Frequently asked questions (FAQ) about Ansible, a popular open-source automation tool used for configuration management, application deployment, and task automation. Current stable version: Ansible-core 2.20.2 (released January 29, 2026).
Ansible is an open-source IT automation platform maintained by Red Hat. It simplifies the automation of tasks such as configuration management, software deployment, cloud provisioning, and orchestration of IT environments. Unlike other tools, Ansible is agentless, requiring no additional software on managed systems.
Ansible uses a push model to send instructions from a control node to managed hosts. It uses SSH for Linux/Unix systems or WinRM for Windows systems, requiring no additional software (agents) on the managed nodes. The instructions are written in YAML files called Playbooks. Ansible connects to hosts over SSH and executes tasks by transferring and running small Python scripts called Ansible modules.
A Playbook is a YAML file containing a series of tasks that Ansible executes on managed hosts. It allows you to define automation instructions in a human-readable format. Each task is a module call that performs specific actions like installing software, configuring services, etc. Playbooks can define multiple plays that target different sets of hosts.
The inventory is a file or dynamic source that lists all the managed nodes (or hosts) that Ansible interacts with. It can be a simple INI file (/etc/ansible/hosts), a YAML file, or dynamically generated from cloud providers, databases, or external systems. The inventory organizes hosts into groups for easier management.
Ansible modules are reusable, standalone scripts that Ansible executes on the managed nodes. Modules perform tasks such as installing software, managing services, and handling files. Ansible ships with over 3,000+ built-in modules covering infrastructure, applications, cloud providers, and network devices. Modules are idempotent, meaning they are designed to make only necessary changes, keeping the system in the desired state.
An Ansible Role is a way to organize Playbooks and other files, making it easier to reuse and share configurations. Roles allow you to group tasks, variables, files, templates, and handlers into a standardized directory structure. Roles promote reusability and maintainability of Ansible content.
Ansible Galaxy is a hub for finding, downloading, and sharing community-developed Ansible roles, collections, and plugins. Users can share, download, and reuse roles for different tasks. It helps speed up automation by allowing you to import pre-built roles for common tasks. Collections are a distribution format that packages roles, modules, plugins, and documentation together.
Ansible uses SSH for secure communications by default. For additional security:
AllowUsers or AllowGroups directives.ansible-vault to encrypt sensitive data, such as passwords and private keys, in Playbooks.become and related parameters.Ansible Vault is a feature that allows you to securely encrypt sensitive data, such as passwords, API keys, and other credentials, in your Playbooks or variable files. Encrypted data can only be decrypted using a password or vault key, ensuring that secrets are protected. Vault supports multiple encryption IDs for different environments (dev, staging, production).
You can run an Ansible Playbook using the command:
ansible-playbook <playbook.yml>
Additional options such as inventory selection, variable overriding, and verbosity can be specified through the command-line arguments:
ansible-playbook -i inventory.yml -e variable=value -v playbook.yml
ansible and ansible-playbook commands?ansible: Used for running ad-hoc commands on managed nodes for quick tasks.ansible-playbook: Used for running Playbooks, which consist of multiple tasks organized in a YAML file for complex automation.Ad-hoc commands are one-off Ansible commands that do not require Playbooks. They are typically used for quick tasks like checking system uptime, restarting services, or copying files. Example:
ansible all -m ping
ansible webservers -a "/bin/echo hello"
Yes, Ansible can automate network devices (like routers, switches) from vendors such as Cisco, Arista, Juniper, Palo Alto, etc. Ansible includes specialized network modules for various platforms and supports network automation patterns including configuration management, compliance checking, and network provisioning.
Ansible Facts are system information gathered from the managed nodes at the start of a Playbook run. These facts provide data about the node’s operating system, network settings, hardware information, etc., and can be used in Playbooks for dynamic configuration. Facts can be cached and customized with fact plugins.
Collections are a distribution format that packages Ansible content, including roles, modules, plugins, and documentation, into a single unit. Collections allow for better organization, distribution, and versioning of Ansible content. They can be installed from Ansible Galaxy or custom repositories.
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform is the enterprise version of Ansible that includes additional features like Tower (now called Automation Controller), Automation Hub, and extended support. It provides a web-based user interface, job scheduling, team-based collaboration, and integration with enterprise systems.
To upgrade Ansible to the latest version:
# Using pip
pip install --upgrade ansible
# Using package manager on Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt update && sudo apt install ansible
# Using package manager on RHEL/CentOS
sudo yum update ansible
As of Ansible-core 2.20:
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