Julian Markwort: Use Ansible to herd your Elephants! (PGConf.EU 2023)

Discover the power of Ansible in automating complex tasks and managing heterogeneous systems at this talk, covering its configuration, features, and community-driven approach.

Key takeaways
  • Use Ansible to run ad-hoc tasks and automate repetitive tasks.
  • YAML is used for configuration and formatting, with specific rules to avoid errors.
  • Ansible supports multiple inventories, which can be customized with variable files and encrypted with Ansible Vault.
  • Playbooks can be used to manage complex tasks, such as setting up PostgreSQL databases.
  • Ansible supports fact-gathering, which can be used to collect information about the target machine.
  • Ansible has a built-in templating engine, called Ginger, which can be used to generate text.
  • Playbooks can be reused by reusing variables and tasks.
  • Ansible has a large community and a strong focus on security and scalability.
  • Ansible can be used to manage heterogeneous systems, such as different operating systems and versions.
  • Ansible can be used to automate tasks, such as database management, network configuration, and security.
  • Ansible supports parallel execution of tasks, which can speed up deployment.
  • Ansible has a built-in module for PostgreSQL, which can be used to manage database settings.
  • Ansible can be used to create custom modules and roles, which can be shared with others.
  • Ansible has a graphical interface, AWX, which can be used to manage playbooks and inventory.
  • Ansible supports version control, which can be used to track changes to playbooks and inventory.
  • Ansible has a strong focus on collaboration and community, with many developers contributing to the project.