Ansible Fundamentals

Ansible Fundamentals

Playbooks

• A playbook is a YAML file that defines a set of tasks to be executed on a group of servers.
• Playbooks are the core of Ansible's configuration management and deployment capabilities.
• They can contain one or multiple plays, which are a set of tasks executed on a specific group of hosts.
• Playbooks can be used to:
  • Configure servers
  • Deploy applications
  • Manage infrastructure
  • Automate repetitive tasks

Modules

• Ansible modules are small pieces of code that perform a specific task.
• Modules are the building blocks of Ansible's automation capabilities.
• There are over 1,000 modules available in Ansible, including:
  • File management (e.g., copying, deleting, and editing files)
  • Network management (e.g., managing DNS, FTP, and HTTP)
  • Database management (e.g., managing MySQL, PostgreSQL, and Oracle)
  • Cloud management (e.g., managing AWS, Azure, and OpenStack)
• Custom modules can be created to perform specific tasks.

Roles

• Ansible roles are a way to organize playbooks and modules to perform a specific function or set of functions.
• Roles are essentially a collection of playbooks and modules that can be easily reused across different environments.
• Roles can be used to:
  • Set up a web server
  • Configure a database
  • Deploy a specific application
• Roles can be shared and reused across different teams and organizations.

Inventory Management

• Ansible's inventory is a file that defines the hosts and groups in an environment.
• The inventory file is used to organize servers into groups based on their characteristics, such as:
  • Environment (e.g., dev, prod, staging)
  • Location (e.g., datacenter, cloud)
  • Function (e.g., web servers, database servers)
• Inventory files can be static (defined in a file) or dynamic (generated using a script or program).
• Ansible provides a built-in inventory system, but it can also integrate with other inventory systems, such as LDAP or cloud providers.