Ansible Fundamentals for Reliable Automation

Module 1: How Ansible automates

• Connection model SSH, facts, and idempotence in practice
• Modules vs plugins and when to use command or shell carefully
• Inventory concepts host vars, group vars, patterns
• Project layout for teams

Module 2: Inventories and variables

• INI and YAML inventory formats and grouping
• Host and group variables precedence and best practices
• Facts and set facts for derived values
• Using vars files and environment specific data

Module 3: Playbooks and handlers

• Play and task anatomy name, module, parameters
• Handlers and notifications for safe restarts
• Tags for targeted runs without side effects
• Check mode and diff to preview changes

Module 4: Templates and files

• Jinja2 templates with filters and tests
• File, lineinfile, blockinfile for safe edits
• Templates for service configs with validation
• Managed file layout and ownership patterns

Module 5: Roles for reuse

• Role structure defaults, vars, tasks, handlers, files, templates
• Role parameters and sensible defaults
• Composing roles into simple stacks
• Galaxy and collections overview

Module 6: Control flow and reliability

• Loops with with items and loop for lists and dicts
• Conditionals when, failed when, changed when
• Blocks with rescue and always for error handling
• Idempotence checks and safe command usage

Module 7: Secrets and environments

• Ansible Vault create, view, edit, and rekey
• Splitting code from environment data
• Inventory and var hierarchy for dev, test, prod
• Connection options and privilege escalation

Module 8: Testing and operations basics

• Dry runs, verbosity, and useful output parsing
• Linting and simple task validation
• Ad hoc commands for quick fixes at scale
• Small adoption roadmap and starter templates