Est. Reading Time: 15 Mins Prereq: Terraform Basics
Architectural Track // Modern Infra 03

Ansible Automation

Tagline: Configuration as Code Logic.

Strategic engineering for “Day 2” operations. Focus: YAML-based playbooks, agentless idempotency, and enterprise-grade server hardening.

Declarative State

Level 100: Ansible Core

  • Inventory Logic: Managing static and dynamic host lists.
  • YAML Playbooks: Defining the desired state of the OS.
  • Modules: Utilizing pre-built units of work for Linux and Windows.

Architect’s Verdict: Ansible is the universal remote for the data center. If it has an IP, Ansible can manage it.

Consistency

Level 200: Deterministic Ops

  • Idempotency: Ensuring tasks only run if a change is needed.
  • Role Logic: Organizing automation for reuse across the org.
  • Server Hardening: Standardizing security baselines across the fleet.

Architect’s Verdict: Configuration drift is the enemy of stability. Ansible ensures every node is a twin of the last.

Governance

Level 300: Ansible Tower

  • AWX / Tower: Centralizing execution and visual reporting.
  • RBAC: Controlling who can run which automation.
  • API Orchestration: Triggering automation from external CI/CD tools.

Architect’s Verdict: Automation at scale requires governance. Tower turns individual scripts into an enterprise service.