Ansible
Ansible is a configuration management tool that automates complex deployment, configuration, and management tasks. It is a lightweight, modular, and extensible tool for automating IT operations, including application deployment, server configuration, and management of Virtual Machines (VMs) and containers. Ansible integrates with tools and platforms like Jenkins, Alibaba Cloud, and Docker. It provides robust security and reliability, ensuring consistent and accurate IT operations.
Use the Alibaba Cloud Ansible modules for automated Operations and Maintenance (O&M). For a complete list of Alibaba Cloud Ansible modules, see the project's GitHub repository.
cloud-init
cloud-init is an open-source service that bootstraps Linux VMs by running initial system configurations at startup. Major cloud platforms, including Alibaba Cloud, AWS, Azure, and OpenStack, support cloud-init. On Alibaba Cloud, cloud-init initializes the system when an ECS instance starts up. This process includes configuring the Network Time Protocol (NTP), Software Source, Hostname, and SSH Key Pair, and executing instance user data scripts.
All Alibaba Cloud public images include cloud-init by default. cloud-init versions are not always fully compatible across different cloud platforms. Select a compatible version and configure the correct data source. For more information, see Install cloud-init.