Automation with Ansible from Coursera

Automation with Ansible is a fundamental course for deploying end-to-end automation. This course provides a secure and stable foundation for automating your environment. Ansible Automation helps organizations to create, share and manage the automation of tasks from development and operations to security and network teams.

This course provides 3 hours of training videos which are segmented into modules. The course concepts are easy to understand through lab demonstrations. In order to test the understanding of learners, every module includes Assessments in the form of Quiz and In Video Questions. A mandatory Graded Questions Quiz is also provided at the end of every module.

Basic Linux system administration skills are asset for learning Automation with Ansible. By the end of this course, Learners will be able to

-Explore Ansible's components such as its ease of deployment, learning and debugging

-Demonstrate working of portal that acts as a central repository for sharing, reusing and locating Ansible-related Content

-Overview of Ansible Playbooks, which is a YAML based automation tool that developers can use to automate various tasks.

-Elaborate Automation with Ansible for remote clients in order to explain Ansible inventory files

What's inside

Syllabus

Course Introduction and Setting up Ansible

Welcome to Week 1 of Automation with Ansible Course. This week's focus is on setting up a virtual machine (VM) and configuring the environment for using Ansible, an open-source automation tool. You will also learn how to install and configure Ansible, which includes configuring its settings, inventory, and modules. Additionally, you will learn about using Ansible in the cloud, including setting up and configuring Ansible for use with cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure. By the end of the week, you should be familiar with the basic concepts and tools needed to use Ansible for automating tasks and managing infrastructure.

Traffic lights

Read about what's good

what should give you pause

and possible dealbreakers

Develops automation tools and skills used by companies in the IT industry

Ideal as a stepping stone for learners who want to develop or strengthen their automation skills

Suited for learners with basic system administration skills

Instructors offer a hands-on learning experience through lab demonstrations

Reviews summary

Foundational ansible for automation professionals

According to learners, "Automation with Ansible" is a largely positive course, particularly lauded for providing a solid foundation in Ansible. Students frequently praise the hands-on labs and clear explanations, which make complex concepts like Ansible Playbooks and Ansible Vault easy to grasp. It is considered ideal for beginners or those new to automation, offering a practical starting point for professional use. However, some experienced learners note that the course lacks depth for intermediate or advanced topics. More recent reviews also occasionally mention outdated content or setup issues, suggesting areas for potential improvement to keep pace with evolving tools.

Concepts explained simply, making them easy to understand.

"The instructor explained complex topics like Ansible Vault and conditional logic clearly."

"The explanations of inventory files and SSH configuration were clear."

"This course provided a fantastic introduction to Ansible. The concepts were easy to grasp..."

Provides a strong, clear introduction to Ansible for newcomers.

"The course provides a good introduction to Ansible, especially for someone new to automation."

"Content is okay for beginners... Good if you're absolutely new to Ansible."

"A very practical course for learning Ansible fundamentals... a great starting point."

Engaging labs deepen understanding and practical application.

"The lab demonstrations were very helpful in understanding the concepts."

"Excellent course! The hands-on labs were extremely useful."

"The concepts were easy to grasp, and the lab demonstrations were key to my understanding."

Some parts of the course material may be outdated, causing issues.

"Outdated content in some sections. The setup instructions for the VM were not straightforward and some commands didn't work as expected."

"Poor quality videos, audio issues. Some of the lab instructions were vague and hard to follow, requiring a lot of self-discovery."

"It felt like the course hasn't been updated in a while."

Course is too basic and lacks depth for experienced professionals.

"Content is okay for beginners but lacks depth for experienced professionals. I was hoping for more advanced topics or real-world scenarios."

"The course is quite basic. While it covers Ansible Playbooks, it doesn't delve into more efficient ways of structuring them or advanced roles."

"It could benefit from more complex examples or real-world project simulations, but for an intro, it's solid."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Automation with Ansible with these activities:

Join an Ansible study group

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Joining an Ansible study group will help you connect with other students and learn from their experiences.

Browse courses on Ansible

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Find an Ansible study group online or in your local area
Attend the study group meetings regularly
Participate in discussions and ask questions
Work together on Ansible projects

Follow Ansible tutorials

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Following Ansible tutorials will help you solidify your understanding of Ansible concepts and develop your skills.

Browse courses on Ansible

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Find some good Ansible tutorials online
Follow the tutorials step-by-step
Try to apply what you learn to your own projects

Mentor other students in Ansible

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Mentoring other students in Ansible will help you solidify your understanding of the concepts and develop your leadership skills.

Browse courses on Ansible

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Identify a student who is struggling with Ansible
Offer to help the student by answering their questions and providing guidance
Work with the student to develop an Ansible project
Provide feedback to the student on their progress

Three other activities

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Practice Ansible drills

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Practicing Ansible drills will help you improve your skills and become more proficient in using Ansible.

Browse courses on Ansible

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Find some Ansible practice drills online
Complete the drills regularly
Track your progress and identify areas where you need to improve

Develop an Ansible playbook

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Developing an Ansible playbook will help you apply your skills and knowledge to a real-world project.

Browse courses on Ansible Playbooks

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Identify a problem that you want to solve with Ansible
Design an Ansible playbook to solve the problem
Implement the Ansible playbook
Test the Ansible playbook
Document the Ansible playbook

Contribute to the Ansible project

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Contributing to the Ansible project will help you develop your skills and make a valuable contribution to the community.

Browse courses on Open Source

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Find an area of the Ansible project that you are interested in
Identify a way that you can contribute to the project
Submit a pull request to the Ansible project
Participate in discussions on the Ansible project mailing lists
Attend Ansible project events

Career center

Learners who complete Automation with Ansible will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Automation Engineer

An Automation Engineer designs, develops, and maintains automation systems, which can include using Ansible to automate tasks and manage infrastructure. They may also be responsible for training and supporting users of automation systems. This course helps build a foundation of Ansible skills for Automation Engineers, preparing them to succeed in this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Automation Engineer

Solutions Architect

A Solutions Architect designs and implements technical solutions to meet customer needs. This may include using Ansible to automate tasks and manage infrastructure. This course provides a foundation in Ansible that can be useful for Solutions Architects who need to understand and use automation tools effectively.

See salaries and explore the career path for Solutions Architect

Systems Administrator

A Systems Administrator is responsible for the day-to-day operation of computer systems, which may include using Ansible to automate tasks. This course provides a foundation in Ansible that can be useful for Systems Administrators who want to improve their automation skills.

See salaries and explore the career path for Systems Administrator

DevOps Engineer

A DevOps Engineer works to bridge the gap between development and operations teams, using tools like Ansible to automate tasks and improve collaboration. This course provides a foundation in Ansible that can be useful for DevOps Engineers who want to improve their automation skills.

See salaries and explore the career path for DevOps Engineer

Cloud Engineer

A Cloud Engineer designs, builds, and manages cloud-based systems, which may include using Ansible to automate tasks and manage infrastructure. This course provides a foundation in Ansible that can be useful for Cloud Engineers who need to understand and use automation tools effectively.

See salaries and explore the career path for Cloud Engineer

Security Engineer

A Security Engineer is responsible for protecting computer systems and networks from security threats, which may include using Ansible to automate security tasks. This course provides a foundation in Ansible that can be useful for Security Engineers who want to improve their automation skills.

See salaries and explore the career path for Security Engineer

Network Engineer

A Network Engineer designs, builds, and maintains computer networks, which may include using Ansible to automate tasks and manage infrastructure. This course provides a foundation in Ansible that can be useful for Network Engineers who want to improve their automation skills.

See salaries and explore the career path for Network Engineer

Data Engineer

A Data Engineer designs, builds, and maintains data systems, which may include using Ansible to automate tasks and manage infrastructure. This course provides a foundation in Ansible that can be useful for Data Engineers who want to improve their automation skills.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Engineer

Software Engineer

A Software Engineer designs, develops, and maintains software applications, which may include using Ansible to automate tasks and build infrastructure. This course provides a foundation in Ansible that can be useful for Software Engineers who want to improve their automation skills.

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IT Manager

An IT Manager is responsible for the overall operation of an organization's IT systems, which may include using Ansible to automate tasks. This course provides a foundation in Ansible that can be useful for IT Managers who want to improve their automation skills.

See salaries and explore the career path for IT Manager

IT Consultant

An IT Consultant provides advice and guidance to organizations on how to use technology to meet their business needs, which may include using Ansible to automate tasks. This course provides a foundation in Ansible that can be useful for IT Consultants who want to improve their automation skills.

See salaries and explore the career path for IT Consultant

IT Architect

An IT Architect designs and implements IT systems, which may include using Ansible to automate tasks and build infrastructure. This course provides a foundation in Ansible that can be useful for IT Architects who want to improve their automation skills.

See salaries and explore the career path for IT Architect

IT Systems Analyst

An IT Systems Analyst analyzes and designs computer systems, which may include using Ansible to automate tasks and build infrastructure. This course provides a foundation in Ansible that can be useful for IT Systems Analysts who want to improve their automation skills.

See salaries and explore the career path for IT Systems Analyst

IT Project Manager

An IT Project Manager plans and manages IT projects, which may include using Ansible to automate tasks. This course provides a foundation in Ansible that can be useful for IT Project Managers who want to improve their automation skills.

See salaries and explore the career path for IT Project Manager

IT Support Specialist

An IT Support Specialist provides technical support to users of computer systems, which may include using Ansible to automate tasks. This course provides a foundation in Ansible that can be useful for IT Support Specialists who want to improve their automation skills.

See salaries and explore the career path for IT Support Specialist