Ansible for the Absolute Beginner – DevOps Automation Tutorial

In this tutorial, I’ll guide you through Ansible for the absolute beginner, based on my own learning path, mistakes, and eventually, real-world automation wins. This isn’t a copy-paste guide. It’s a practical, step-by-step walkthrough meant to help you use Ansible in your DevOps workflow, with clarity and confidence.

Why Ansible? Why Now?

As infrastructure grows more complex, configuration management tools are essential. Among them, Ansible stands out for its simplicity and power, especially for beginners.

No agent installation needed

Written in human-readable YAML

Works over SSH

Scales from one server to thousands

Whether you’re managing a home lab or deploying a production cluster, Ansible saves time and prevents human error. And it plays nicely with tools like Git, Jenkins, and Docker.

Who This Is For

This tutorial is built for:

Absolute beginners with zero Ansible experience

DevOps learners are trying to automate tasks

Sysadmins are tired of repetitive setups

Developers curious about infrastructure-as-code

No fancy lab setup needed — just your laptop, a few VMs or cloud servers, and some curiosity.

My Journey: Learning the Hard Way

I started noticing something while browsing freelancing platforms — more and more clients were asking for automation, infrastructure management, and configuration tools. And one name kept popping up: Ansible. Back then, I had no hands-on experience with it. But I knew if I wanted to stay relevant and land better projects, I had to learn. So I dived into it on my own, starting from scratch — reading docs, watching tutorials, and following scattered examples.

Eventually, I earned my Ansible certification, but that wasn’t the hardest part.

When I first touched Ansible, I underestimated it. I thought, “How hard can writing a YAML file be?”
But it wasn’t about syntax — it was about thinking in automation. That mindset shift took time.

I broke things. Rebuilt them. Broke them again. But that trial-and-error process is exactly what helped me learn it for real.

Here you’ll find no theory dumps — just hands-on examples, I will try to provide real automation patterns, and lessons I wish someone had handed me earlier. Everything here is tested, applied, and proven in real freelance and DevOps environments.

Coming Soon!

The Ansible course is in progress. Right now, you’ll see only the table of contents with some hyperlink urls , but I’ll be adding full tutorials and step-by-step guides shortly. Stay tuned for updates!

Introduction to Ansible and DevOps

What is Ansible, and why use it in DevOps?
Benefits of Ansible for SysAdmins, Developers, and DevOps Engineers
How Ansible fits into CI/CD and Infrastructure as Code

Environment Setup

Installing Ansible on Ubuntu
Installing Ansible on CentOS / RHEL like OS
Install Ansible Navigator Tool
Setting up a test lab with VMs or cloud instances
SSH setup for remote node access

Ansible Basics

Understanding inventory files
YAML basics (used in playbooks)
The Ansible command-line structure

First Hands-on Playbook

Writing your first Ansible playbook
Using ad-hoc commands
Testing with the ping module
Running a playbook against localhost or a remote server

Modules, Variables, and Facts

Commonly used Ansible modules (copy, command, service, user, etc.)
Gathering system facts
Using variables in playbooks

Conditionals, Loops, and Handlers

When conditions and looping over lists
Handlers and the notification mechanism
Creating idempotent playbooks

Roles and Reusability

Folder structure of roles
Creating and using roles
Best practices for role development

Ansible Vault and Security

Encrypting secrets using ansible-vault
Managing credentials securely

Real-World Use Cases

Automating NGINX/Apache deployment
Managing users and SSH keys
Applying security hardening on Linux servers

Common Errors and Troubleshooting

SSH connection issues
Inventory syntax problems
Module not found / Playbook fails

Advanced Concepts (Optional for Beginners)

Dynamic inventory
Ansible Tower / AWX
Integration with Jenkins or CI tools

Bonus: Interview Questions or Certification Tips

Beginner-friendly DevOps/Ansible questions
Career insights and learning path

Downloadable Resources / GitHub Link

Sample playbooks
Inventory templates
Cheatsheets

Want to go further with Ansible?
Below are some of the top-rated Ansible courses on Udemy, handpicked for their quality, reviews, and real-world teaching. These video tutorials are great if you prefer structured, step-by-step learning with practical examples. These are affiliate links, which meansI may earn a small commission if you choose to enroll in a course through my links — at no extra cost to you. These small earnings help me invest more time into creating quality content and support the continued growth and sustainability of this blog. I only recommend courses that I believe are valuable for learners.