Linux Dev-Live Replication Setup

I maintain separate Linux servers for development and production and need a reliable way to keep both environments identical. The goal is to analyze my current DEV box, capture every relevant configuration, then reproduce it on LIVE so updates remain painless and predictable.

The replication had already been done about 8 months ago, but since then the files and other things have changed. We need to analyze the 2 environments and see what needs to be replicated.

Scope of work
• Audit the existing DEV server: installed packages, system configurations, services and any custom tweaks.
• Build an automated workflow—Ansible playbooks, shell scripts, or a comparable toolchain—that provisions the LIVE machine to the exact same state with repeatable results.
• Verify the replica through smoke tests and simple roll-back logic.
• Supply concise documentation so I can re-run the process after future changes.

Acceptance criteria
1. Running the automation on a fresh machine produces a system indistinguishable from DEV when compared with diff-style checks on config files and package lists.
2. All services that run successfully in DEV start cleanly on LIVE without manual intervention.
3. Documentation covers prerequisites, commands and troubleshooting steps.

If you have proven experience cloning Linux environments with tools like Ansible, Docker, rsync or similar, I’m eager to see it.

REUQIREMENTS:

1. Do not contact us outside of this environment (Freelancer)
2. You must be ID verified by Freelancer
3. You must be be a Systems Admin with at least 5 years of experience in LAMP environment
4. DO NOT post placeholder bids. Your bid must be the actual bid amount.