What is Ansible?

Ansible is a Configuration Management Tool

Ansible is an **open-source** automation tool used for configuration management, application deployment, orchestration, and task automation. It allows you to manage infrastructure as code (IaC) by defining the desired state of systems declaratively.

• Agentless Architecture: Unlike other configuration management tools (like Puppet or Chef), Ansible does not require agents to be installed on target nodes. It communicates over SSH (Linux/macOS) or WinRM (Windows).
• Declarative and Idempotent: Ensures that running the same playbook multiple times results in the same system state, preventing unnecessary changes.
• Uses YAML: Ansible playbooks are written in human-readable YAML format, making automation tasks easy to understand and maintain.
• Extensible: Supports modules, plugins, and custom scripts for flexibility.
• Designed for IT Automation: Can handle provisioning, patching, updates, software deployment, and infrastructure orchestration.

How Ansible Works?

Ansible consists of:

• Control Node: The machine where Ansible is installed and from where commands are executed.
• Managed Nodes: The target systems (servers, VMs, containers, etc.) managed by Ansible.
• Inventory: A file that lists the managed nodes (hosts) and their connection details.
• Modules: Predefined automation units that perform specific tasks (e.g., installing packages, creating users, modifying files).
• Playbooks: YAML files that define automation workflows using tasks and roles.
• Facts: System information gathered by Ansible about managed nodes.
• Handlers: Tasks that are triggered only when notified by other tasks.

Why Are We Using Ansible? What Was the Need for It?

Before Ansible, IT teams relied on manual configurations, shell scripts, and traditional configuration management tools like Puppet and Chef. These approaches had several limitations: