8 Best-Selling Ansible Books Millions Trust
Discover expert-recommended Ansible books by Jesse Keating, Michael Heap, and Jonathan McAllister offering proven automation strategies and practical DevOps insights.
There's something special about books that both critics and crowds love, especially when it comes to mastering a tool as vital as Ansible. Automation powers modern infrastructure, and Ansible's simplicity paired with powerful orchestration makes it an indispensable skill for developers, sysadmins, and security pros alike. Millions use it daily to streamline deployments, manage cloud resources, and enforce security policies.
Experts like Jesse Keating, who authored Mastering Ansible, and Michael Heap, known for Ansible: From Beginner to Pro, have shaped how professionals approach automation. Their practical insights, born from real-world challenges, guide readers through complex orchestration and testing workflows. Jonathan McAllister’s focus on integrating Ansible with DevOps pipelines has also influenced many practitioners aiming to scale automation.
While these popular books provide proven frameworks, readers seeking content tailored to their specific Ansible needs might consider creating a personalized Ansible book that combines these validated approaches into a focused guide just for them. Such customization bridges broad expertise with your unique environment and goals.
by Jesse Keating·You?
by Jesse Keating·You?
What started as a need to deepen understanding of Ansible's automation capabilities led Jesse Keating to write this focused guide for developers and operators ready to move beyond the basics. You’ll gain insight into Ansible’s internal logic and learn to handle sensitive data securely, manipulate complex variables, and troubleshoot failures with precision. The book walks you through crafting multi-tier playbooks and orchestrating rolling updates that minimize service disruptions, along with extending Ansible through custom modules and plugins. If you’re aiming to refine your automation skills and tackle complex orchestration challenges in DevOps, this book offers a clear path forward without fluff.
by Michael Heap··You?
by Michael Heap··You?
What started as Michael Heap’s need to streamline complex IT environments evolved into a practical guide that demystifies Ansible automation for developers. You’ll learn how to build playbooks that automate environment setup, reuse tasks through roles, and even create custom modules tailored to your business needs. The book walks you through testing your infrastructure with tools like Test Kitchen and ServerSpec, making it clear how to maintain reliable automation workflows. If you’re frequently handling manual server setups or package installs, this book will equip you to automate those repetitive tasks efficiently without overwhelming you with unnecessary complexity.
by TailoredRead AI·
This personalized AI book on Ansible automation explores battle-tested methods tailored to your real-world challenges and interests. It covers core automation concepts, practical playbook design, and advanced orchestration techniques, all matched to your background and specific goals. By focusing on your unique environment, the book examines efficient workflows and troubleshooting tactics that resonate with proven practices millions have found valuable. You'll gain a deep understanding of Ansible's capabilities, from modular roles to secure deployments, through a tailored lens that makes complex automation accessible and immediately relevant to you.
by Nathan Hull·You?
by Nathan Hull·You?
The methods Nathan Hull developed while crafting this guide for beginners in Ansible offer a straightforward pathway into a tool often seen as complex. You’ll start by understanding what Ansible is and how to get it up and running on your system. The book’s clear breakdown of modules, playbooks, handlers, and especially roles, gives you practical insight into organizing and automating your workflows. By covering templates and task management in detail, it equips you with the skills to handle real development challenges with Ansible. This book suits anyone new to configuration management seeking solid foundational knowledge without being overwhelmed.
by Jonathan McAllister·You?
by Jonathan McAllister·You?
Jonathan McAllister draws from his deep experience with automation tools to guide you through leveraging Ansible 2 for DevOps success. You’ll get hands-on understanding of writing Ansible playbooks using YAML and Jinja, automating container provisioning with Docker, and integrating continuous integration and delivery pipelines. The book delves into creating custom Ansible modules and managing third-party tools like Jenkins and Slack, helping you scale automation across complex environments. This is tailored for DevOps engineers and developers ready to embed Ansible into their workflows, focusing on practical skills rather than abstract theory.
by Madhu Akula, Akash Mahajan··You?
by Madhu Akula, Akash Mahajan··You?
What sets this book apart is its focus on applying Ansible 2's automation capabilities specifically to security tasks, guided by authors deeply embedded in the security and DevOps fields. Madhu Akula and Akash Mahajan lead you through creating modular, reusable playbooks that handle everything from patch management to continuous security scanning across diverse environments like Linux, Windows, and cloud containers. You'll gain hands-on insights into integrating tools like Ansible Tower and Jenkins, managing secrets with Ansible Vault, and extending Ansible with custom modules. This book suits system administrators, DevOps engineers, and security consultants who want to automate security workflows reliably without reinventing the wheel.
by TailoredRead AI·
This tailored book explores a focused, step-by-step approach to mastering Ansible automation quickly. It combines core concepts with practical actions that match your background and goals, emphasizing rapid results within a 30-day period. The content covers essential Ansible tasks and playbook creation, gradually building your skills in automation, configuration management, and orchestration. It examines how to efficiently deploy automation workflows that make everyday infrastructure tasks smoother and more reliable. By tailoring the content to your specific interests and skill level, this book reveals pathways to fast automation wins without overwhelming you with unnecessary details. It’s a personalized resource designed to help you gain confidence and practical ability in Ansible through clear, actionable steps that focus on your success.
by Aditya Patawari, Vikas Aggarwal··You?
by Aditya Patawari, Vikas Aggarwal··You?
When Aditya Patawari and Vikas Aggarwal set out to write this book, they drew on their extensive experience in systems engineering and DevOps to tackle the challenges of cloud infrastructure automation with Ansible. You learn to navigate cloud providers like AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure using Ansible modules, securing credentials with Ansible Vault, and deploying multi-tier applications seamlessly. The book is structured around practical recipes that guide you through building reusable tasks and working with self-hosted clouds such as OpenStack and Docker. If you're involved in managing cloud environments and want a focused, hands-on approach to streamlining automation, this book gives you clear methods without unnecessary complexity.
by Mohamed Alibi··You?
by Mohamed Alibi··You?
Mohamed Alibi’s expertise as a Linux system administrator shines through in this guide, which takes you from basic Ansible setup to advanced infrastructure automation. You’ll learn how to configure Ansible servers, write YAML playbooks, and leverage community roles and modules to manage diverse environments including Linux, Windows, and virtualized systems. The book drills into practical tasks like using Ansible Vault for security and organizing your inventory, making it a hands-on manual for automating configuration management. While it’s ideal for system and network admins new to Ansible, anyone aiming to streamline infrastructure tasks will find clear explanations and useful examples throughout.
Recommended by Bookauthority
“One of the best new Ansible ebooks”
by U V Omos·You?
What happens when network engineering expertise meets concise technical writing? U V Omos delivers a tightly focused manual tailored for IT professionals juggling legacy systems and emerging tech demands. You gain direct exposure to Ansible modules, playbooks, command line tools, and network orchestration across varied vendor devices, all without the fluff—perfect if you're preparing for interviews or need a quick refresher. The book’s brevity—only 45 pages—means you won’t get bogged down in lengthy explanations, but rather a sharp, targeted guide on network security configurations. If you’re seeking an efficient way to sharpen specific Ansible skills for real-world network tasks, this book fits that niche well.
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Conclusion
These eight Ansible books collectively underscore a few clear themes: practical automation techniques, integration with DevOps practices, and specialized applications like security and cloud management. They offer proven frameworks that countless readers have used to improve efficiency and reliability in their IT environments.
If you prefer proven methods, start with Mastering Ansible or Ansible: From Beginner to Pro to build strong automation foundations. For validated approaches in DevOps integration, Implementing DevOps with Ansible 2 and Ansible 2 Cloud Automation Cookbook provide actionable strategies. Network engineers will appreciate the focused insights in Big Little Book on Ansible and Ansible Tower.
Alternatively, you can create a personalized Ansible book to combine proven methods with your unique needs. These widely-adopted approaches have helped many readers succeed in mastering Ansible and advancing their automation skills.
Frequently Asked Questions
I'm overwhelmed by choice – which Ansible book should I start with?
Start with Starting Ansible or Ansible: From Beginner to Pro for accessible introductions that build solid foundations before moving to more advanced topics.
Are these books suitable for someone new to Ansible?
Yes, books like Starting Ansible and Ansible Quick Start Guide are designed specifically to help beginners grasp core concepts and start automating quickly.
What’s the best order to read these Ansible books?
Begin with beginner-friendly guides, then explore specialized topics like security or cloud automation. For example, follow Starting Ansible with Security Automation with Ansible 2 or Ansible 2 Cloud Automation Cookbook.
Do these books focus more on theory or practical application?
Most of these books emphasize hands-on usage, with detailed playbooks, real-world examples, and actionable guidance to apply Ansible effectively in your environment.
Are any of these books outdated given how fast Ansible evolves?
While Ansible advances rapidly, these titles cover core automation principles and best practices that remain relevant, supported by authors with ongoing industry experience.
Can I get a personalized Ansible book tailored to my specific needs?
Absolutely! While expert books provide proven methods, a personalized Ansible book can combine these approaches with your unique goals for a focused learning path. Try creating your custom Ansible book.
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