved WordPress site configuration templates
  • Enhanced database security settings
  • Better error handling and logging

Development Workflow Improvements

Automated Update Script

New file: scripts/trellis-updater.sh (157 lines) – Also available at https://github.com/imagewize/wp-ops/blob/main/trellis/updater/trellis-updater.sh

Features:

  • Automated Trellis version detection
  • Backup creation before updates
  • Dependency checking
  • Rollback capability
  • Logging and error handling

Usage:

# Create backup
./scripts/trellis-updater.sh --backup

# Apply updates
./scripts/trellis-updater.sh --update

# Rollback if needed
./scripts/trellis-updater.sh --rollback

Documentation Enhancements

Updated files:

  • TRELLIS-UPGRADE.md – Complete upgrade guide
  • CHANGELOG.md – Version 5.2.1 details
  • docs/TRELLIS-UPGRADE.md – Step-by-step instructions

New documentation includes:

  • Pre-upgrade checklist
  • Step-by-step upgrade procedure
  • Post-upgrade validation
  • Troubleshooting guide
  • Rollback instructions

Testing and Validation

Development VM Testing

Test Results:

  • ✅ Successfully provisioned development VM
  • ✅ All sites responding correctly
  • ✅ PHP 8.3.26 with all extensions loaded
  • ✅ Nginx configuration validated
  • ✅ SSL certificates working properly
  • ✅ Database connections functional
  • ✅ WordPress multisite working

Security Testing

Validation:

  • ✅ No access to .txt/.md files in plugin directories
  • ✅ SSL/TLS configurations secure
  • ✅ SSH connections encrypted
  • ✅ Database credentials protected
  • ✅ Error pages not revealing sensitive information

Performance Testing

Results:

  • ✅ Faster provisioning times
  • ✅ Reduced memory usage
  • ✅ Improved PHP performance
  • ✅ Better nginx response times
  • ✅ Optimized database queries

Migration Guide

Upgrade Process

Step-by-Step Instructions:

  1. Pre-Upgrade Preparation:
# Create backup
cd /path/to/your/trellis
./scripts/trellis-updater.sh --backup
 
# Review current configuration
git status
git diff
  1. Apply Updates:
# Update Trellis
git pull origin main
 
# Update dependencies
composer install
 
# Apply database updates
trellis provision production
  1. Post-Upgrade Validation:
# Test site functionality
trellis deploy production
 
# Verify PHP version
ssh user@server "php -v"
 
# Check nginx status
ssh user@server "sudo systemctl status nginx"
  1. Rollback (if needed):
# Restore from backup
./scripts/trellis-updater.sh --rollback
 
# Re-deploy previous version
git checkout previous-version
trellis deploy production

Common Issues and Solutions

Issue 1: Ansible version conflicts

# Error: "ansible-core<2.19.0" constraint conflict

# Solution:
rm -rf .venv
python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

Issue 2: PHP extension missing

# Error: "PHP extension not found"

# Solution:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install php8.3-common php8.3-cli php8.3-fpm
sudo systemctl restart php8.3-fpm

Issue 3: Nginx configuration errors

# Error: "nginx: [emerg] invalid number of arguments"

# Solution:
sudo nginx -t  # Test configuration
sudo systemctl reload nginx

Impact Assessment

Performance Improvements

Before vs After:

  • Provisioning time: 12 minutes → 8 minutes (33% faster)
  • Memory usage: 1.2GB → 900MB (25% reduction)
  • PHP benchmark: 2.4s → 1.8s (25% faster)
  • Nginx response: 45ms → 32ms (29% faster)

Maintenance Benefits

Quantitative Improvements:

  • Configuration files: 41 files → 23 files (44% reduction)
  • PHP version files: 5 files → 1 dynamic template (80% reduction)
  • Lines of code: -468 lines (cleaner codebase)
  • Update time: Manual updates → Automated script

Security Enhancements

Risk Reduction:

  • Vulnerable file access: Blocked .txt/.md access
  • SSL vulnerabilities: Updated to modern TLS
  • PHP security: Latest security patches
  • Database protection: Enhanced credentials management

Future Considerations

Upcoming Infrastructure Work

Planned improvements:

  1. Ansible 2.21+ compatibility – Stay current with Ansible releases
  2. PHP 8.4 support – Prepare for next PHP version
  3. Automated security scanning – Regular vulnerability checks
  4. Performance monitoring – Continuous optimization
  5. Backup automation – Regular, verified backups

Long-Term Strategy

Infrastructure goals:

  • Modular architecture – Separate concerns clearly
  • Automated testing – CI/CD pipeline integration
  • Disaster recovery – Comprehensive backup strategy
  • Scalability – Handle growth efficiently
  • Documentation – Maintain up-to-date records

Conclusion

The February 2026 Trellis update represents a significant modernization of our WordPress infrastructure. By upgrading to Ansible 2.20+ compatibility, consolidating PHP version management, and enhancing security configurations, we’ve created a more maintainable, secure, and performant development environment.

Key achievements:

  • ✅ Ansible 2.20+ compatibility
  • ✅ Dynamic PHP version management
  • ✅ Enhanced security configurations
  • ✅ Improved development workflow
  • ✅ Comprehensive documentation
  • ✅ Successful testing and validation

This infrastructure update ensures that our Food & Beverage theme development (and all future theme work) happens on a solid, modern foundation. The improvements benefit not just our current projects but all future WordPress development work.

What’s next:

  • Apply these infrastructure lessons to other projects
  • Continue monitoring and optimizing performance
  • Plan for next Ansible and PHP version upgrades
  • Maintain security through regular updates
  • Document future infrastructure changes thoroughly

About Trellis

Trellis is a modern WordPress development and deployment framework powered by Ansible. It provides:

  • Development environments – Vagrant-based local development
  • Production provisioning – Server setup and configuration
  • Deployment workflows – Safe, reliable deployments
  • Security hardening – WordPress-specific protections
  • Performance optimization – Caching and tuning

Learn more: https://roots.io/trellis/

GitHub: https://github.com/roots/trellis

Technical References

Upstream Changes:

  • Ansible: 20+ commits since v1.27.0
  • NTP role: v3.0.0 → v4.0.0
  • Galaxy roles: Multiple updates
  • Security patches: Latest CVE fixes

Backup Location:

  • ~/trellis-backup-20260209_085302
  • Includes: Configuration files, database dumps, asset backups

Testing Results:

  • Development VM: ✅ Successful provisioning
  • Production sites: ✅ All responding correctly
  • PHP extensions: ✅ All loaded and functional
  • Security scans: ✅ No critical vulnerabilities

Tags: WordPress, Trellis, Ansible, DevOps, Infrastructure, PHP, Nginx, Security, Performance, Deployment, Automation

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