Ansible, the lazy but pragmatic sysadmin tool

At that time, I was working as a DevOps freelancer when I discovered Ansible, a tool that quickly became a must-have for configuration management, task automation, and multi-machine deployment. In this talk with Kevin for NWX (Normandie Web Xperts), we demonstrated how Ansible helps sysadmins manage their environments with ease and pragmatism. What I liked most about it was how it turns repetitive, time-consuming operations into simple, predictable routines.

How to use it and how does it work

Once installed on a control machine, Ansible connects to remote servers via SSH and executes predefined lists of tasks. The inventory keeps track of all target machines, and each task runs sequentially.

Ansible’s strength lies in its ability to manage states. For instance, if you need to install a package across three servers and two already have it, Ansible will detect that and install it only where needed. It ensures consistency and saves countless hours of manual verification.

It can also apply modules, enforce configurations, and keep your entire infrastructure aligned, whether you’re handling a few servers or a large fleet.

After my short introduction, Kevin detailed how Ansible handles these parameters behind the scenes. Together, we demonstrated how to install Nginx remotely in just a few lines. Watch the video to see how simple automation can make daily sysadmin work smoother, faster, and far less error-prone.