Ansible
February 22, 2026
What it is
Ansible automates configuration and ad-hoc tasks over SSH (agentless). Playbooks are YAML; modules manage packages, files, services, and cloud resources. Red Hat backed.
Usage
Server config, app deployment, cloud provisioning (via modules), and orchestration; use roles and collections for reuse.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| No agents; SSH only | Sequential by default; scaling needs design |
| YAML is readable | Complex playbooks can get messy |
| Large collection ecosystem | |
| Idempotent and declarative |
Alternatives
Terraform (provisioning), Chef/Puppet (agent-based). Why Ansible: Agentless, simple start, strong for config and app deploy.
Links
- Homepage: https://www.ansible.com/
- Documentation: https://docs.ansible.com/