Ansible Skill Overview
Welcome to the Ansible Skill page. You can use this skill
template as is or customize it to fit your needs and environment.
- Category: Technical > Infrastructure as code (IaC)
Description
Ansible is an open-source automation tool used to automate software provisioning, configuration management, and application deployment. It uses a simple language (YAML) that allows you to describe your automation jobs in a way that approaches plain English. Ansible works by connecting to your nodes and pushing out small programs called 'Ansible modules' to them. These programs are written to be resource models of the desired state of the system. Ansible then executes these modules over SSH and removes them when finished. The managing machine where Ansible is installed controls the orchestration of tasks on the nodes.
Expected Behaviors
Micro Skills
Knowledge of configuration management concepts
Awareness of the benefits of automation
Understanding of how Ansible fits into DevOps practices
Understanding of terms such as 'playbook', 'inventory', 'module', 'role'
Awareness of the difference between 'task' and 'play'
Understanding of YAML syntax
Knowledge of the basic structure of a playbook (plays, tasks)
Awareness of how to define hosts and variables in a playbook
Understanding of system requirements for Ansible
Ability to install Ansible on different operating systems
Awareness of how to verify Ansible installation
Knowledge of basic YAML data types
Ability to write YAML files
Understanding of the command module
Understanding of the shell module
Understanding of the copy module
Understanding of the file module
Understanding of task structure
Ability to order tasks
Knowledge of playbook sections
Ability to write a playbook
Understanding and usage of loops and conditionals in Ansible
Usage of advanced playbook features like tags and handlers
Ability to manage errors and exceptions in playbooks
Understanding and usage of playbook roles
Understanding and usage of system modules
Understanding and usage of command and shell modules
Understanding and usage of file modules
Understanding and usage of database modules
Knowledge of role directory structure
Ability to create reusable roles
Understanding and usage of role dependencies
Ability to distribute roles via Ansible Galaxy
Understanding of common error messages
Ability to debug playbooks using ansible-playbook --check and --diff
Usage of ignore_errors and failed_when playbook attributes
Understanding and usage of block/rescue/always structure for error handling
Understanding of Ansible Vault
Ability to encrypt sensitive data using vault
Usage of vault IDs
Ability to integrate vault with playbooks and roles
Understanding of static vs dynamic inventories
Usage of inventory scripts
Understanding and usage of constructed and advanced inventory features
Ability to integrate dynamic inventories with cloud providers
Understanding of Ansible's execution flow
Knowledge of strategies for playbook optimization
Ability to use profiling to identify performance bottlenecks
Understanding of how to manage and tune Ansible facts gathering
Understanding of the purpose and usage of tags
Ability to create and use handlers
Knowledge of conditional execution in playbooks
Understanding of how to use loops and iterators in tasks
Understanding of how to use Ansible with Jenkins for continuous integration/continuous deployment
Ability to create Docker containers using Ansible
Knowledge of how to integrate Ansible with cloud platforms like AWS or Azure
Understanding of how to use Ansible with version control systems like Git
Understanding of Ansible's error messages and logs
Ability to use verbose mode for troubleshooting
Knowledge of common issues and their solutions
Understanding of how to debug Ansible playbooks and roles
Understanding of the benefits and features of Ansible Tower/AWX
Ability to install and configure Ansible Tower/AWX
Knowledge of how to use the Ansible Tower API
Understanding of how to manage and monitor jobs with Ansible Tower/AWX
Understanding of Ansible's architecture
Knowledge of how Ansible executes tasks
Understanding of Ansible's event-driven model
Familiarity with Ansible's source code
Understanding of Ansible's plugin system
Ability to write custom Ansible plugins
Knowledge of how to use callbacks to hook into Ansible events
Ability to write custom callback plugins
Experience with using Ansible in large production environments
Ability to design and implement scalable Ansible architectures
Knowledge of performance tuning for large Ansible deployments
Experience with complex playbook and role organization strategies
Familiarity with the Ansible community and contribution guidelines
Experience with Git and GitHub
Ability to write clean, maintainable Python code
Understanding of testing and continuous integration practices in Ansible development
Understanding of security best practices for Ansible
Knowledge of how to use Ansible Vault effectively
Experience with securing Ansible Tower/AWX
Understanding of network security considerations in Ansible deployments
Tech Experts
StackFactor Team
We pride ourselves on utilizing a team of seasoned experts who diligently curate roles, skills, and learning paths by harnessing the power of artificial intelligence and conducting extensive research. Our cutting-edge approach ensures that we not only identify the most relevant opportunities for growth and development but also tailor them to the unique needs and aspirations of each individual. This synergy between human expertise and advanced technology allows us to deliver an exceptional, personalized experience that empowers everybody to thrive in their professional journeys.