Introduction to Ansible:
It is an open-source tool used for IT automation and covers functions like configuration management and application deployment. This automation makes it easier for system administrators and DevOps engineers to get repetitive tasks done optimally. it is agentless, meaning that, unlike traditional automation tools, no software needs to be installed on the target machines.
Why should I use it?
It is widely employed in DevOps and IT automation due to the following important benefits:
- Agentless Architecture: There is no need to install agents on remote machines; SSH is used for Linux and WinRM for Windows.
- Declarative and idempotent: Ensures consistent system states without repeated executions.
- Human-Readable YAML: Define automation workflows with easy YAML syntax.
- Scalability: Manage hundreds or thousands of servers with a single control node.
- Cross-Platform Support: Compatible with Linux, Windows, network devices, cloud environments, and more.
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How Relates to DevOps and IT Automation:
It plays an important part in DevOps operations by enabling
- IaC (Infrastructure as Code): Automate server deployment and management.
- Continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD): Work with platforms such as Jenkins, GitHub Actions, and AWS.
Architecture:
It has a simple architecture consisting of:
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Control Node: The node where it is installed and from which automation tasks are launched.
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Managed Nodes: The target systems are managed by the playbooks.
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Inventory File: List of managed nodes defined for automation.
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Modules: Ready-made functions to achieve certain tasks, i.e. package management, and service management.
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Playbooks: YAML-based files that explain the automation workflows.
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Plugins: To increase the features (e.g., connection plugins, callback plugins).
Real-World Use Cases:
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Server provisioning and configuration.
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Application deployment on cloud platforms such as AWS and Azure.
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Network device management and security policy enforcement.
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Database administration and patch management automation.
Basic Commands:
Here are some fundamental commands to get started:
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Check version:
ansible --version -
Ping all managed nodes:
ansible all -m ping -
List all inventory hosts:
ansible all --list-hosts -
Run a command on all hosts:
ansible all -a "uptime" -
Install a package on remote nodes:
ansible all -m yum -a "name=httpd state=present" -
Run a playbook:
ansible-playbook my-playbook.yml
Documentation link:
Example screen shots:
