The Basics of Ansible Playbooks
Ansible is an automation tool that helps you manage servers without having to configure each one manually. Instead of logging into every server and typing commands, you write instructions in a file, and Ansible takes care of running them on the target machines. These instruction files are called playbooks.
Playbooks are written in YAML, which is a simple, human-readable format. They describe what should be done, step by step, in a structured way.
What an Ansible Playbook
An Ansible playbook is essentially a YAML file that defines the automation process. It tells Ansible which hosts to connect to, what tasks to perform, and in what order. Playbooks are the core of how Ansible works, because they contain all the instructions needed to configure a system or deploy an application.
A playbook usually includes:
In other words, playbooks bring together hosts, tasks, and modules into one structured file to describe a complete automation workflow.
Example Playbook
Let's look at a very simple example. Imagine you want to create a file on a server and run a handler if something changes. Your playbook might look like this:
example
The playbook runs on the server defined by hosts: myserver. Inside the tasks block, the copy module creates a file /tmp/hello.txt with the text "Hello, Ansible!" and notifies a handler if the file is created or changed.
The handlers block contains the Print a message handler, which uses the debug module to show a message. Handlers only run when a task triggers them, which is useful for actions like restarting services or sending notifications after updates.
So, with just a few lines of YAML, you've automated the process of creating a file on a server and triggering a handler when it changes.
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Ansible is an automation tool that helps you manage servers without having to configure each one manually. Instead of logging into every server and typing commands, you write instructions in a file, and Ansible takes care of running them on the target machines. These instruction files are called playbooks.
Playbooks are written in YAML, which is a simple, human-readable format. They describe what should be done, step by step, in a structured way.
What an Ansible Playbook
An Ansible playbook is essentially a YAML file that defines the automation process. It tells Ansible which hosts to connect to, what tasks to perform, and in what order. Playbooks are the core of how Ansible works, because they contain all the instructions needed to configure a system or deploy an application.
A playbook usually includes:
In other words, playbooks bring together hosts, tasks, and modules into one structured file to describe a complete automation workflow.
Example Playbook
Let's look at a very simple example. Imagine you want to create a file on a server and run a handler if something changes. Your playbook might look like this:
example
The playbook runs on the server defined by hosts: myserver. Inside the tasks block, the copy module creates a file /tmp/hello.txt with the text "Hello, Ansible!" and notifies a handler if the file is created or changed.
The handlers block contains the Print a message handler, which uses the debug module to show a message. Handlers only run when a task triggers them, which is useful for actions like restarting services or sending notifications after updates.
So, with just a few lines of YAML, you've automated the process of creating a file on a server and triggering a handler when it changes.
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