1. What is Ansible?
Ans:- Ansible is an open-source automation tool used for configuration management, application deployment, task automation, and orchestration.
2. How does Ansible differ from other configuration management tools?
Ans:- Ansible is agentless, uses simple YAML-based syntax, and does not require a master-server architecture, making it easy to set up and use.
3. What is YAML?
Ans:- YAML (YAML Ain’t Markup Language) is a human-readable data serialization format used in Ansible to define playbooks and configuration files.
4. What are Ansible playbooks?
Ans:- Ansible playbooks are YAML files that define a set of tasks to be executed on remote hosts. Playbooks describe automation jobs, including the steps and conditions.
5. How does Ansible communicate with remote servers?
Ans:- Ansible communicates with remote servers using SSH (Secure Shell) by default, making it secure and agentless.
6. What are Ansible roles?
Ans:- Ansible roles are a way to organize and structure playbooks. They contain tasks, variables, and handlers, allowing for reusable and modular automation.
7. How can you install Ansible?
Ans:- Ansible can be installed on a control node using package managers like apt, yum, or pip, depending on the operating system.
8. What is an Ansible inventory?
Ans:- An Ansible inventory is a file that lists the hosts and groups of hosts on which Ansible automation will be executed. It can be static or dynamically generated.
9. How does Ansible handle variables?
Ans:- Ansible uses variables to store values dynamically. Variables can be defined in playbooks, inventory files, or separate variable files.
10. Explain Ansible modules.
Ans:- Ansible modules are reusable, standalone scripts that perform specific tasks on managed nodes. Modules are executed in a playbook to achieve automation.
11. What is the difference between Ansible tasks and roles?
Ans:- Ansible tasks are individual units of work in playbooks, while roles are a way to organize related tasks into a reusable structure.
12. How can you run an Ansible playbook?
Ans:- You can run an Ansible playbook using the ansible-playbook command followed by the playbook filename.
13. What is idempotence in Ansible?
Ans:- Idempotence in Ansible means that running the same playbook multiple times produces the same result. Ansible ensures that tasks are only applied if necessary.
14. Explain Ansible facts.
Ans:- Ansible facts are pieces of system information collected from managed nodes. They can be used in playbooks to make decisions based on the target system’s characteristics.
15. How does Ansible handle error handling in playbooks?
Ans:- Ansible playbooks include error handling through tasks, where you can define blocks for rescue and always to handle different scenarios.
16. What is the Ansible Galaxy?
Ans:- Ansible Galaxy is a platform for finding, sharing, and reusing Ansible roles. It provides a collection of community-contributed roles that can be easily integrated into playbooks.
17. How can you encrypt sensitive data in Ansible playbooks?
Ans:- Ansible Vault allows you to encrypt sensitive data in playbooks, ensuring secure storage of passwords and other confidential information.
18. What is Ansible Tower?
Ans:- Ansible Tower is a web-based graphical user interface for managing Ansible automation. It provides a centralized platform for orchestration, role-based access control, and job scheduling.
19. What is the purpose of the Ansible callback plugin?
Ans:- Ansible callback plugins provide a way to customize the output and behavior of Ansible, allowing users to define their own notification systems.
20. How does Ansible support dynamic inventories?
Ans:- Ansible supports dynamic inventories, where external scripts or programs can be used to generate inventory dynamically based on the current infrastructure state.
21. What is the difference between a task and a role in Ansible?
Ans:- A task is a single unit of work, while a role is a collection of tasks, variables, and handlers organized in a specific directory structure for reusability.
22. How does Ansible support conditional execution of tasks?
Ans:- Ansible allows conditional execution of tasks using conditions based on facts, variables, or other criteria. This enables more flexible automation based on specific conditions.
23. What is the purpose of Ansible Tower Survey?
Ans:- Ansible Tower Surveys allow users to prompt for additional input before running a playbook, making automation more interactive and customizable.
24. How does Ansible handle secret management?
Ans:- Ansible Vault is used for secret management in Ansible, allowing the encryption of sensitive data such as passwords, API keys, and other confidential information.
25. What is the Ansible configuration file, and where is it located?
Ans:- The Ansible configuration file, ansible.cfg, is used to configure settings for Ansible. It can be located in the current working directory, /etc/ansible, or ~/.ansible.cfg.
26. Explain the Ansible ad-hoc command.
Ans:- Ansible ad-hoc commands allow users to run single tasks on the command line without creating a playbook. They are useful for quick tasks and one-time operations.
27. How does Ansible handle dependencies between tasks?
Ans:- Ansible allows you to define task dependencies using the depends_on attribute, ensuring that tasks are executed in the desired order.
28. What is the purpose of Ansible facts caching?
Ans:- Ansible facts caching allows you to store and reuse facts from managed nodes, reducing the need for frequent fact gathering and improving performance.
29. How can you integrate Ansible with version control systems?
Ans:- Ansible playbooks and roles can be stored in version control systems like Git, providing versioning, collaboration, and history tracking for infrastructure code.
30. What is the purpose of the Ansible delegate_to directive?
Ans:- The delegate_to directive in Ansible allows you to execute a task on a different host than the one specified in the play or the inventory.
31. How does Ansible support role-based access control (RBAC)?
Ans:- Ansible Tower provides role-based access control, allowing administrators to define and assign roles with specific permissions to users or teams.
32. What is the purpose of the Ansible loop construct?
Ans:- The loop construct in Ansible allows you to iterate over a list of items, executing a task or set of tasks for each item in the list.
33. How can you handle sensitive data in Ansible Tower job templates?
Ans:- Sensitive data in Ansible Tower job templates can be handled by marking variables as “Prompt on Launch” or using Ansible Vault to encrypt sensitive information.
34. What is the difference between Ansible and Ansible Tower?
Ans:- Ansible is the open-source automation engine, while Ansible Tower is the commercial offering with additional features like a web-based interface, role-based access control, and job scheduling.
35. How does Ansible support Docker container orchestration?
Ans:- Ansible has modules for Docker and Kubernetes, allowing users to automate tasks related to container orchestration and management.
36. What is the purpose of the Ansible when condition?
Ans:- The when condition in Ansible allows you to execute a task based on a specified condition. It enables conditional execution of tasks within a playbook.
37. How does Ansible support rolling updates?
Ans:- Ansible can perform rolling updates by defining strategies like “serial” to limit the number of hosts updated simultaneously, minimizing downtime.
38. What is the Ansible callback mechanism?
Ans:- The Ansible callback mechanism provides a way to customize the output of Ansible by defining callback plugins. Callbacks are triggered at different stages of playbook execution.
39. How can you handle retries in Ansible playbooks?
Ans:- Ansible allows you to handle retries using the until and retries attributes in a task, specifying conditions and the maximum number of retries.
40. What is the purpose of the Ansible notify directive?
Ans:- The notify directive in Ansible allows you to trigger handlers based on the result of a task. Handlers are special tasks that are only executed if notified.
41. How does Ansible support cloud automation?
Ans:- Ansible provides cloud modules for various cloud providers (AWS, Azure, GCP) to automate the provisioning and management of resources in cloud environments.
42. What is Ansible AWX?
Ans:- Ansible AWX is the upstream open-source project for Ansible Tower. It provides a web-based interface, REST API, and other features for managing Ansible automation.
43. How can Ansible be extended with custom modules?
Ans:- Ansible can be extended with custom modules written in Python. Custom modules allow users to integrate Ansible with specific applications or systems.
44. What is the purpose of the Ansible ignore_errors attribute?
Ans:- The ignore_errors attribute in Ansible allows you to continue playbook execution even if a task fails. It is useful for scenarios where failures should not stop the entire process.
45. How does Ansible support parallel execution of tasks?
Ans:- Ansible supports parallel execution of tasks by using the async attribute. It allows tasks to run asynchronously, and the results can be collected later.
46. What is the Ansible Collections feature?
Ans:- Ansible Collections are a way to package, distribute, and manage Ansible content. They include roles, modules, and plugins, providing a more structured approach to content organization.
47. What is the purpose of the Ansible vars_prompt section in playbooks?
Ans:- The vars_prompt section in Ansible playbooks allows you to interactively prompt users for variable values when running the playbook, enhancing customization.
48. How can you use Ansible for continuous integration (CI) and continuous deployment (CD)?
Ans:- Ansible can be integrated into CI/CD pipelines to automate the testing, deployment, and management of applications and infrastructure throughout the software development lifecycle.
49. What is the Ansible assert module used for?
Ans:- The assert module in Ansible is used to verify if certain conditions are true and raise errors if the conditions are not met. It is helpful for validating assumptions during playbook execution.
50. How does Ansible support Windows automation?
Ans:- Ansible supports Windows automation through WinRM (Windows Remote Management). Ansible can manage Windows hosts by using WinRM as the transport protocol for communication.
