Ansible Core

Overview

Ansible Core is the essential foundation of the Ansible automation platform, serving as the community-driven engine that powers automation tasks. It includes the core runtime environment, the declarative YAML-based language for defining automation workflows, a suite of built-in modules and plugins, and command-line tools like ansible-playbook and ansible-doc. Ansible Core provides a framework for extending functionality through Ansible collections, enabling users to build and share reusable automation content.

As an open-source project, Ansible Core emphasizes simplicity, flexibility, and ease of use, making it ideal for tasks such as configuration management, application deployment, and orchestration. It forms the basis for more advanced offerings like the Ansible Automation Platform (AAP), but stands alone as a powerful tool for individual and team-based automation.

Starting to use Ansible is easy because it can be installed with a single command: pip install ansible. This straightforward installation allows users to quickly begin automating without complex setup.

How It Works

Ansible Core operates on a push-based model, where automation is driven from a control node (typically your local machine or a central server) to managed nodes over SSH or other connection methods. It uses playbooks written in YAML to define the desired state of systems, ensuring idempotent operations that apply changes only when necessary.

The core runtime interprets these playbooks, executing tasks sequentially or in parallel across hosts defined in an inventory. Built-in modules handle common operations, while the collection framework allows integration of community or custom extensions. Command-line tools provide interfaces for running ad-hoc commands, managing inventories, and documenting available modules.

In the context of the C2 Platform, Ansible Core is often used in development environments for testing and prototyping Ansible content, aligning with the open, unless principle to promote reusable and collaborative automation.

Relevance for Dutch Government

For Dutch government organizations, Ansible Core remains highly relevant even when organizations primarily use the Ansible Automation Platform (AAP). While AAP provides enterprise-level features for scaling automation, Ansible Core underpins key aspects of development and execution.

Ansible Core is essential in the Ansible development environment, where Ansible engineers can test and prototype Ansible content locally without relying on AAP infrastructure. This aligns with the open, unless principle, fostering collaboration and reuse in open-source workflows.

Additionally, Ansible Core is integral to AAP through Ansible execution environments. These containerized environments package Ansible Core along with dependencies, ensuring consistent playbook execution across AAP. This integration allows organizations to leverage Ansible Core’s simplicity while benefiting from AAP’s advanced orchestration, making it a foundational element in both development and production scenarios.

Additional Information

• Ansible Community | Ansible documentation 
  • Ansible Core Documentation 
• Ansible Execution Environment Project: The Ansible Execution Environment project provides a standardized environment for executing Ansible playbooks and roles.
• Development Environment: A local open-source development environment boosts Ansible automation by providing maximum flexibility and productivity for rapid iteration, testing, and independence from external infrastructure teams or even other engineers on your team due to shared environments.