Features And Architecture of Ansible

Introduction

 

Ansible is a powerful, open-source automation tool developed by Ansible Inc. with the aim to revolutionize IT tasks like configuration management, intra-service orchestration, application deployment, and provisioning. Ansible was first released in 2012 and is compatible with Operating Systems like Windows, Linux, Unix-like, and MacOS. This platform aims to simplify complex tasks, make the developers’ jobs more manageable, and enable them to focus on other valuable tasks. Ansible is a free automation tool and is extremely easy to learn and use. This platform is powerful, agentless, flexible, and highly efficient. Various benefits have made Ansible one of the most popular automation tools in the IT industry. Many companies today hire Ansible professionals, which has led to a rise in the demand for Ansible experts. Therefore, many training institutes offer the Ansible Online Course to help aspiring professionals learn more about this platform and build a secure career in this field.

This web blog explains the different features and the architecture of the Ansible automation platform. Read on to know more.

 

Features Of Ansible

 

Ansible is a robust automation tool with several unique features to facilitate business automation functions. Some major Ansible features include Configuration Management, Application Deployment, Orchestration, Security and Compliance, and Cloud Provisioning. Let us look at these features in detail.

• Configuration Management: Ansible is an effective platform for Configuration Management. The Ansible configurations are simple data descriptions of infrastructure.
• Application Deployment: The Ansible automation tool allows users to deploy various multitier applications quickly and easily.
• Orchestration: Ansible supports effective and easy Orchestration with the help of automated workflows, provisioning, etc.
• Security And Compliance: The Ansible automation tool has excellent security and compliance features to ensure maximum data privacy.
• Cloud Provisioning: Ansible makes Cloud Provisioning easier for users. This platform allows one to provision cloud platforms, network devices, virtualized hosts, etc.

 

Ansible Architecture

 

The Ansible automation tool has a comprehensive architecture that comprises Modules, Plugins, Inventories, Playbooks, and APIs. Let us look at these components in detail.

1. Modules

The Ansible automation tool offers over 450 modules to complete everyday tasks. These modules control tasks such as services, files, packages, etc. The Ansible platform executes all the modules to install updates or for other tasks and then removes them when the task is completed.

2. Plugins

Plugins refer to extra pieces of code that augment the functionalities. The Ansible automation tool comes with several plugins and allows the users to write their own plugins as well. Some common Ansible plugins include Action, Cache, and Callback plugins.

3. Inventories

The machines used with the Ansible platform are listed in a single file, along with their IP addresses, servers, databases, and other relevant information. Thus, one can register the inventories and assign the variables to any hosts using only the text file.

4. Playbooks

Ansible comes with Playbooks, which are like instruction manuals for tasks and are simple files written in YAML. These components are the heart of the Ansible automation tool and are responsible for describing the tasks to be done quickly, without the need for the user to know any syntax.

5. APIs

The Ansible automation tool uses several APIs or Application Programming Interfaces to extend connection types, Callbacks, etc.

 

Conclusion

 

To summarise, Ansible is an open-source automation tool that simplifies complex tasks, makes the developers’ jobs more manageable, and enables them to focus on other valuable tasks. This free automation tool is extremely easy to learn and use and is compatible with Operating Systems like Windows, Linux, Unix-like, and MacOS. Ansible has a comprehensive architecture that comprises Modules, Plugins, Inventories, Playbooks, and APIs. It is a widely used automation tool and has generated a huge demand for Ansible professionals in the IT industry. Therefore, aspiring professionals must consider joining the Ansible Training in Delhi to learn more about this platform and become Ansible experts. The key features of Ansible include Configuration Management, Application Deployment, Orchestration, Security and Compliance, and Cloud Provisioning.