# Ansible
Confidence: high
Last verified: 2026-05-22
Generation: human_only


## TL;DR

Ansible (Michael DeHaan, 2012, acquired by Red Hat 2015) is an agentless IT automation tool for configuration management, deployment, and orchestration. Uses YAML playbooks and SSH — no agent to install on target machines. Idempotent: running same playbook multiple times produces same result.

## Core Explanation

Playbook: YAML file defining hosts + tasks. Modules: `apt`, `yum`, `copy`, `template`, `service`, `docker_container`. Inventory: defines target hosts (static file or dynamic from cloud). Roles: reusable, organized playbook components. `ansible-vault` encrypts sensitive data. Tower/AWX: web UI + REST API. Galaxy: community role library.

## Further Reading

- [Ansible Documentation](https://docs.ansible.com/)