Hands-On Introduction to Config Management with Ansible

Name: Hands-On Introduction to Config Management with Ansible
Rating: 5.0 (9 reviews)

Guide to automating infrastructure with Ansible using playbooks, roles, and SSH

Created byLukasz Kallas

Last updated 5/2026

English

English [Auto],

What you'll learn

Understand what Ansible is and when to use configuration management tools
Create and manage inventory files for your infrastructure
Write Ansible playbooks to automate tasks
Use variables, templates, and handlers in playbooks

Course content

3 sections • 17 lectures • 4h 11m total length

Welcome!3:06
Master hands-on configuration management with Ansible, automating package installs, server setup, and service management over ssh. Write playbooks using variables, templates, handlers, roles, and Galaxy to scale automation across servers.
Join Our Community0:04
What is Ansible & Why to Use it9:11
Learn how Ansible, an agentless open source automation tool, uses YAML playbooks to implement configuration management, application deployment, and task automation across servers.
Setup13:08
Set up a working Ansible environment by provisioning a control node and two managed nodes, install Ansible on Ubuntu, configure passwordless SSH, and verify connectivity via an ad hoc ping.

Inventory12:58
Learn to define and test Ansible inventories, including ini and yaml formats, group hosts into web servers and databases, use ansible_host aliases, and verify SSH connectivity via ad hoc commands.
Playbook24:07
Write your first Ansible playbook in yaml to install nginx on web servers, using an inventory and apt and service modules with become privileges, then verify.
Config Changes19:54
Handlers12:52
Learn to use Ansible handlers to reload nginx only when configuration changes. Notify handlers from template and file tasks, ensuring a single reload at the end of the play.
Variables20:27
Explore defining and reusing Ansible variables across environments with external var files, group_vars, host_vars, and extra vars, plus templating and facts-driven per-host settings.
Conditionals21:31
Learn to use Ansible conditionals with the when keyword to run tasks on Debian/Ubuntu or Red Hat, based on defined variables or environment conditions.
Loops24:41
Learn to use Ansible loops to run tasks multiple times, such as creating users and installing packages. Loop over dictionaries, reference item fields, and register results.
Error Handling25:11
Roles18:41
Learn how roles bundle tasks, templates, handlers, vars, and defaults into reusable units, and structure them with meta and dependencies for reuse across projects via Ansible Galaxy.
Ansible Galaxy19:24
Discover how Ansible Galaxy acts as a community-driven package repository for roles, letting you reuse existing tasks like docker setup, install roles via ansible-galaxy, and save time.
Good Practices20:18
Structure a clean Ansible project with production and staging inventories, environment-specific group and host vars, and a modular site.yaml, using vault for secrets and --check for dry runs.

Requirements

Basic understanding of Linux command line and terminal usage
Familiarity with SSH and connecting to remote servers
Basic understanding of YAML syntax is helpful but not required
No prior experience with Ansible or automation tools required

Description

This hands-on course provides a practical introduction to configuration management and automation using Ansible, one of the most popular tools in the DevOps ecosystem.

If you’ve ever wanted to automate repetitive server tasks, keep your infrastructure consistent, or manage multiple machines without complex scripts or agents, this course is for you.

We focus on learning by doing. There are no theory-heavy slides. Instead, we will start working with Ansible from the very beginning, installing it, connecting to managed nodes, and automating real-world tasks.

You’ll begin by understanding what Ansible is, how it works, and why it’s widely used for configuration management and automation. Then we’ll set up a working environment with a control node and managed nodes, using SSH to execute tasks remotely.

From there, we start writing playbooks to automate common operations such as installing packages, managing files, and configuring services.

As the course progresses, you’ll explore more advanced and practical features, including:

Inventory management for multiple environments
Variables for flexible and reusable playbooks
Templates for dynamic configuration files
Handlers for controlled service restarts
Roles for organizing automation code
Working with facts and system information
Using Ansible Galaxy to leverage community roles

Everything is based on cases that you can encounter in everyday work, helping you build skills that translate directly into production environments.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to automate infrastructure tasks confidently, structure your Ansible projects properly, and apply best practices that scale from small setups to larger systems.

This course is a great fit if you are:

A developer working with servers or deployments
A system administrator managing multiple machines
A DevOps engineer automating infrastructure
Anyone looking to reduce manual work and improve reliability

Basic familiarity with Linux command line and SSH is helpful.

If you want a clear, beginner-friendly, and hands-on introduction to automation with Ansible, this course is for you.

Who this course is for:

Developers, system administrators, DevOps engineers, and IT professionals who want to learn configuration management and automation with Ansible
Perfect for beginners with basic Linux knowledge who want practical, hands-on experience automating infrastructure tasks

Hands-On Introduction to Config Management with Ansible

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Welcome & Setup4 lectures • 25min

Ansible Basics11 lectures • 3hr 40min

Ending2 lectures • 6min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: