Ansible and Terraform

[mstakh.i.mom.i]

Ansible playbooks
While modules provide the means to accomplish a task, you use them with an Ansible playbook. A playbook is a configuration file written in YAML that contains instructions on what needs to be done to get the managed node into the desired state. Playbooks should be simple, readable, and self-documenting. They are also idempotent, meaning the playbook can run on the system at any time without affecting it. If the playbook is started on a system that is already properly configured and in the desired state, that system still needs to be correctly configured after the playbook is started.


In the cloud and DevOps area, Terraform is also trending alongside Ansible. Ansible and retail email list Terraform are complementary tools that are often used together, so it's not an either-or decision.

For example, you use Terraform to create resources and services. Then you use Ansible to configure the resources created by Terraform. You first use Terraform to create a virtual machine in the AWS cloud. Then you use Ansible to install and configure the MySQL database.