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Automation with Ansible Playbooks – Hands-On! (Udemy.com)

This course introduces Ansible to beginners and system administrators, helping them enhance their automation skills.

Created by: Shikhar Verma

Last updated March 2025

Our take

Based on the ratings of 2,696 students, a sample of their written reviews and the syllabus, as the course stood in March 2025. No course pays to be reviewed.

Shikhar Verma's Ansible course is a 9.6 hour, 106 lecture walk through installing Ansible, writing playbooks, then variables, handlers, tags and roles. The syllabus shows an AWS setup, Red Hat 8 installs including an offline one, and two projects: automated Linux patching and stopping and starting Control-M applications. It is pitched at all levels, but the requirements say sysadmin experience helps, and that is who it fits best. About 14,000 students have taken it, and it carries a Highest Rated badge.

Reviewers like the mix of theory and hands-on labs, the clear explanations, and the live scripts for password changes, user creation and health checks. One reviewer, a Linux admin, says they already use what they learned at work. The complaints are consistent. Volume drops low in several videos, the delivery turns monotone for some, and a few people find the second half repetitive. One reviewer says the labs vary in setup from one to the next. The final 29 lectures, built around a shell-script automation tool, split opinion because some wanted more Ansible and less shell.

The course was last updated in March 2025, so it is reasonably fresh, though a 2018 reviewer called the scripting examples dated. It is not deep. One reviewer says it covers system admin tasks only, and that DevOps or developer types will have to work out the rest themselves. For a beginner or intermediate admin who wants a practical start, it looks solid, with a 4.7 average from about 2,700 ratings. If you need advanced playbook design, look elsewhere.

Best forLinux admins who want to automate patching and routine server tasks with Ansible playbooks, starting from install.
Skip it ifYou are a DevOps engineer or developer wanting deep Ansible coverage, large-playbook structure or custom modules.

Pros

  • Labs built on real admin work: Linux patching, kernel version installs and reboot checks
  • Covers install on AWS and offline Red Hat 8, then playbooks, variables, handlers, tags and roles
  • Reviewers praise clear explanations and live scripts for user creation and health checks
  • A working Ansible user says it filled in how the tool works at a low level

Cons

  • Volume drops low in several videos, and some reviewers find the delivery monotone
  • Not deep: it stays on sysadmin tasks, with little for DevOps or developer use cases
  • The last 29 lectures on a shell-script tool feel repetitive or off topic to some
Great course. Build your understanding from beginner to intermediate level concepts. Explained nicely with good hands on labs.
Anonymized User, a student

Fits sysadmins and beginners with some Linux background, more than complete newcomers or DevOps engineers.

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What you will learn

  • Introducing Ansible-Overview of Ansible Architecture
  • Implementation of Ansible Playbooks
  • Automate Linux Patching using Ansible
  • Project Labs to gain a better understanding of using Ansible Playbooks for patching Linux servers
  • Managing Variables & Inclusions
  • Various labs on implementing playbooks from a real IT industry environment
  • Gain sufficient skills to perform core system administration Automation
  • Implementing Tasks Controls
  • Ansible Installation
  • Online/Offline Ansible installation
  • Ansible Conditionals
  • Ansible Modules
  • Industrial Live overview of Automation tool using Ansible with Shell Scripting
  • Ansible Handlers/Loops
  • Deploying Ansible and writing Yaml files
  • Students would be able to create Ansible Roles

Course content

15 sections · 106 lectures · 9.6 hours of video 10 quizzes, 6 assignments

  1. 1Introduction 2 free previews7 lectures · 1 quiz · 24 min
  2. 2Ansible Control Node Components 1 free preview3 lectures · 1 quiz · 15 min
  3. 3Deploying Ansible in an AWS Cloud Environment11 lectures · 34 min
  4. 4Ansible Setup 1 free preview4 lectures · 1 quiz · 26 min
  5. 5Customizing Ansible's Behavior2 lectures · 2 quizzes · 13 min
  6. 6AD Hoc Commands in Ansible4 lectures · 2 quizzes · 24 min
  7. 7Implementing Playbooks4 lectures · 2 quizzes · 23 min
  8. 8Modules in Ansible4 lectures · 2 quizzes · 27 min
  9. 9Implementing Multi tasks in Playbook 1 free preview7 lectures · 2 quizzes · 53 min
  10. 10Managing Variables in Ansible6 lectures · 2 quizzes · 38 min

Who it is for

The instructor says it suits

  • IT professionals across a broad range of disciplines who need to perform essential administration tasks and automation.
  • Graduate Students and also for those who are looking for a job in Automation using Ansible (RedHat Linux) & wants to get hands-on practical experience on Automation & build up a base on Ansible.

What you need before you start

  • PC or Laptop with internet Connection
  • There is no formal prerequisites for this course; however, previous system administrator experience on other operating system would be very beneficial.

How it compares

Against the other 219 rated Udemy courses in DevOps on CourseDuck:

  • Rating4.7 out of 5higher than 91% of them
  • Reviews2,696#61 of 220 by number of reviews
  • Length9.6 hourslonger than 73% of them
  • Last updatedMarch 2025more recently than 61% of them

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Course Description

Mastering Ansible Step by Step


Course Contents


Introducing Ansible

  • Overview of Ansible Architecture

  • Ansible Components

  • Overview of Ansible Deployments

  • Describing Ansible Inventory

  • Summary

Deploying Ansible

  • Installing Ansible

  • Guided Exercise: Installing Ansible

  • Managing Ansible Configuration Files

  • Guided Exercise: Managing Ansible Configuration Files

  • Running Ad Hoc Commands

  • Guided Exercise: Running Ad Hoc Commands

  • Managing Dynamic Inventory

  • Guided Exercise: Managing Dynamic Inventory

  • Lab: Deploying Ansible

  • Summary

Ansible Setup in AWS Environment

  • Introduction to Setting Up Ansible in AWS

  • Launch EC2 Instance for Ansible Control Node

  • Install Ansible on Control Node

  • Setup Managed Hosts: Two Ubuntu Clients

  • Configure SSH on Clients

  • Edit hosts to Add Managed Hosts

  • Generating an SSH Key for Passwordless Access

  • Create a Host Inventory File for Managed Clients

  • Using Ad-Hoc Commands to Test Connectivity

  • Practicing Ad-Hoc Commands in Ansible

  • Understanding the Purpose of --become in Ansible

Ansible Installation on Red Hat Linux 8

  • Overview of Ansible Installation

  • Online Ansible Installation

  • User's Account Setup for Passwordless Authentication

  • Offline Ansible Installation ( When there is no internet available on Control Node )

Implementing Playbooks

  • Writing YAML Files

  • Guided Exercise: Writing YAML Files

  • Implementing Modules

  • Guided Exercise: Implementing Modules

  • Implementing Ansible Playbooks

  • Guided Exercise: Implementing Ansible Playbooks

  • Lab: Implementing Playbooks

  • Summary

Managing Variables and Inclusions

  • Managing Variables

  • Guided Exercise: Managing Variables

  • Managing Facts 

  • Guided Exercise: Managing Facts

  • Managing Inclusions

  • Guided Exercise: Managing Inclusions

  • Lab: Managing Variables and Inclusions 

Implementing Task Control

  • Constructing Flow Control

  • Guided Exercise: Constructing Flow Control

  • Implementing Handlers

  • Guided Exercise: Implementing Handlers

  • Implementing Tags

  • Guided Exercise: Implementing Tags

  • Handling Errors

  • Guided Exercise: Handling Errors

  • Lab: Implementing Task Control

  • Summary

Ansible Roles

  • About Ansible Roles

  • How do we create Ansible Roles

  • Lab Session to create roles

Industrial project to Automate Patching on Multiple Linux Server using Ansible Playbook

  • Overview about Linux Patching

  • Automate Linux Patching using Ansible

  • Verify application/Database processes are running or not

  • Decision point to start patching

  • Upgrade all the packages on the server

  • Check if reboot required after the kernel update

  • Install the specific kernel version using Ansible Playbook.

  • Various Labs to understand the Ansible Playbook for patching

Industrial project for Stop/Start Control M appl/db

  • Overview of project

  • Designing of Ansible playbooks 

  • Lab Sessions

Create Automation tool using Ansible & Shell

  • Overview of Automation Tool

  • Concept of Automation Tool

  • Communication between Ansible Server with managed hosts

  • Front look of Automation Tool

  • What we are achieving from this Automation tool.

  • Pre-validation Configuration (To capture pre-change configuration details)

  • User Administration

       1. User Creation
       2. User Removal
       3. Group Add
       4. Password Reset

  • Run Ad Hoc Command

  • Health Check Statistics

      1. Memory Utilization
      2. CPU Utilization
      3. Overall I/O Activities
      4. Reports run queue and load average
      5. Top Memory Consuming processes
      6. Top CPU Consuming Processes
      7. Shared Memory

  • Design of Automation Tool

  • Design Front Look using case statement

  • Practice Lab Session on case Statement -1

  • Practice Lab Session on case Statement -2

  • Color Fonts in desinging the tool

  • Headline & Selecting the target servers

  • Lab sessions


  • Shell Scripting

      1. If..else..elif statement
      2. Loops
      3. Sed – Stream Editot
      4. Awk

  • The case esac statement

  • Last lecture

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Instructor Details

Shikhar Verma

Shikhar Verma – Entrepreneur, Corporate Trainer, and IT Consultant


●Founder & CEO of Techstart – Leads an IT company specializing in designing, developing certified courses, content creation, and managing online/offline IT projects for renowned companies.

●15+ Years of Industry Experience – Worked extensively in the IT sector before establishing his own business, bringing deep expertise in technology and corporate training.

●Passionate About Technology & Education – Dedicated to utilizing his technical skills to drive both organizational success and personal career growth.

●Renowned Udemy Instructor – Simplifies complex technical concepts and delivers them in an engaging and approachable manner.

●Educating Since 2016 – Taught over 100,000 students worldwide across multiple learning platforms.

●Educational Background – Holds a BTech in Electrical and Electronics Engineering.


●Core Expertise:

☆Generative AI, Python, DevOps, Docker, Git, Kubernetes, Linux, Ansible, Shell Scripting

☁️ AWS Cloud (Amazon Web Services), Linux Clustering, GCP

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Reviews

4.7

2,696 ratings on Udemy

Select a bar to show only those reviews.Select the bar again to show every rating.

By R Satish Kumar on 12/4/2021

so far this course is having a very good content becase he teaches with more of example oriented than theory one. Sugession: - He would have teach us for steps to create a setup. Because i could not create same setup as he has ... so not able to pratise them along with him. - He would have come up with better examples in some cases as like the advantage of taking the task in that particualar approach.

By Anil Kumar Panda on 5/8/2021

Hey Sikhar, Thanks for this wonderful course. The final tool you have presented is an awesome one. I will try to utilize the ansible and shell scripting combining in my work areas in Database administration . Thanks again

By Sayanti Manna on 11/22/2020

not up to the mark. Would not like to refer anyone

By Deiby Quezada on 11/22/2020

Very simple explanations.

By jppopj P on 10/7/2020

Very detail and easy to understand examples/labs - A+ Instructor!

By Khushboo Agrawal on 8/27/2020

Awesome course, great course for Ansible beginners, explained in detail, Thanks Sir !

By Vernit Tyagi on 8/25/2020

yeah this is impeccably great course helping a lot in my job.

By Sumeet Chatterjee on 8/19/2020

excellent worth leaning

By Suraj Kumar Prasad on 7/26/2020

Would advice beginners who are new to Ansible or shell scripting to take this course, it helped me automate few tasks at my work place.

By Tanmay Pradhan on 7/21/2020

well explained!

By Debmalya Sen on 7/6/2020

Verma is really a good teacher. He explains everything a simple way. Materials are also very useful.

By Shyamsunder on 6/11/2020

Nice Course !

Showing 12 of 155 reviews

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Overall Score : 94 / 100