Automating Build a Remote Desktop Server Using Ansible, Terraform, and RustDesk

Frustrated with TeamViewer’s restrictions and TightVNC’s limitations, I found RustDesk—an ideal remote desktop solution for accessing my MacBook and Ubuntu server at home.

What I love about RustDesk is that it’s open-source, works across Linux, Windows, and macOS, and even lets you host your own server for more control.

So, I figured — why not take this as a chance to set up my own RustDesk server while also learning Ansible for automation, sharpening my Terraform skills, and getting deeper into AWS?

Infrastructure

You’ll have two servers running simultaneously:

1. Ansible Control Node – Manages the RustDesk server.
2. RustDesk Server – Runs two Docker containers to control remote desktop connections.

Terraform provisions the AWS infrastructure, as shown in the diagram below. It sets up:

• A VPC with two subnets.
• Two Network Interface for static private IPv4 addresses for the instances.
• Two EC2 instances (one for Ansible, one for RustDesk).
• Security groups with the required ports open.
• Internet Gateway for accessing internet.

Meanwhile, Ansible automates:

• Install Docker and run docker containers.
• Configure UFW (Uncomplicated Firewall) on the RustDesk server using an Ansible playbook.

For the complete setup and code, check it out here.

Why two Docker containers?

RustDesk’s self-hosted setup requires two executables: hbbs and hbbr.

• hbbs - RustDesk ID server: Handles rendezvous/signaling.
  • Listen on:
    • TCP: 21114 (HTTP)
    • TCP: 21115, 21116, 21118 (WebSocket)
    • UDP: 21116.
• hbbr - RustDesk replay server: Facilitates communication between clients.
  • Listen on:
    • TCP: 21117, 21119 (WebSocket)

Here is an illustrations of how RustDesk client communicates with hbbr/hbbs from RustDesk documentation:

Demo

Once hbbs is up and running, it will automatically generate a pair of encrypted private and public keys (id_ed25519 and id_ed25519.pub). These keys are primarily used for communication encryption. The public key will be used for authorization when connecting to the server.

The connection between RustDesk remote and RustDesk client are encrypted.

Using RustDesk on smartphone.

Encountered issues

While setting up Ansible, I ran into issues with defining the correct host IP for the RustDesk server and bypassing SSH known hosts verification, which blocked provisioning.

I also faced permission errors due to missing sudo privileges. After tweaking the Ansible inventory and SSH settings, I got everything working—turning these hurdles into valuable learning experiences.

Improvements

• Use ECS or Kubernetes for Container Management – Running RustDesk on AWS ECS or Kubernetes would simplify deployment and scaling.
• Automate SSH Key Setup – Automating keypair configuration with Terraform & AWS System Manager Agent (AWS SSM) would eliminate manual setup since Ansible isn’t the ideal solution for managing SSH keys.
• Enable Auto-Healing & Scaling – Adding Auto Scaling & Health Checks would improve reliability by automatically recovering from failures.