{ "uuid": [ { "value": "82839e74-b53c-4d18-af5d-024d8f09fb3f" } ], "langcode": [ { "value": "en" } ], "type": [ { "target_id": "daily_email", "target_type": "node_type", "target_uuid": "8bde1f2f-eef9-4f2d-ae9c-96921f8193d7" } ], "revision_timestamp": [ { "value": "2025-05-11T09:00:57+00:00" } ], "revision_uid": [ { "target_type": "user", "target_uuid": "b8966985-d4b2-42a7-a319-2e94ccfbb849" } ], "revision_log": [], "status": [ { "value": true } ], "uid": [ { "target_type": "user", "target_uuid": "b8966985-d4b2-42a7-a319-2e94ccfbb849" } ], "title": [ { "value": "Automating all the things with Ansible" } ], "created": [ { "value": "2022-09-02T00:00:00+00:00" } ], "changed": [ { "value": "2025-05-11T09:00:57+00:00" } ], "promote": [ { "value": false } ], "sticky": [ { "value": false } ], "default_langcode": [ { "value": true } ], "revision_translation_affected": [ { "value": true } ], "path": [ { "alias": "\/daily\/2022\/09\/02\/automating-all-the-things-with-ansible", "langcode": "en" } ], "body": [ { "value": "\n

Ansible is a tool for automating IT tasks. It's one of my preferred tools to use, and one that I've written about and presented talks on<\/a> previously.<\/p>\n\n

It's typically thought of as a tool for managing configuration on servers. For example. you have a new VPS that you want to use as a web server, so it needs Nginx, MySQL, PHP, etc to be installed - or whatever your application uses. You define the desired state and run Ansible, which will perform whatever tasks are needed to get to that state.<\/p>\n\n

Ansible though does include modules for interacting with services like Amazon AWS and DigitalOcean to create the servers and resources, and not just configure them.<\/p>\n\n

It also doesn't just work on servers. I use Ansible to configure my local development environment, to ensure that dependencies and tools are installed, and requirements like my SSH keys and configuration are present and correct.<\/p>\n\n

Lastly, I use Ansible to deploy application code onto servers and automatically run any required steps, ensuring that deployments are simple, robust and repeatable.<\/p>\n\n

In the next few emails, I'll explain how I've been able to utilise Ansible for each of these situations.<\/p>\n\n


\n\n

Want to learn more about how I use Ansible? Register for my upcoming free email course<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n ", "format": "full_html", "processed": "\n

Ansible is a tool for automating IT tasks. It's one of my preferred tools to use, and one that I've written about and presented talks on<\/a> previously.<\/p>\n\n

It's typically thought of as a tool for managing configuration on servers. For example. you have a new VPS that you want to use as a web server, so it needs Nginx, MySQL, PHP, etc to be installed - or whatever your application uses. You define the desired state and run Ansible, which will perform whatever tasks are needed to get to that state.<\/p>\n\n

Ansible though does include modules for interacting with services like Amazon AWS and DigitalOcean to create the servers and resources, and not just configure them.<\/p>\n\n

It also doesn't just work on servers. I use Ansible to configure my local development environment, to ensure that dependencies and tools are installed, and requirements like my SSH keys and configuration are present and correct.<\/p>\n\n

Lastly, I use Ansible to deploy application code onto servers and automatically run any required steps, ensuring that deployments are simple, robust and repeatable.<\/p>\n\n

In the next few emails, I'll explain how I've been able to utilise Ansible for each of these situations.<\/p>\n\n


\n\n

Want to learn more about how I use Ansible? Register for my upcoming free email course<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n ", "summary": null } ] }