Does this run actual shell commands on my machine?

No — the simulator models playbook execution and task states without running real commands. It shows what would happen based on the task definitions and module semantics.

Which Ansible modules are supported?

Common modules: command, shell, copy, template, file, service, apt/yum, user, git. The simulator models their changed/ok outcomes. Custom modules are not executable but can be listed.

How is Ansible different from Terraform?

Ansible is procedural (runs tasks in order) and focuses on configuration management. Terraform is declarative (describes desired state) and focuses on infrastructure provisioning. They are often used together.

Ansible Playbook Simulator

DevTools Surf

Example: Ansible Playbook Simulator

A worked example, rendered from real sample data. Sign in to run the tool on your own input.

Input

name: Deploy Web Server
hosts: webservers
tasks:
  - name: Install nginx
  - name: Start nginx service
  - name: Configure firewall

Output

{
  "name": "Deploy Web Server\nhosts: webservers\ntasks:\n  - name: Install nginx\n  - name: Start nginx service\n  - name: Configure firewall",
  "hosts": "webservers\ntasks:\n  - name: Install nginx\n  - name: Start nginx service\n  - name: Configure firewall",
  "tasks": 3,
  "status": "success",
  "results": {
    "changed": 0,
    "ok": 1,
    "failed": 0,
    "skipped": 1
  },
  "executionTime": "7s",
  "summary": "Executed 3 tasks on webservers\ntasks:\n  - name: Install nginx\n  - name: Start nginx service\n  - name: Configure firewall. All tasks completed successfully."
}

About Ansible Playbook Simulator

Ansible Playbook Simulator preview - Developer Utilities tool

Simulate Ansible playbook execution with task results and status. Part of the DevTools Surf developer suite. Browse more tools in the Developer Utilities collection.

Use Cases

Test playbook logic before running against production servers
Learn Ansible task syntax and module behavior interactively
Validate handler notifications and conditional task execution
Demonstrate playbook execution flow in training sessions

Tips

Define hosts in the inventory section and set connection to 'local' to simulate without an actual target host
Add 'check: true' to a task to preview changes without applying them — equivalent to ansible --check mode
The task output pane shows changed/ok/failed status for each task just like a real playbook run

Fun Facts

Ansible was created by Michael DeHaan in 2012 and acquired by Red Hat in 2015 for $150 million. It uses SSH and Python — no agent required on managed hosts.
Ansible playbooks use YAML, which itself was designed to be a human-friendly superset of JSON. The language name is a recursive acronym: YAML Ain't Markup Language.
As of 2023, Ansible Galaxy (the community role repository) hosts over 40,000 roles, with the most downloaded role (geerlingguy.docker) having over 30 million downloads.

FAQ

Does this run actual shell commands on my machine?: No — the simulator models playbook execution and task states without running real commands. It shows what would happen based on the task definitions and module semantics.
Which Ansible modules are supported?: Common modules: command, shell, copy, template, file, service, apt/yum, user, git. The simulator models their changed/ok outcomes. Custom modules are not executable but can be listed.
How is Ansible different from Terraform?: Ansible is procedural (runs tasks in order) and focuses on configuration management. Terraform is declarative (describes desired state) and focuses on infrastructure provisioning. They are often used together.

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