Installing and Getting Started

Before you can automate anything with Ansible, you need to install it on your control node --- the machine from which you will manage your infrastructure. This lesson covers installation methods, initial configuration, and running your first Ansible commands.

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Prerequisites

Control Node Requirements

• Python 3.9+ (Ansible core requires Python on the control node)
• Linux or macOS (Windows is not supported as a control node, but WSL2 works)
• SSH client installed (for connecting to managed nodes)

Managed Node Requirements

• Python 3 installed (most Linux distributions include it)
• SSH server running and accessible
• A user account with sufficient privileges (or sudo access)

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Installation Methods

1. pip (Recommended)

The recommended way to install Ansible is via Python's package manager:

# Install Ansible (full package including community collections)
pip install ansible

# Or install just the core engine (lighter)
pip install ansible-core

2. Package Manager

Install from your OS package manager:

# Ubuntu / Debian
sudo apt update
sudo apt install ansible

# RHEL / CentOS / Fedora
sudo dnf install ansible

# macOS (Homebrew)
brew install ansible

3. pipx (Isolated Environment)

For an isolated installation that does not conflict with system Python packages:

pipx install ansible

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Verifying the Installation

After installation, verify that Ansible is working:

ansible --version

Expected output:

ansible [core 2.16.x]
  config file = /etc/ansible/ansible.cfg
  configured module search path = ['/home/user/.ansible/plugins/modules']
  ansible python module location = /usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/ansible
  executable location = /usr/bin/ansible
  python version = 3.12.x

Key information displayed:

Field	Description
core version	The Ansible core engine version
config file	Which configuration file is active
python version	The Python interpreter Ansible is using

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The Ansible Configuration File

Ansible looks for its configuration file in the following order (first match wins):

Priority	Location	Description
1	ANSIBLE_CONFIG env var	Environment variable pointing to a config file
2	./ansible.cfg	Current working directory
3	~/.ansible.cfg	Home directory (hidden file)
4	/etc/ansible/ansible.cfg	System-wide default

Tip: The most common approach is to place an ansible.cfg file in the root of your project directory alongside your playbooks and inventory.

Example ansible.cfg

[defaults]
inventory = ./inventory
remote_user = deploy
host_key_checking = False
retry_files_enabled = False
stdout_callback = yaml