Getting Started with Templates in VMware Aria Automation
Imagine this scenario: You’ve just joined the IT team at a company where developers constantly request servers—one needs a Linux machine to test their code, another requires a Windows VM for a demo, and someone from QA wants a complete 3-tier environment to test a web application.
Now, envision having to build those servers manually. Every. Single. Time. It’s time-consuming, repetitive, and quite a nightmare. This is where Templates in VMware Aria Automation come in—your new best friend for automating the process.
In Aria Automation, you can create templates in two ways:
- Using Code (YAML Editor) – This option is for users who are comfortable with coding. You can write the template using a simple format called YAML.
- Using the Visual Designer – If you’re not a coder, you can use the drag-and-drop interface to build the same template visually—no coding required. Both methods serve the same purpose: they define the infrastructure to be built, and you can easily switch between them.
What Can You Build with a Template?
More than you might think!
Here are just a few examples:
- A single virtual machine for testing
- A multi-tier application that includes a web server, database, and load balancer
- A Kubernetes cluster
- A hybrid environment that spans both VMware and AWS
All of this can be accomplished in just minutes, with only a few clicks.
When we talk about automation, we’re referring to the elimination of manual setup—and that’s exactly what Templates do in VMware Aria Automation.
However, let’s clarify something upfront – Templates are not what end users see. They aren’t flashy dashboards or elaborate forms. Instead, they are backend definitions written in YAML that instruct Aria Automation on how to build infrastructure—like virtual machines, networks, and storage—in a repeatable, reliable manner. Think of templates as the code behind the scenes—powerful, reusable instructions that quietly handle the heavy lifting.
Create Basic Blueprint
login to Assembler -> Click on Design Tab -> Templates -> Click ‘New From >> Blank Canvas
Populate the fields and assign the project created in Part 1, we only have one project and I will change to the second option for “Allow an administrator to share with any project…”
Once the canvas appears you can begin interacting with objects by dragging and dropping onto the canvas and then interact with those objects.
We’re going to be adding a vSphere Machine object to the canvas, as you click on it, the right-side pane will display customization options for that object.
Clicking on the object on the canvas and then ‘Properties’ we can populate it with some quick settings by selecting our Image.
We can perform a single Test (this does not execute a deployment of the machine) and so far so good, in no way completed but a good start to begin adding and trying customizations.
Ok, now we’re having some fun, dragging and dropping additional vSphere objects and tying them together using the lines, as you select an object the respective YAML code to the right highlights
After adding the 2 additional objects for vSphere network and Storage, our Test worked.
Now, let’s test a Deployment of this Template, click the blue ‘DEPLOY’ button.
Monitor the deployment through the console
My VM deployed successfully in my vCenter but there are more adjustments I need to make such as fixing the network and perhaps some more additions, so from the same monitoring console, I will Delete the VM and keep trying
While this is not fully ready to go, it’s a start on getting a VM deployed from the template and the rest is doing some additional practice.
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