Ansible Architecture
Ansible is an open-source configuration management tool owned by RedHat.?Ansible?can configure any resource on a server through its idempotent playbooks and even run ad-hoc scripts. Ansible takes complex or cumbersome manual tasks and orchestrates them by automating the process. Tasks done wrong are typically repetitive in nature. Why? Because our brains get used to the process, get bored, and start making mistakes. Creating automation solutions using a programmable tool like Ansible takes away repetitive manual tasks. The manual task becomes code that is stored in source control, so others can review the work that will be done as well. Many configuration management tools exist from Chef, Puppet, Salt, CFEngine, and so on. What makes Ansible so different? The answer is simplicity. Tools like Chef and Puppet use actual programming languages to write automation instructions like Ruby. Ansible, on the other hand, doesn’t use a programming language but a much simpler markup language called YAML. YAML is known for its simplicity and human-readable language style. Even if you’ve never seen YAML before, IT pros and DevOps personnel can pick up quickly on what’s going on in the “code.”?
People typically think of configuration management in terms of moving files around, installing software, or maybe creating a database. But Ansible can do so much more.
In this blog, you’re going to learn about the Architecture of Ansible:
What is Ansible?
Ansible was written by Michael DeHaan and developed by the Ansible Community, Ansible Inc., and Red Hat Inc. According to the Red Hat whitepaper “Ansible in Depth”, the design goals for Ansible were:
Since Ansible does not require you to install software on the network device, you can easily scale your network up or down. Ansible also offers a full range of integration options, allowing you to control your devices from other systems like Git or your email. With Ansible, you can setup a basic configuration, such as a hostname or IP address, and then setup your devices with a few commands. Ansible uses SSH to connect to the devices and run commands on the command line. This allows you to setup your network devices easily with a few commands and no agent installation required, reducing the maintenance of your network and improving your network consistency and standardization.
Red Hat Ansible Engine is an enterprise-class, open source software application for configuration management, commonly known as CM. It is widely used in the financial services, telecommunications, and government sectors. Red Hat Ansible Engine offers a central management console for inventory, roles and plays, reports, dashboards, and alerts. Red Hat Ansible Engine is a cloud-based application that can be deployed on-premises as well.
Why Use Ansible?
Ansible can be used for a variety of purposes, but it’s most commonly used to automate the deployment and configuration of systems such as servers, virtual machines, and applications. It can be used to perform tasks such as installing software packages, configuring networking settings, and updating system configurations. It can also be used to test the deployment process and ensure that everything is working correctly before rolling out an actual production environment. A lot of companies use Ansible for their infrastructure deployments because it’s easy to set up and easy to scale as needed. It’s also easy to use when you need to make changes across multiple environments or when you have multiple teams involved in the process. You can use Ansible for small tasks like adding new servers or updating existing ones, or for larger ones like creating a new version of an application. The possibilities are endless when it comes to what you can do with Ansible!
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Ansible Architecture
The Ansible architecture is simple to grasp:
From the diagram above, we understand that visibility comes into play:
Advantages of Ansible Architecture
The following list includes advantages.
Conclusion
?Ansible is a powerful, secure and flexible open source IT automation and configuration management tool. It can manage a wide variety of IT systems such as servers, desktops, networking devices and databases. Ansible’s flexibility and scalability are key features that make it an excellent solution for an environment of dynamically developing applications. In this article, you learned about how Ansible can be used as a central controller to manage IT systems. You also learned about the various components of Ansible, including playbooks, modules, facts, templates and roles. Additionally, you learned about the Ansible architecture including the YAML, or You Ain’t Missing Much, file-based structure for managing IT with Ansible.