https://DevOpsCloud.io -- Cloud Monk Losang Jinpa, Ph.D., MCSE/MCT, GitOps DevOps Engineer

TLDR: Ansible is an open-source automation tool introduced by Michael DeHaan in 2012, designed for configuration management, application deployment, and orchestration. It simplifies IT workflows by enabling users to define tasks in declarative YAML-based playbooks. Ansible’s agentless architecture and easy-to-learn syntax make it a popular choice for managing infrastructure across diverse environments.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ansible_(software)

Unlike traditional configuration tools, Ansible operates without requiring agents installed on managed nodes, relying instead on SSH or WinRM for communication. This architecture minimizes dependencies and simplifies setup. Users define infrastructure and tasks in playbooks, which are executed sequentially to achieve the desired state. For example, an Ansible playbook can configure web servers, install packages, and deploy applications in a consistent and repeatable manner.

https://docs.ansible.com/

Ansible integrates seamlessly with CI/CD pipelines and supports cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, enabling scalable automation for hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Its extensibility is enhanced through a rich ecosystem of modules, roles, and plugins. By automating repetitive tasks and ensuring consistency, Ansible improves operational efficiency and supports agile and DevOps workflows.

https://www.ansible.com/

Ansible is an open-source automation tool used for configuration management, application deployment, and orchestration. Ansible allows users to define tasks in YAML format and execute them across multiple machines without the need for agent software, making it ideal for automating large-scale environments.

https://ansible.com

https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/ansible

Ansible is an open-source software tool for configuration management, automation, and orchestration within the realm of IT infrastructure. Introduced in 2012 by Michael DeHaan, the platform aims to simplify complex tasks such as setting up and maintaining remote servers, deploying applications, and managing network configurations across diverse environments. Ansible leverages a declarative language that allows system administrators and developers to define their infrastructure's desired state in simple YAML syntax, making it accessible even to those with minimal programming knowledge.

The core features of Ansible revolve around its ability to automate the provisioning of physical and virtualized servers, application deployment, task execution, and configuration management without requiring agent installation on target nodes. This is achieved through its use of SSH for communication, ensuring a secure and efficient mechanism for executing tasks across multiple systems. Additionally, its idempotent nature ensures that repeated execution of the same Ansible playbook (a set of instructions) will not alter the system state beyond the desired outcome, providing consistency and reliability in automated processes.

Ansible's architecture is remarkably simple and straightforward, making it easy to understand and implement. It operates on a push-based model, where the control node (the managing system) pushes changes to managed nodes (the target systems). The heart of Ansible lies in its modules, which are small programs that Ansible executes on managed nodes. These modules can be written in any language that can return JSON data, but most are written in Python. Playbooks, written in YAML format, define the automation, configuration, and orchestration tasks to be performed by calling these modules.

Ansible Tower is the enterprise-level offering from Red Hat, providing a web-based console and REST API for Ansible. It facilitates more complex IT automation tasks, making it easier for teams to manage their infrastructure. Ansible Tower includes features such as role-based access control, job scheduling, and integration with logging and monitoring systems. It acts as an important tool for organizations looking to implement DevOps practices, enabling better management and visibility of automation tasks.

The Ansible community plays a crucial role in the platform's development and widespread adoption. With a rich ecosystem comprising thousands of pre-written modules and roles available on Ansible Galaxy, users can easily extend Ansible's capabilities to meet their specific needs. The community also contributes to the continuous improvement of Ansible by developing new modules, sharing best practices, and providing support through various forums and discussion boards. This collaborative environment ensures that Ansible remains at the forefront of automation technology.

Ansible is often compared to other configuration management and automation tools such as Puppet, Chef, and SaltStack. While each of these tools has its strengths and use cases, Ansible is noted for its simplicity, ease of setup, and agentless architecture. Unlike some of its competitors that require agent software on managed nodes, Ansible's use of SSH for communication simplifies the setup and reduces the overhead on managed systems. This makes Ansible particularly attractive for organizations seeking an efficient and straightforward approach to automation.

Since its introduction in 2012, Ansible has seen significant evolution, expanding its capabilities and integrations to cater to a wide range of automation needs in IT infrastructure and DevOps practices. As organizations continue to adopt cloud computing, containerization, and microservices, the role of Ansible in managing complex, distributed environments becomes increasingly critical. The future of Ansible lies in its continued adaptation to new technologies and its ability to simplify the management of increasingly complex IT landscapes, making it a key tool in the automation and orchestration toolbox.

For further reading, refer to the official [Ansible Documentation](https://docs.ansible.com).

Ansible Security

Best teacher: Sander Van Vugt Ansible Courses

Ansible (software)

Installing Ansible - Ansible installation - Installation of Ansible - Install Ansible

Return to Configuration management or Configuration management with Python or Ansible articles

Ansible is written in Python. (So is SaltStack).

• https://app.linuxacademy.com/search?query=ansible
• https://www.insom.me.uk/2013/09/python-for-configuration-management-with-ansible-my-pycon-uk-2013-talk

Snippet from Wikipedia: Ansible

The term ansible refers to a category of fictional technological devices capable of superluminal or faster-than-light (FTL) communication. These devices can instantaneously transmit and receive messages across obstacles and vast distances, including between star systems and even galaxies. As a name for such a device, the word ansible first appeared in a 1966 novel by Ursula K. Le Guin. Since that time, the broad use of the term has continued in the works of numerous science-fiction authors, across a variety of settings and continuities. Related terms are ultraphone and ultrawave.

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