As discussed in previous blog posts, automation is becoming increasingly crucial for businesses across all sectors. Many tools help the user automate more processes, but one particular tool stands out: Ansible. This article will explore what Ansible is and why it is used by IT teams to accelerate digital transformation initiatives.
What is Ansible?
Ansible is an open-source tool that automates IT and applications. Ansible works by accessing servers, delivering instructions via a set of modules and removing the script when completed. It runs most operating systems with Python installed, such as Red Hat® Enterprise Linux®, Microsoft Windows, Ubuntu, MacOS and more.
Ansible is written in Python and includes multiple modules that can be run from the command line or via playbooks. Ansible provides teams with the ability to automate changes on multiple servers in one go, significantly freeing up time for the team to perform other duties.
The Ansible Environment
Let's explore the main elements that comprise Ansible.
Modules
Modules are small units of code that use parameters to describe the desired state of a system. Modules are used to run in Playbook files, controlling services, packages and files.
Plugins
Plugins are pieces of code that augment Ansible's core functionality to allow for flexible and expandable feature sets. Ansible comes with a range of plugins which can be called upon, and users can create their own custom plugins.
Inventories
The inventory file contains a collection of IP addresses for Ansible to manage. When the Playbook file runs, it calls on servers in the inventory file. Inside the inventory, variables can be used to define machines for easier use in the playbook.
Playbooks
Playbooks are a list of tasks automatically executing against hosts, which form in the user inventory. Playbooks are written in YAML, a human-readable data-serialisation language. Ansible playbooks manage configurations, deploy applications, and perform system administration tasks. Playbooks are also easy to create and understand, and they can be used to automate complex tasks across several servers.
What are the Main Advantages of Ansible?
Now we've covered the basics of Ansible, let's explore the platform's key benefits:
User-friendly
One of the main advantages of Ansible over other platforms such as Rudder, SaltStack and Jenkins is that it's very user-friendly, especially for beginners. There is minimal set-up, and it doesn't require servers or specialised hardware. The platform makes it easy to get started, as users can leverage pre-made playbooks to perform specific tasks, such as deploying applications on infrastructures like Kubernetes clusters.
Open source
Ansible is open source, meaning it's free to use. So if the user requires assistance, a large Ansible community is ready to help solve any problems the user may have. There are several ways to access help, including real-time chat rooms and mailing lists for general or developer questions.
Agentless
Ansible is agentless, meaning it doesn't install software on the nodes it manages—the tool reads information about the machines the user wants to manage from the user inventory. Ansible has a low attack surface compared to other platforms by not using any remote server agents.
Customisation
Ansible has an extensive repository of plugins and modules, allowing users to customise environments quickly and easily.
Efficiency
Because there's no need to install extra software, there is more room for application resources on servers.
Flexibility
Ansible is inherently flexible—it can be used to automate deploying and managing applications on multiple platforms, including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, Docker, Kubernetes, Jenkins and GitHub. Ansible's flexibility enables DevOps teams to set up and update environments quickly and easily.
Ansible for Networks Jump-Start
We understand that adopting new technology takes time and effort. But don't worry; we can accelerate this process and relieve the burden from busy infrastructure teams with our Ansible for Networks Jump-Start service.
The Jump-Start will demonstrate the following capabilities:
Dynamic Ansible inventory from existing Network Management System
Configuration variables and templates stored in the source-code repository
Configuration compliance playbooks and modules
If the user would like to find out more about our Ansible for Networks Jump-Start service, please don't hesitate to contact us so we can discuss the user requirements in more detail.