Ansible

Ansible is an open-source IT automation tool acquired by Red Hat in 2015, originally created by Michael DeHaan in 2012, that simplifies configuration management, application deployment, and orchestration through agentless architecture using SSH for Linux and WinRM for Windows. The agentless design eliminates the need to install, configure, and maintain agent software on target servers, reducing operational overhead. The YAML-based playbooks define desired system state through tasks calling modules for package installation, file management, service configuration, and cloud API interactions, with idempotent design ensuring convergence to desired state. The inventory system defines managed hosts through static files or dynamic cloud provider queries, with grouping by environment or role. The roles structure enables reusable automation content through standardized directory layouts, shareable through Ansible Galaxy containing thousands of pre-built roles. The Ansible Automation Platform provides enterprise features including role-based access control, job scheduling, and audit trails. Adopted by NASA, Cisco, and Twitter. Designed for system administrators, DevOps engineers, and platform teams.