Top 50 Ansible Interview Question.

Here are the answers to the top 50 Ansible interview questions:

1. What is Ansible?

   • Ansible is an open-source automation tool used for configuration management, application deployment, and task automation.

2. What are the advantages of using Ansible?

   • Simple to set up and use
   • Agentless architecture
   • Idempotent operations
   • Strong community support

3. How does Ansible work?

   • Ansible uses SSH for communication and YAML for configuration. It executes tasks on remote systems using modules.

4. What is an Ansible playbook?

   • A playbook is a YAML file containing a series of tasks to be executed on remote hosts.

5. What is an inventory file in Ansible?

   • An inventory file lists the hosts and groups of hosts on which Ansible commands, modules, and playbooks operate.

6. Explain the architecture of Ansible.

   • Ansible architecture includes modules, plugins, inventories, playbooks, and the Ansible command-line tool.

7. What are Ansible modules?

   • Modules are reusable, standalone scripts that Ansible runs on your behalf. Examples include copy, yum, and service.

8. How do you install Ansible?

   • You can install Ansible using package managers like pip, apt, or yum.

9. What is the use of Ansible Galaxy?

   • Ansible Galaxy is a repository for Ansible roles, allowing users to share and download roles.

10. How do you create a new role in Ansible?

    • Use the command ansible-galaxy init <role_name> to create a new role directory structure.

11. What is the difference between a playbook and a role in Ansible?

    • A playbook is a collection of tasks, while a role is a way to organize playbooks and other files into reusable components.

12. How do you handle errors in Ansible?

    • Use the ignore_errors directive or the failed_when condition to handle errors.

13. What is Ansible Tower?

    • Ansible Tower is an enterprise framework for controlling, securing, and managing your Ansible automation with a UI and REST API.

14. How do you manage variables in Ansible?

    • Variables can be managed in playbooks, inventory files, or variable files.

15. What is a task in Ansible?

    • A task is a single unit of work to be executed on a host, defined in a playbook.

16. How do you use loops in Ansible?

    • Use the with_items directive to loop over a list of items.

17. What is a handler in Ansible?

    • A handler is a task that runs only when notified by another task.

18. How do you use conditionals in Ansible?

    • Use the when directive to execute tasks conditionally.

19. What is the purpose of the ansible.cfg file?

    • The ansible.cfg file is used to configure Ansible settings.

20. How do you secure sensitive data in Ansible?

    • Use ansible-vault to encrypt sensitive data.

21. What is the difference between command and shell modules in Ansible?

    • The command module executes commands without a shell, while the shell module executes commands through a shell.

22. How do you use tags in Ansible?

    • Tags are used to run specific tasks or plays in a playbook.

23. What is the use of the debug module in Ansible?

    • The debug module prints statements during playbook execution for debugging purposes.

24. How do you run a specific task in Ansible?

    • Use tags and the --tags or --skip-tags options to run specific tasks.

25. What is the ansible-vault command used for?

    • ansible-vault is used to encrypt and decrypt sensitive data.

26. How do you use templates in Ansible?

    • Use the template module to process Jinja2 templates and copy them to remote hosts.

27. What is the difference between include and import in Ansible?

    • include is dynamic and evaluated at runtime, while import is static and evaluated at parse time.

28. How do you manage dependencies in Ansible?

    • Use roles and the dependencies key in meta/main.yml to manage dependencies.

29. What is the ansible-pull command?

    • ansible-pull is used to pull playbooks from a VCS repository and execute them on the local machine.

30. How do you use the copy module in Ansible?

    • The copy module copies files from the local machine to remote hosts.

31. What is the lineinfile module used for?

    • The lineinfile module ensures a particular line is present or absent in a file.

32. How do you use the file module in Ansible?

    • The file module manages file properties like permissions, ownership, and symlinks.

33. What is the yum module used for?

    • The yum module manages packages on RPM-based systems.

34. How do you use the service module in Ansible?

    • The service module manages services on remote hosts.

35. What is the user module used for?

    • The user module manages user accounts on remote hosts.

36. How do you use the cron module in Ansible?

    • The cron module manages cron jobs on remote hosts.

37. What is the git module used for?

    • The git module manages Git repositories.

38. How do you use the synchronize module in Ansible?

    • The synchronize module is a wrapper around rsync to synchronize files between hosts.

39. What is the wait_for module used for?

    • The wait_for module waits for a condition to be met before proceeding.

40. How do you use the uri module in Ansible?

    • The uri module interacts with web services.

41. What is the setup module used for?

    • The setup module gathers facts about remote hosts.

42. How do you use the command module in Ansible?

    • The command module runs commands on remote hosts.

43. What is the shell module used for?

    • The shell module runs shell commands on remote hosts.

44. How do you use the raw module in Ansible?

    • The raw module runs raw commands on remote hosts without any processing.

45. What is the script module used for?

    • The script module runs scripts on remote hosts.

46. How do you use the win_command module in Ansible?

    • The win_command module runs commands on Windows hosts.

47. What is the win_shell module used for?

    • The win_shell module runs shell commands on Windows hosts.

48. How do you use the win_copy module in Ansible?

    • The win_copy module copies files to Windows hosts.

49. What is the win_service module used for?

    • The win_service module manages services on Windows hosts.

50. How do you use the win_user module in Ansible?

    • The win_user module manages user accounts on Windows hosts.

I hope this helps with your interview preparation! If you need further details on any of these topics, feel free to ask. Good luck!