7 New Ansible Books Reshaping Automation in 2025

Discover authoritative Ansible Books by Aficiando Cloudsmith, Thorne Montgomery, Russ McKendrick, and other leading experts revealing new trends and practices in 2025.

Updated on June 26, 2025
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The Ansible landscape changed dramatically in 2024, pushing automation into new realms of complexity and possibility. With IT environments spanning multi-cloud architectures, container orchestration, and hybrid infrastructure, staying ahead demands fresh knowledge that keeps pace with evolving tools and practices. These newest Ansible books capture the pulse of 2025, delivering insights into modern automation workflows, advanced playbook techniques, and scalable infrastructure management that matter now.

Written by authors like Aficiando Cloudsmith and Thorne Montgomery, these books harness decades of real-world experience and emerging trends to offer readers practical, hands-on guidance. From foundational skills for beginners to deep dives into enterprise-level automation platforms, the expertise here reflects a forward-thinking approach to DevOps challenges. The authors explore everything from cloud integration to security automation, providing a rich knowledge base for both newcomers and seasoned professionals.

While these cutting-edge books provide the latest insights, readers seeking the newest content tailored to their specific Ansible goals might consider creating a personalized Ansible book that builds on these emerging trends. Tailored content can help you focus on the aspects of Ansible automation most relevant to your environment and role, making your learning even more impactful.

Best for DevOps automation experts
The "Ansible DevOps Cookbook" by Thorne Montgomery stands out for its thorough approach to using Ansible across the full DevOps lifecycle. Covering more than seventy-five recipes, it guides you from initial environment setup to advanced playbook techniques and cloud service automation on AWS, Azure, and GCP. The book also dives into integrating Ansible with CI/CD tools like Jenkins and GitLab, plus managing enterprise tasks with Ansible Tower and AWX. Whether you're tackling inventory management or streamlining deployment pipelines, this resource offers solutions designed to enhance efficiency and elevate your automation game.
2024·332 pages·Devops, Ansible, Automation, Playbooks, Cloud Integration

When Thorne Montgomery launched into writing the "Ansible DevOps Cookbook," the goal was clear: create a hands-on resource that walks you through the nuts and bolts of Ansible automation from setup to enterprise-grade management. You’ll find yourself mastering how to organize playbooks with roles, troubleshoot errors, and leverage cloud integrations across AWS, Azure, and GCP, with practical recipes for continuous integration using Jenkins and GitLab. This book suits anyone looking to deepen their command of Ansible’s capabilities within a DevOps pipeline, especially those ready to move beyond basics into scalable automation workflows.

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Best for mastering Ansible fundamentals
"Your Guide to Mastering Ansible" stands out by offering a thorough walkthrough of the latest Ansible capabilities, making it a timely resource for anyone looking to deepen their automation expertise. It covers both the essentials and emerging practices within the Ansible ecosystem, guiding you through managing complex environments with ease. This book addresses the challenges of scaling automation in IT operations, providing a framework that benefits beginners and seasoned professionals alike who want to keep pace with evolving DevOps demands.
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by Aficiando Cloudsmith·You?

2024·194 pages·Ansible, Automation, DevOps, Configuration Management, Infrastructure

Aficiando Cloudsmith's background as a seasoned IT professional shines through in this detailed exploration of Ansible automation. The book delves into practical techniques for managing systems and applications at scale, with chapters dedicated to both foundational concepts and advanced configurations. You learn how to streamline deployment processes and improve infrastructure reliability using Ansible’s features. This guide suits both newcomers eager to grasp automation basics and experienced practitioners aiming to refine their skills in real-world environments.

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Best for rapid Ansible deployment
This AI-created book on Ansible automation is crafted based on your experience level, interests, and goals focused on 2025 developments. Since Ansible evolves rapidly, having a personalized guide helps you concentrate on the newest techniques that matter most for your environment. By pinpointing your areas of interest and skill, this book offers a learning path customized to keep you ahead in automation workflows without wading through irrelevant material.
2025·50-300 pages·Ansible, Automation Basics, Playbook Design, Infrastructure Integration, Workflow Optimization

This tailored book explores the latest developments transforming Ansible automation workflows in 2025, focusing on emerging techniques and innovations reshaping deployment practices. It covers cutting-edge automation approaches that align with your unique background and interests, allowing you to dive deeply into topics you find most relevant. By honing in on your specific goals, this personalized guide reveals how to navigate the evolving landscape of Ansible with clarity and confidence. Exploring advanced playbook design, integration with new infrastructure tools, and adaptive automation patterns, it offers a focused, engaging learning journey crafted just for you.

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Best for cloud infrastructure automation
Russ McKendrick is a seasoned DevOps practitioner and system administrator with over 30 years of experience in automation and infrastructure management. His extensive expertise across cloud platforms fuels this book, designed to help you automate everything from basic apps to complex cloud infrastructure. By sharing insights into Ansible's module ecosystem, CI/CD pipeline integration, and security best practices, McKendrick equips you to elevate your deployment workflows with confidence.
2024·414 pages·Ansible, Deployment, DevOps, Automation, Cloud Infrastructure

After decades in DevOps, Russ McKendrick developed this book to share practical automation techniques that he’s refined over 30 years. You’ll learn how to write and run Ansible playbooks that handle everything from simple app deployments to complex multi-cloud infrastructure setups, including AWS and Azure. The book covers creating reusable roles, integrating Ansible with CI/CD pipelines like GitHub Actions and Azure DevOps, and managing security with playbook scanning and server hardening. Whether you’re new to infrastructure automation or looking to deepen your Ansible skills, this guide offers clear, hands-on tutorials to help you streamline your operations and confidently automate your deployments.

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Best for hands-on rapid mastery
In "The Ansible Workshop," Aymen El Amri opens the door to a thorough, hands-on approach to Ansible, designed for those eager to move beyond basic automation. The book covers everything from foundational concepts to advanced integrations with Docker and Kubernetes, addressing real-world scenarios with practical examples. It guides you through managing configuration, deploying applications, and even crafting your own modules and filters, including those enhanced by generative AI. Whether you are just starting or looking to deepen your Ansible expertise, this book offers a structured path to rapid mastery in this essential DevOps tool.
2024·354 pages·Ansible, Automation, Configuration Management, DevOps, Playbooks

What happens when deep technical knowledge meets hands-on Ansible learning? Aymen El Amri delivers a detailed exploration that takes you from understanding Ansible’s architecture to mastering its integration with container technologies like Docker and Kubernetes. You’ll unpack fundamental concepts such as declarative automation and advanced inventories before moving into practical applications like creating playbooks, managing roles, and even developing custom modules and filters, including AI-powered extensions. This book suits anyone ready to elevate from beginner to confident practitioner, offering concrete examples and real-world techniques to sharpen your automation skills.

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Best for absolute Ansible beginners
Getting Started with Ansible offers a hands-on approach ideal for those stepping into DevOps for the first time. This book breaks down core Ansible concepts—from YAML syntax to advanced orchestration—helping you automate tedious IT operations confidently. Its beginner-focused structure, combined with practical coding exercises, makes it a practical resource for system administrators and IT professionals eager to boost efficiency and consistency through automation. The guide's clear explanations and real-world focus make it a solid choice for anyone ready to embrace Ansible's capabilities and streamline their infrastructure management.
2024·121 pages·Ansible, DevOps, Automation, Configuration Management, Infrastructure

R. Parvin challenges the conventional wisdom that mastering DevOps automation requires years of experience by presenting Ansible in a beginner-friendly way. You learn foundational skills such as YAML syntax, inventory management, and crafting effective playbooks, alongside practical concepts like variables, conditional logic, and advanced orchestration with roles and Jinja2 templates. The book suits system administrators and IT pros aiming to replace manual tasks with streamlined automation, offering hands-on exercises that make complex topics accessible without oversimplifying. If you want to build essential Ansible skills from scratch and apply them directly to your infrastructure management, this guide delivers exactly that.

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Best for future-ready automation plans
This custom AI book on Ansible automation is created based on your specific IT background, current knowledge level, and the evolving automation trends you're interested in. You share your goals and the topics that matter most to your infrastructure, and this book is crafted to focus precisely on those areas. Personalization matters here because Ansible’s landscape shifts rapidly, and learning what’s most relevant to your setup helps you stay ahead and implement future-ready automation with confidence.
2025·50-300 pages·Ansible, Ansible Fundamentals, Automation Trends, Infrastructure Planning, Playbook Design

This tailored book explores the evolving landscape of Ansible automation as it stands in 2025, focusing on preparing your infrastructure for the future. It examines cutting-edge developments and emerging trends, offering a deep dive into the customization and forward-looking aspects of automation to suit your unique IT environment. By aligning closely with your background, skill level, and interests, this book reveals how to anticipate and integrate new discoveries into your automation workflows. The content is crafted to help you navigate complex infrastructure challenges while embracing the latest Ansible capabilities, providing a personalized learning journey that keeps you ahead in a rapidly changing field.

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Best for enterprise automation architects
Luca Berton, an Ansible Automation Expert with years at JPMorgan Chase and the Red Hat Ansible Engineer Team, authored this book to share his hands-on expertise. His previous best-selling books and creation of the Ansible Pilot project position him uniquely to guide you through modernizing IT operations. This book reflects his recent industry experience and provides you with the architectural insights and practical skills to implement Ansible Automation Platform effectively across complex cloud environments.
2023·352 pages·Ansible, Automation, DevOps, Cloud Computing, Hybrid Cloud

Luca Berton brings his deep experience from both JPMorgan Chase and the Red Hat Ansible Engineer Team to this detailed exploration of automating IT operations at scale. You’ll learn how to design and deploy Ansible Automation Platform architecture, manage authentication with Role-Based Access Controls, and orchestrate application deployments across hybrid cloud and Kubernetes environments. The book dives into real-world challenges like performance monitoring, backup strategies, and securing automation workflows, making it especially useful if you're already familiar with Ansible basics and want to elevate your automation practices. If you’re seeking hands-on knowledge to unify multi-cloud operations with streamlined playbooks, this guide delivers practical insights without fluff.

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Best for multi-cloud automation pros
Pankaj Sabharwal stands as an embodiment of deep technological prowess and visionary leadership. With over 11 years at IBM, where he modernized and migrated 200+ legacy applications to cloud platforms like AWS and IBM, Pankaj brings invaluable real-world experience to this book. His role as Principal Solution Architect serving financial and federal sectors uniquely positions him to share cutting-edge automation strategies. This book distills his expertise into practical guidance on leveraging Ansible for complex multi-cloud environments, helping you automate, orchestrate, and scale with confidence.
2023·298 pages·Ansible, Automation, Cloud Computing, DevOps, Infrastructure

When Pankaj Sabharwal noticed the escalating complexity of managing infrastructure across multiple cloud platforms, he crafted this guide to demystify automation using Ansible. The book walks you through setting up Ansible across various operating systems and clouds like AWS, IBM, and Azure, then dives into writing playbooks for automated provisioning and deployment. It also explores advanced topics such as network and security automation, Kubernetes orchestration, and edge computing, making it a practical toolkit for handling diverse multi-cloud environments. If you work in DevOps or cloud architecture, this book equips you with precise techniques to streamline your operations and reduce manual errors.

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Conclusion

A few clear themes emerge from these seven books: the increasing complexity of automation across hybrid and multi-cloud environments, the growing importance of integrating Ansible with CI/CD pipelines and container orchestration, and the value of hands-on, practical approaches to mastering automation skills. Whether it’s foundational knowledge or advanced platform management, these titles address the spectrum of needs evolving in 2025.

If you want to stay ahead of trends or the latest research, start with "Ansible DevOps Cookbook" and "Multi-Cloud Automation with Ansible" for practical strategies on scalable workflows and cloud environments. For cutting-edge implementation, combine "Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform" with "The Ansible Workshop" to deepen your grasp of enterprise-level automation and rapid skill-building. Beginners will find "Getting Started with Ansible" invaluable for building essential skills.

Alternatively, you can create a personalized Ansible book to apply the newest strategies and latest research to your specific situation. These books offer the most current 2025 insights and can help you stay ahead of the curve in Ansible automation.

Frequently Asked Questions

I'm overwhelmed by choice – which book should I start with?

If you're new to Ansible, "Getting Started with Ansible" offers a clear, beginner-friendly introduction. For those with some experience, "Your Guide to Mastering Ansible" balances fundamentals and advanced topics smoothly.

Are these books too advanced for someone new to Ansible?

Not at all. While some books target experienced users, titles like "Getting Started with Ansible" and "Learn Ansible" are designed to guide beginners through core concepts and practical skills.

What's the best order to read these books?

Start with beginner-friendly guides like "Getting Started with Ansible," then progress to "Your Guide to Mastering Ansible" and "Ansible DevOps Cookbook" for deeper automation workflows. Enterprise users can follow with "Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform."

Do I really need to read all of these, or can I just pick one?

You can pick based on your goals. For foundational knowledge, one beginner book suffices. To cover advanced automation or multi-cloud setups, combining a couple, such as "Ansible DevOps Cookbook" and "Multi-Cloud Automation with Ansible," is beneficial.

Which books focus more on theory vs. practical application?

Most books emphasize practical application, but "The Ansible Workshop" and "Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform" provide deeper architectural insights alongside hands-on examples.

How can I get tailored Ansible learning that matches my specific goals?

While these books offer expert knowledge, personalized Ansible books tailor content to your experience, interests, and objectives, keeping you current with evolving trends. Explore customized Ansible books here to optimize your learning journey.

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