Ansible is an open-source automation tool designed to simplify the management of IT infrastructure, configuration, and deployment processes. With a focus on ease of use, Ansible utilizes a simple, human-readable language (YAML) for defining automation tasks through "playbooks," which allow users to express tasks in a way that is both straightforward and powerful. It operates in an agentless manner, meaning it does not require any software to be installed on the machines it manages, making it a flexible option for orchestrating and automating the configuration of servers, applications, and other IT resources at scale.
Ansible is particularly known for its ability to automate repetitive IT tasks, deploy applications quickly, and orchestrate multi-tier environments seamlessly. It provides modules for managing a wide array of systems and cloud providers, which enhances its versatility in various use cases, from server provisioning to application deployment. With a strong community backing and extensive documentation, Ansible is a popular choice among DevOps teams looking to streamline their processes and improve productivity in their IT operations.