XLAB Steampunk Home

Securing Ansible Playbooks and Infrastructure

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Streamlining Ansible Playbook Migration and Upgrade for One of the Top Global FSIs with Steampunk Spotter

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Achieve 350% One-Year ROI with Steampunk Spotter

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How Spotter enabled Computer Space to scale its Ansible automation projects and create a centralized quality framework

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Efficient Ansible Playbook Management

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MindPoint Group and XLAB Steampunk Join Forces for Enhanced Security Compliance Automation

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Scale Computing accelerates customer adoption with Ansible integration

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Steampunk Spotter vs. Ansible Lint: Comparison

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Automate for Efficiency & Growth

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How Deutsche Telekom MMS optimizes Ansible Playbooks with Steampunk Spotter

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Automate your security with Ansible

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Ensure reliable and secure automation

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One of Slovenia's largest Financial Services Companies automated infrastructure with Ansible

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How Computer Space leverages Steampunk Spotter to supercharge productivity

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Increase your product value with Ansible integrations

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Ansible integration helps Sensu reach more users

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The importance of high-quality Ansible Collections for your product

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Steampunk Spotter Demo

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How to run a scan with Spotter

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How to set scan profiles with Steampunk Spotter

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How to set custom rules with Steampunk Spotter

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SBOM & CVE Analysis for Ansible Collections

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How to Manage Supply Chain Management with Steampunk Spotter

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Maximize bussiness value with Steampunk Spotter

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Streamline Ansible Automation with Red Hat AAP

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Validate Ansible Playbooks in Managed Red Hat AAP

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How to skip or enforce checks with Steampunk Spotter

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Easily identify and fix playbook issues in Red Hat AAP

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Steampunk Spotter Visual Studio Code extension: Setup and scanning

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How to use Steampunk Spotter to simplify Ansible upgrades

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How to automatically fix Ansible content with Steampunk Spotter

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Assisted Playbook Writing feature

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Spotter App quick overview

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Security Checks

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How to assure compliance of your Ansible Playbooks

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Insights for your scans

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Easily upgrade to the latest Ansible version

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How to scan public Git repositories with Steampunk Spotter

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Working with projects

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Simplify and Speed up Ansible Upgrades

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Quickly apply fixes to your playbooks

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The Complete Guide to Ansible Upgrade and Migration

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Upgrading your Ansible environment is not something you can postpone indefinitely.

Eventually, outdated playbooks slow you down. Things break. Security risks emerge. What once worked perfectly becomes difficult to maintain or even understand.

If you are planning to move to Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2+ or simply upgrading your playbooks to a newer Ansible version, you are likely facing both technical uncertainty and operational pressure.

This guide consolidates everything you need in one place. It will help you understand how to approach upgrades, identify where the real complexity lies, and make the process faster, safer, and more predictable.

The Ultimate Guide to Securing Ansible Supply Chain

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Automation is the backbone of modern IT operations, and Ansible is one of the most popular tools for orchestrating infrastructure at scale. But with great power comes great responsibility: a single misconfigured playbook can impact thousands of systems in seconds.

In this blog, we’ll break down how to secure Ansible Playbooks and infrastructure, explain key terms, highlight common risks and outline best practices to keep your automation safe.

What does “shift left” mean in Ansible security?

“Shift left” is a term that comes from software development. Traditionally, security checks happen late—during production or after deployment. Shifting left means embedding security earlier in the lifecycle, during design, development, and testing.

Securing Ansible Playbooks and Infrastructure

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Inside the e-book:

Why security must start early in Ansible automation
Managing security risk across the Ansible dependency chain
Common security risks in Ansible Playbooks
Security risks beyond playbooks: the Ansible infrastructure layer
Best practices for securing the Ansible supply chain
A secure Ansible workflow in practice
Building governance into the Ansible workflow
Tools and technology for shifting security left in Ansible

5 Best Ansible Playbook Scanning Tools in 2026 for Secure and Scalable Automation

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

As Ansible adoption increases across organizations, automation is no longer limited to a few playbooks managed by a single team. Many enterprises operate Ansible at scale, with hundreds of playbooks, multiple teams contributing automation, and critical infrastructure changes occurring daily.

This shift brings new challenges. Release cycles are faster, Ansible Core and Automation Platform upgrades happen more frequently, and security and compliance requirements are increasingly enforced directly in CI/CD pipelines. At the same time, automation must be auditable, predictable, and safe, especially when it affects production systems.

Meet Chuck - The Check Manager of Spotter Crew

Fri, 05 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

It is 3 a.m., the office is silent, with only the hum of servers ..until the alerts start pouring in. Red, yellow, green. Chaos fills every corner of the pipeline. The automation team groans. They have seen this before.

Then Chuck appears – not through a door, not on a screen, but like a force of nature. Gravelly voice, leather jacket, axe in hand. He is here to bring the mess under control. He does not run the checks himself; he commands them. He decides which checks step out of the closet, which enter the playbooks, and which light up anything that is not okay.

Secure Your Ansible Automation: Introducing SBOM, CVE Analysis, and Security Reports

Thu, 11 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

What is SBOM?

A Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) is essentially the list of elements in your software. Just as a food label indicates ingredients, an SBOM provides a detailed inventory of the components, libraries and dependencies in your applications, automation environments, or playbooks.

At its core, an SBOM is a structured record of all parts that make up a piece of software. This includes open-source libraries, proprietary code and licensed third-party dependencies. A comprehensive SBOM can also capture details about the build process, such as the tools and environments used.

Automate your Ansible upgrade and migration process

Thu, 28 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Upgrading your Ansible playbooks is not a “someday-maybe” project, it’s essential. Sticking with outdated playbooks reduces ROI, slows automation adoption, and introduces security risks.
Manual upgrades may seem simple, but every step carries the risk of errors, inconsistencies, and downtime.

Automation eliminates these risks, and quickly ensures accurate, compliant, and reliable results. This guide breaks down the upgrade and migration process into 5 key steps that will help you create AAP-compliant playbooks ready for Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.4+ and Ansible 2.15+.

Integrating Steampunk Spotter with Azure DevOps Pipelines

Tue, 29 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Want to catch deprecated code, security issues, or compliance problems before they hit your main branch? With native support for Azure Pipelines, Steampunk Spotter brings automation and actionable feedback directly into your CI/CD workflows—now with seamless integration into Azure DevOps.

In this blog post, we’ll walk you through how to utilize Steampunk Spotter from your Azure DevOps project and scan your Ansible content automatically with every pipeline run.

Step 1: Set Up Your Azure DevOps Project

Start by creating a new project in Azure DevOps. Once created, navigate to the Repos section in the sidebar to push your initial code.

What’s top of mind for Ansible users: Insights from the summit floor

Thu, 17 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This year’s Red Hat Summit once again brought together thousands of automation experts, enterprise IT leaders and open source enthusiasts to exchange ideas, showcase solutions and explore the future of IT automation. We hosted interactive polls at our booth, shared insights during our breakout session, and gathered some insightful learnings about where automation is headed.

Here are two insights that stood out.

63% have already adopted AAP due to the need for scalable automation

Which Ansible do you use? We asked this question to attendees at our booth—and here’s what we learnt:

Meet the Spotter Crew’s Data Storyteller – Dash 804RD

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Scav finds the problems. Reeva fixes them. But who makes sure you understand what was found, what was fixed and what it all means?

Dash 804RD is the Spotter Crew’s storyteller and makes the data talk. With every chart, every pulse and every insight, Dash transforms the chaos of automation into something readable, actionable and real. He’s the one who helps you understand what the Spotter Crew has uncovered — and why it matters.

Implementing quality automation at scale with Steampunk Spotter: Step-by-step guide

Thu, 12 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Computer Space, a leading IT solutions provider, faced increased complexity in managing large-scale Ansible automation for clients in the banking sector. With hundreds of Ansible Playbooks distributed across teams and repositories, ensuring consistent code quality became a serious challenge.

By implementing Steampunk Spotter as part of their automation framework, Computer Space was able to transform bank’s development workflow, increase productivity from a few automation projects to more than 20 automation projects, and establish a centralized quality control system that benefits both their team and the bank.

Meet the Spotter Crew’s Rewrite Genius – Reeva

Tue, 10 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

We’ve already introduced Scav, the Chief Scanning Officer of the Spotter Crew — the one who finds every flaw in the playbooks. But finding problems is only half the story.

Today, we’re turning the spotlight on the one who makes sure those problems never stay broken: Reeva, the Rewrite Genius of flawless code.

When outdated, broken, or chaotic playbooks threaten your automation, Reeva steps in with speed, precision, and a spark of brilliance. She’s the master of rewrites and repairs, and no one — absolutely no one — fixes things like she does.

Steampunk take on Red Hat Summit 2025

Wed, 28 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

From May 19–22 , Boston hosted this year’s Red Hat Summit and Ansible Fest—an open-source technology gathering that brought together Red Hat and Ansible enthusiasts from around the world. With a dynamic mix of live sessions, hands-on labs, product roadmaps, and partner ecosystem presentations, Red Hat Summit attendees had the chance to learn what’s next for the future of open source.

We were thrilled to be there as a proud sponsor and active member of the Ansible community, sharing insights, exchanging ideas, and enjoying conversations with industry peers.

The Spotter Crew Release: Meet Scav

Tue, 13 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Have you ever wondered how Steampunk Spotter, the Ansible Playbook Platform, actually works? How is playbook scanning executed, how are automated codes achieved, and how is the right check enforced, all in line with your company standards?

Well, it’s not just powerful technology. Behind this powerful automation machine there is a whole crew of specialized characters, each tasked with solving specific challenges in your Ansible workflow.

From code scanning and validation to rewriting and dependency control, the Spotter Crew works behind the scenes to keep your Ansible content up-to-date and reliable.

Achieve Compliant and Secure Ansible Automation – Explore Steampunk Spotter New Features

Wed, 07 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

We’re excited to introduce the latest updates to Steampunk Spotter. These new features give you even more control over your Ansible Playbooks — saving you time on manual reviews and ensuring consistent and validated Ansible content for all your workflows.

From AI-Powered Compliance Validation to CVE Analysis and Security Reports for Ansible Collections, these new features make it easier than ever to automate your playbooks and optimize compliance and security across your organization.

Supply Chain Management 101: Securing Your Ansible Automation with Steampunk Spotter

Wed, 05 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In the fast-paced world of IT automation, managing third-party dependencies in your Ansible workflows is a crucial security and compliance challenge. The modern software supply chain is more complex than ever, with a growing risk of vulnerabilities, compromised dependencies, and outdated components sneaking into your infrastructure.

That’s where Steampunk Spotter’s Supply Chain Management feature comes in—a powerful enterprise-level tool that gives you complete control over which dependencies can be installed or used in your Ansible Playbooks. Whether it’s a specific Python version, an Ansible collection, or an individual module, Spotter helps you enforce security policies to mitigate risks before they become critical issues.

Spotter Custom Policies 104: Accelerating Policy Development for Spotter with ChatGPT

Thu, 20 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In the evolving world of DevOps, ensuring Ansible playbooks adhere to security best practices and internal compliance rules is crucial. Steampunk Spotter provides a robust platform for validating these playbooks, including the ability to enforce custom policies written in Rego, which h already utilised and created a workflow to detect Personal Identifiable Information leakage detection . But Sarah, has now discovered an even more efficient way to craft these policies — by leveraging GenAI (for example ChatGPT, Gemini or DeepSeek and ect.) to accelerate policy development.

Spotter Custom Policies 103: Preventing PII Leaks in Ansible Playbooks

Thu, 06 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

We’ve followed Sarah, a security compliance officer at a global enterprise, on her journey to securing Ansible Playbooks in previous posts. She tackled key security risks in Custom Policies 101: Preventing Sensitive Information Leakage in Your Playbooks and advanced her approach in Spotter Custom Policies 102: Detecting Sensitive Data in Variables and Beyond .

Now, Sarah is facing a new challenge: ensuring that sensitive parameters in playbooks, such as full names, passwords, and API keys, are always protected. As she reviewed logs and configurations, Sarah discovered a worrying trend—sensitive personal data was being inadvertently leaked into logs, posing a major compliance and security risk. With regulatory pressures mounting, including GDPR and internal security policies, she needed a way to proactively detect and prevent these leaks before they reached production.

Spotter Custom Policies 102: Detecting Sensitive Data in Variables and Beyond

Wed, 22 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In our first post, Spotter Custom Policies 101 , we explored how Steampunk Spotter’s custom policies empower teams to tailor their automation checks. Today, we’re diving deeper into a critical use case—detecting potential sensitive data across not just playbooks, but also variable files, and other related content.

Modern IT environments are rich with automation, but they also pose unique security challenges. Ansible, as powerful as it is, doesn’t inherently prevent sensitive information from slipping into places it shouldn’t. Enter Spotter, with its ability to catch these vulnerabilities before they reach production.

Spotter Custom Policies 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Tailored Automation Checks

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Automation workflows often come with unique requirements that standard rules can’t always address. That’s where custom policies in Steampunk Spotter step in. Leveraging Open Policy Agent (OPA) integration, Spotter empowers users to design tailored policies that enhance automation quality, security, and compliance.

This blog post will introduce custom policies, why they matter, and walk you through creating your first custom policy in Spotter.

A Story of Automation Excellence: Meet Sarah

Sarah, a security compliance officer at a global enterprise, was tasked with auditing logs and preventing misconfigurations across the company’s infrastructure. One of Sarah’s focus areas was ensuring Ansible playbooks adhered to strict compliance and security standards. While the company used tools with pre-built checks, they weren’t sufficient to address the specific compliance needs of Sarah’s organization. When Sarh discovered the power of custom policies in Steampunk Spotter , their workflow transformed.

XLAB Steampunk Partners with OceanBridge to Bring Cutting-Edge IT Automation to Japan

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

We’re thrilled to announce our strategic partnership with OceanBridge Inc., a premier Japanese IT solutions provider. Through this collaboration, Steampunk Spotter - a platform designed to enhance the performance and security of Red Hat Ansible Automation - will now be available in the Japanese market. OceanBridge specializes in connecting international IT products with Japanese businesses, making it an ideal partner for XLAB Steampunk’s expansion.

Norikazu Sawa, President and CEO of OceanBridge Inc. and Gregor Berginc, CEO at XLAB & Head of XLAB Steampunk.

Steampunk Spotter 5.0: Supply Chain Management and Security Reports

Wed, 30 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Big things are happening with Steampunk Spotter this fall! We’re excited to introduce version 5.0, bringing major updates designed to give you more control, better security and easier management of Ansible automation projects. The improved Spotter version focuses on boosting your productivity and making sure your automation stays secure and compliant with the latest standards.

Let’s dive into the key highlights of Spotter 5.0.

1. Custom Scan Profiles

Spotter 5.0 gives you the flexibility to create custom scan profiles tailored to your needs. Whether you’re working on different environments or projects, you can now pick which checks to include in a scan with just a few clicks. Additionally, we have added a detailed list of all checks included in each predefined scan profile, along with descriptions.

How to Ensure Only Secure and Approved Ansible Content is Used in Your Ansible Playbooks

Thu, 24 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

When building automation playbooks, Ansible Playbook security and compliance should be top priorities. However, managing dependencies - like specific versions of the Ansible runtime and Ansible Collections - can quickly become unmanageable.

Steampunk Spotter’s Supply Chain Management feature enables teams to maintain strict control over the Ansible content used in their playbooks. This powerful solution empowers security teams to approve safe versions, block unapproved software, and enforce stringent policies. At the same time, playbook writers can focus on creating efficient, secure automation without needing deep Python expertise.

Upgrading your Ansible Playbooks: Step by step guide

Mon, 21 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Upgrading Ansible Playbooks and roles to the latest Ansible version can be quite a challenge, as a lot can change between versions (best practices alter, parameters and modules are moved or renamed, attributes are deprecated) … and the most challenging of all: you need to figure out what you were trying to accomplish with the playbook you wrote all those years ago. Or worse - you weren’t even the one who wrote it in the first place. And now you need to decide how to maintain the effect but upgrade the code.

Steampunk Spotter app: Gain Insights into Ansible Automation Performance, Health, and Security

Tue, 23 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Steampunk Spotter , a powerful Ansible Playbook Platform, has an easy-to-use web interface called the Spotter App that allows you to gain insights into playbook performance, collaborate and manage teams in a shared workspace, tailor checks to your specific needs, and effectively optimize automation through a centralized platform. Let’s dive into Spotter App features.

Analyze Scans

Regardless of where the playbooks are scanned, whether via Spotter CLI , CI/CD or IDE integrations , the history of all scans is available in the app, where you can track the history of each scan and observe how playbooks have improved over time. View detailed summaries of all issues, complete with descriptions, and share actual code snippets with your team to speed up troubleshooting.

Never Deploy Broken Playbooks Again: Ansible Automation Platform and Steampunk Spotter Integration

Thu, 20 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Imagine confidently deploying Ansible Playbooks knowing they’re free of security vulnerabilities and compliance issues. The integration of Steampunk Spotter with Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform (AAP) ensures that every job can be inspected for security vulnerabilities and compliance issues before and even during execution. Let’s delve into how this integration streamlines your workflow and guarantees flawless playbooks.

Why Integrate Ansible Automation Platform with Steampunk Spotter?

Before diving into the specifics, let’s explore why these powerful platforms work best together. While code checking tools help us validate Ansible Playbooks before execution which significantly shortens debugging time and prevents major production issues, the truth is that static code analysis and early fail principle still fall short.

How Deutsche Telekom MMS optimizes Ansible Playbooks with Steampunk Spotter

Thu, 13 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Managing Ansible code quality across multiple teams and projects can be challenging. We talked to Andreas Hering, System Engineer at Deutsche Telekom MMS that shared how he and his team handle the complexities of managing diverse Ansible environments with the help of Steampunk Spotter. They not only achieved significant time saving with the Spotter’s rewrite feature, but also experienced 2-4x speedup in Ansible Playbooks improvement, upgrades and maintenance compared to manual methods.

Steampunk Spotter 4.0: Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform integration and Windows support

Mon, 10 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Exciting news! Steampunk Spotter just got a major update with version 4.0. Our team has been working hard to make Spotter even better for you, and this freshly released version brings advanced enterprise features. We want to empower businesses to efficiently manage automation, ensuring safe and efficient workflows that drive collaboration, productivity, and overall success.

Let’s check out the key highlights that Spotter 4.0 has in store for you.

1. Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform integration

Spotter now seamlessly integrates with Ansible Automation Platform, unlocking a new level of efficiency, reliability and security in your automation.

Steampunk Spotter's LDAP integration

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Spotter has a new enterprise integration: LDAP, including custom mapping out-of-the-box!

Users of our on-premises installation are now able to sign in with their organization’s LDAP provider, massively simplifying user and permission management. In contrast to most integrations, Spotter’s LDAP integration offers no tiered limitations to functionality: if you have Spotter on-prem, you get user, group and permission mapping without having to account for an additional tier of service or support.

Avoid Ansible Playbooks Decay: Importance of Daily Playbook Testing

Wed, 13 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Sounds familiar? You’ve invested hours into writing a perfect Ansible Playbook only to see it fail a few months later. No matter how high-quality, super secure and reliable your playbooks are, the real challenge begins there. To maintain their functionality, consistent scanning is crucial. That may not seem like a big deal, but what if you’re dealing with thousands of playbooks? Sounds frustrating, we know. And yes, we’re here to tell you it doesn’t have to be that way.

Securing your automation: A guide to ensuring Ansible Playbook security

Tue, 06 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In IT infrastructure management, automation tools like Ansible have become indispensable for streamlining workflows, reducing errors, and increasing efficiency. But, as you know, with great power comes great responsibility. In the world of automation, that means taking care of the security side of things, especially when it comes to the playbooks that make the magic happen. See how to ensure implementation of secure playbooks and enhance the overall security of your automation workflows.

How to assure compliance of your Ansible Playbooks

Tue, 16 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Compliance is a critical aspect of IT operations. It’s important to ensure that your Ansible Playbooks are compliant with all relevant regulations and standards, or your business can suffer serious consequences, reaching far beyond just technical issues. But as your infrastructure grows, it gets harder and harder to keep playbooks compliant.

In this blog post we’ll explain why it’s so important and how to achieve compliance effectively and without hassle.

XLAB Steampunk’s Year in Review: A whole lot of (automation) magic

Thu, 21 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

To say that the year raced by like a well-steamed machine is an understatement. No wonder, because looking back, the year was full of adventures! Join us on a trip down memory lane and celebrate our milestones.

New features

In our commitment to enhancing your Steampunk Spotter experience, we’ve rolled out a plethora of new features:

⚙️ Custom rules - Easily create and manage custom rules, written in universal human-readable language to simplify policy management across your cloud-native stack. Watch DEMO.

Ansible Playbook development: Step-by-step guide

Mon, 11 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Ansible is a powerful automation tool for managing and configuring systems and devices. With Ansible Playbooks, you can automate tasks from simple configuration changes to complex deployments. Simply describe the desired state of your infrastructure and Ansible will make it happen. But writing reliable, maintainable and secure playbooks takes practice.

In this blog post, we’ll explore a good developer flow for writing Ansible Playbooks and we’ll do it with a practical example: configuring and starting a documentation server.

Securing and streamlining your CI/CD pipelines with Jenkins and Steampunk Spotter

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The quickly evolving realm of software development calls for efficiency and security in continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines. Steampunk Spotter and Jenkins are both popular DevOps tools, and they can be used together to improve the quality and security of your software development process. It is common not to deploy locally but in CI/CD pipelines in DevOps. This diminishes your control and by integrating Spotter into your Jenkins pipeline, you can automatically scan your Ansible Playbooks for errors and vulnerabilities before they are deployed to production. This can help you avoid costly and time-consuming production outages and security breaches.

Ansible Playbook writing for beginners: Automate your morning routine

Fri, 17 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Time is precious, and while you’re undoubtedly awesome, you can’t be everywhere at once, right? Picture this: what if you could magically make some of your daily chores handle themselves? Unfortunately, we can’t wave a wand to teleport ourselves from bed to work, but there’s a bunch of tasks that can be made way easier through automation. Ansible Playbooks are a powerful tool – think of them as your minions, ready to tackle your tasks, even when you’re kicking back.

Steampunk Spotter 3.0: Enterprise-Grade Ansible Playbook Platform

Tue, 14 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000

In the fast-paced landscape of modern enterprise IT automation, businesses are constantly seeking solutions that enhance reliability, security, and efficiency. We’re excited to announce the release of Steampunk Spotter 3.0 , a powerful toolkit that addresses these very needs. The freshly released version unveils the Ansible Playbook Platform, a revolutionary offering set to redefine how businesses of all sizes can optimize their automation processes.

Explore what’s new.

Key Features of Steampunk Spotter 3.0

Automation is a cornerstone of streamlined and cost-effective operations, but managing it at scale can pose significant challenges. This is where Steampunk Spotter steps in, helping businesses automate their IT infrastructure with Ansible. It mitigates risks, increases operational efficiency, and ensures compliance.

Custom Policies 101: Preventing Sensitive Information Leakage in Your Playbooks

Tue, 24 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

As automation takes center stage in modern IT environments, the security of automation scripts, especially Ansible Playbooks, cannot be overstated. One interesting security vulnerability in automation is keeping it compliant with company policies. This blog post will explore how to use Steampunk Spotter ’s custom policies to prevent personally identifiable information leakage vulnerability in Ansible Playbooks. In our use case, we will demonstrate this for full name leakage prevention and be one step closer to GDPR like compliances.

Flexible Ansible Playbook scanning with Steampunk Spotter

Mon, 16 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

In the ever-evolving landscape of automation, the need for a versatile and adaptable tool is becoming increasingly vital. Enter Steampunk Spotter , the dynamic solution that empowers you to scan your Ansible content precisely and flexibly. Spotter is an Ansible Playbook Scanning platform that offers valuable insights into your playbooks to help you optimize and maximize your automation. 

Let’s delve into the myriad of benefits Spotter brings for Ansible Playbook developers, quality assurance teams, operations teams, and security teams.

How to Add Spotter to Your CI/CD Process for Enhanced Security

Thu, 28 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) have become cornerstone practices in modern DevOps, streamlining code from development into production. However, the speed and automation of CI/CD can sometimes introduce security vulnerabilities if not handled carefully. That’s where tools like Steampunk Spotter come into play, serving as an added layer of security within your CI/CD pipeline.

The Importance of Code Analysis Tools in CI/CD

Challenges in Modern Development

Today’s codebases are dynamic and increasingly complex. While CI/CD pipelines facilitate rapid development, they can also introduce code vulnerabilities if there is a lack of proper analysis.

Steampunk Spotter: Skipping and Enforcing Checks

Wed, 06 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The skipping and enforcing checks feature allows you to fine-tune Spotter’s output, enabling the execution of checks that align with specific use cases. For example, if Spotter finds a potential risk, which you assess and accept, you can decide to skip it and Spotter won’t show you the error, hint, or warning again. And if you are leading a team and want to be sure a certain check is always included, you can enforce it on the administrative level. With Spotter, you’re always in control. This functionality offers centralized control over Ansible Playbook checks, determining which checks to skip and which to enforce throughout automation workflows.

Using Spotter's Scan Profiles

Tue, 29 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Steampunk Spotter is an Ansible Playbook Scanning platform that offers valuable insights into your playbooks to help you optimize and maximize your automation. In this blog post, we will discuss Spotter’s Scan profiles, a feature that adds a new dimension to your Ansible Playbook scanning experience. Whether you want to improve your playbook, upgrade it, or ensure it will execute securely, the scan profiles ensure that the scan results meet your specific goals.

AI-Powered Ansible Playbooks | XLAB Steampunk

Sat, 22 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

While there are many AI tools that can generate Ansible Playbooks in seconds, the current state of AI systems and their knowledge base for writing playbooks is not yet sufficient to create production-ready playbooks without manual rewriting.

Fortunately, we have tools such as Ansible Lint and Steampunk Spotter at our disposal to assist us in checking and iteratively improving the quality of playbooks through playbook scanning. By combining AI and Ansible Playbook scanning tools, we can speed up the playbook writing process, produce high-quality, reliable, and secure playbooks, and enable AI tools to continuously learn from good examples, get smarter and deliver better results. With AI-powered Ansible Playbooks, we can streamline processes and transform the future of automation.

Improve the reliability and security of Ansible Playbooks with Steampunk Spotter

Fri, 21 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

This post was originally published on DevOps Madness.com .

The author of this blog post is Ioannis Moustakis, Solutions Architect at AWS and creator of DevOpsMadness.com blog. Opinions expressed are solely his own.

Ansible has been one of the most dominant tools for enabling configuration management and automation in complex systems. Playbooks are fundamental building blocks of Ansible as a primary way to automate a series of tasks. However, ensuring their reliability, security, quality, and effectiveness can take time, knowledge, and effort. Enter Steampunk Spotter , an Ansible Playbook scanning tool that helps you effortlessly create, maintain, and update Ansible Playbooks and achieve reliable and secure execution of automation. In this blog post, we’ll talk about what Spotter is, how to use it, and what benefits it brings. Let’s dive in.

AI-Powered Ansible Playbooks: The future of automation

Mon, 17 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Let’s explore the exciting realm of AI and its impact on creating high-quality, secure, reliable production-ready Ansible Playbooks. Within this blog post, we highlight the pivotal role played by tools like Ansible Lint and Steampunk Spotter in ensuring the quality and trustworthiness of Ansible content while using AI tools like ChatGPT.

Exploring the potential of AI in production-ready Infrastructure as Code

With the rise of ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot, Amazon CodeWhisperer, Ansible Lightspeed, and other AI tools, the demand for faster and more efficient content generation is growing. However, a question remains: Is AI advanced and reliable enough to produce production-ready Infrastructure as Code, particularly in the case of Ansible Playbooks?

How to automatically fix Ansible content with Steampunk Spotter

Tue, 11 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

We’re thrilled to introduce you to one of our most exciting features - the Steampunk Spotter rewrite function. With this powerful option, Spotter can automatically fix specific errors in your Ansible Playbooks, eliminating the need for manual intervention, saving you valuable time and effort.

Let’s walk through the automatic fix capabilities of Spotter.

1. Scan

First, let’s look at our playbook:

--- 

- hosts: all 
 become: false 

 tasks: 

 - name: Generate a private key 
 openssl_privatekey: 
 path: &privkey_path /etc/nginx/ssl-nginx.key 
 size: 2048 

 - action: 
 module: file 
 mode: '0644' 
 state: present 
 delegate_to: localhost 

 - name: Create a CSR 
 openssl_csr: 
 path: &csr_path /etc/nginx/ssl-nginx.csr 
 privatekey_path: *privkey_path 
 commonName: "{{ ansible_hostname }}" 
 always_run: true 
 when: true 

 - name: Generate a Self Signed OpenSSL certificate 
 openssl_certificate: 
 path: &cert_path /etc/nginx/ssl-nginx.crt 
 provider: selfsigned 
 privatekey_path: *privkey_path 
 csr_path: *csr_path 

 - name: Template out the nginx config file 
 action: 
 module: template 
 src: "nginx-{{ ansible_distribution }}.conf" 
 dest: /etc/nginx/nginx.conf 
 mode: u=rw,g=rw,o=r 
 register: nginx_config

And now, we can run the scan:

How to Use Steampunk Spotter in GitLab CI/CD

Fri, 07 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

You can use Steampunk Spotter in many diverse ways and integrate it with your favorite tools. In this blog post, we look at how to use Spotter with GitLab CI/CD. We will demonstrate how you can use it to scan Ansible content within your GitLab repository.

Create a new Git repository on GitLab

First, you open GitLab and create a new Git repository. To create a new project, click on “New project” and select “Create blank project,” then name the repository “spotter-gitlab-ci” and choose to initialize it with a README file while keeping it private.

How to Use Steampunk Spotter with GitHub Actions

Thu, 06 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Steampunk Spotter is a versatile tool that can be integrated with various tools to enhance your workflow. This blog post will explore using Spotter in CI/CD pipelines with GitHub Actions. By leveraging the Spotter action available on GitHub Marketplace we will demonstrate how to scan Ansible content within your GitHub repositories.

Create a new Git repository on GitHub

To begin, open GitHub and create a new Git repository.

Give it a name like “spotter-github-ci” and ensure it is set as private. You can initialize the repository with a README file.

Steampunk Spotter Visual Studio Code Extension: Setup and scanning

Tue, 04 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

This blog post explores the Visual Studio Code (VSC) extension of Steampunk Spotter, a powerful platform that helps you identify and fix errors in your Ansible content, making automation more reliable, secure, and effective.

You can install the extension from the Visual Studio Marketplace or Open VSX Registry. The extension requires a Spotter user account and the Spotter CLI installed in the console that you use with VS Code by default.

How to use Steampunk Spotter CLI to scan your Ansible Playbook

Mon, 26 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Steampunk Spotter helps you simplify and accelerate your automation with improved playbooks that guarantee reliable execution. The Steampunk Spotter CLI enables use from the console with the ability to scan Ansible content such as playbooks, roles, collections, or task files.

Let’s get started!

Step 1: Install Steampunk Spotter

To use Steampunk Spotter CLI, you first need to sign up here. By signing up, we avoid unauthenticated requests and reduce the API’s malicious load while making it easily accessible.

Managing infrastructure using Ansible Automation Platform

Thu, 22 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

This post was originally published on September 22, 2020. The content has been updated to reflect the latest releases.

Some of our previous posts focused on infrastructure management using Ansible. We will take things one step further today and create a rudimentary self-service catalog using Ansible Automation Platform .

Speed up Playbook Development: Assisted Playbook Writing Feature

Thu, 08 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

In today’s fast-paced world of automation, efficiency is key. Simplifying and speeding up playbook writing can significantly maximize productivity and help you achieve automation goals. That’s why we are excited to introduce Spotter’s Assisted Playbook Writing feature. In this blog post, we will delve into the powerful capabilities of Spotter and how it transforms how you create playbooks.

The feature is available in Steampunk Spotter’s Visual Studio Code extension. You can install the extension from the Visual Studio Marketplace or Open VSX Registry. The extension requires a Steampunk Spotter user account and the Steampunk Spotter CLI installed in the console that you use with VS Code by default.

Check out the checks in Spotter

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Steampunk Spotter, an Ansible Playbook Platform, includes a variety of checks that improve the quality, reliability, and security of your Ansible Playbooks. The checks are divided into several categories:  

Best practice checks

Best practice checks help you write playbooks that keep a common standard and aim to be more consistent, reliable, and readable. They also support the Red Hat Ansible Best Practice guide.

Check for fully qualified collection names (FQCN) and automatically apply rewrites.

Steampunk Spotter: What's new in 2.0?

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

We’re excited to announce that Spotter 2.0 is here, bigger and better, ready to conquer all of your automation challenges! Our dedicated team has once again outdone themselves and gone the extra mile to ensure the stability, reliability, and security of your Ansible Playbooks. The freshly released version is packed with new and enhanced enterprise-ready features and checks that will make your automation even more reliable and secure. Explore what’s new.

How Spotter helps Systems Architects reach trustable automation

Tue, 09 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

We talked with Sebastian Gumprich, a Systems Architect and DevOps enthusiast, who was one of the first early adopters of Steampunk Spotter and provided us with valuable insights for improvements.

Sebastian works at Telekom MMS GmbH, which offers a broad scope of IT services to its customers. In his role within the operations department, which provides infrastructure, management and hosting of customer’s applications, Sebastian is responsible for developing solutions to improve and automate the work of all operations teams. The company relies heavily on automation, especially Red Hat Ansible, to ensure the best possible quality of services.

Join us for Red Hat Summit and see Spotter in action

Tue, 25 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Good news! We don’t have to wait until fall for the greatest IT automation event of them all. This year, AnsibleFest will be part of Red Hat Summit, the premier open-source technology event and it’s only a month away. From May 23 – 25, Ansible enthusiasts from around the world will crowd Boston in search of exciting automation experience!

With a diverse lineup of live sessions, keynotes, hands-on labs, and partner programming, Red Hat Summit promises to cater to everyone’s interest and enable attendees to stay up-to-date on the latest trends in the field of open source, hybrid cloud, and automation.

Custom policies: Achieve secure and compliant automation

Fri, 14 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Let’s face it, what it means to have successful automation varies from one business to another. At Steampunk Spotter , we are acutely aware of this fact. We heard you loud and clear, custom policies are here, available as an enterprise feature. They allow you to create new Spotter checks according to specific policies you might be using, either for yourself or your clients. By using custom policies, you can be sure your Ansible Playbooks act according to all internal or general regulatory standards that you set for yourself.

Ansible vs Jenkins: Main differences and which one to choose?

Tue, 04 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Ansible and Jenkins are popular, well-acclaimed automation tools used to implement DevOps principles. Can, or better yet, should they be compared? Let’s find out!

Ansible is used for various automation applications like cloud provisioning, configuration management, and intra-service orchestration, while Jenkins simplifies application development and deployment, used for building, testing, and deploying software projects.

Often used in the Jenkins pipeline flow, Ansible can be used for reusing roles and playbooks to provision target environments. Jenkins can be the orchestrator instead of the executor for shell scripts this way. Ansible shines at resource orchestration and software provisioning, whereas Jenkins shines at CI/CD deployment and plugins. Though the two tools are basically DevOps tools, they have many differences in terms of features and functionalities. They can, however, also complement each other.

3 ways to update Ansible Playbooks to the latest Ansible version

Thu, 23 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000

In this blog post, we will discuss three ways to update your Ansible Playbooks to the latest version. By the end of it, you’ll understand what tools you should use to upgrade Ansible Playbooks with quality and speed.

Let’s dive in!

1. Use the –syntax-check flag

The --syntax-check flag on ansible-playbook command is used to check the syntax of your playbook without executing it. This can help you identify any errors or issues that may occur when updating your playbook to the latest version of Ansible. It is always recommended to use the –syntax-check flag before running any playbook to ensure that there are no syntax errors.

Ansible Automation Platform 2 Upgrade: Preparation and Planning

Wed, 15 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Every day we are edging closer and closer to finally migrating to Ansible Automation Platform 2 (AAP 2). It brings updated architecture, new tools, and an enhanced automation experience that will simplify and modernize your automation journey. Now the time has come to start thoroughly preparing for the upgrade. We are going to talk about how to prepare for AAP 2.3 (the latest released version) update and be ahead of the curve when the day finally comes.

Client Spotlight: Scale Computing accelerates customer adoption with Ansible integration

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000

To enable its customers to remotely deploy applications to multiple sites simultaneously, Scale Computing decided to enhance its product with Ansible integration. To achieve the best possible result, they decided to trust XLAB Steampunk to develop the Ansible Collection. Did we live up to their expectations and help them achieve desired outcomes? What was it like working with us?

In today’s client spotlight, we talk to Dave Demlow, Vice President of product strategy at Scale Computing.

How to create a reliable Ansible Playbook (with a template)

Mon, 06 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000

So, you decided to write your first Ansible Playbook. Maybe not even your first, maybe you just want to know how to write secure and reliable ones. Splendid, you came to the right place. This blog is a simple guide to help you get started or improve on your playbook writing journey.

What can you do with Ansible Playbooks?

The whole point of writing playbooks is to automate those pesky tedious manual tasks. In general, automation usually applies to larger systems of IT infrastructure, so we assume you would like to create a reusable configuration management and multi machine deployment system. This system should be simple, yet capable of deploying complex applications easily. High quality Ansible Collections can help you establish this robust automation workflow, but their content needs to be then applied appropriately, to achieve the key needed ingredient of great automation, which is their reliability.

Client Spotlight: One of Slovenia's largest Financial Services Companies automated infrastructure with Ansible

Tue, 14 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

One of Slovenia’s largest financial services companies needed a solution to automate the management of its infrastructure. With a proof of concept, XLAB implemented production-ready deployment of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform, helping the client take the first step on its path to efficient and transparent IT infrastructure management.

The Challenge

The client used various automation tools that were vendor-specific or even did things manually, especially when it came to Linux. While they managed Windows servers sufficiently, the situation with Linux servers was a bit different. They have never systematically tackled centralized management of Linux servers. They were looking for a solution to unify the automation of their infrastructure. Another major challenge was ensuring compliance, since as a financial services company they are subject to constant internal and external audits.

Future of Ansible Playbook writing: How ChatGPT is changing the game

Tue, 31 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

In the past few months, AI systems have caused quite a stir on the web. We couldn’t wait to get our hands dirty and try to write Ansible Playbooks even faster, or at least learn something new. In this post, we’ll take a look at the new AI trends seen around the IT world and we’ll test how we can use AI to create playbooks.

Or as ChatGPT would say, “Welcome to the wonderful world of AI! It’s like the Wild West of technology, where the robots are the sheriffs, and the algorithms are the outlaws. In this post, we’ll be taming the AI beast and teaching it to do our bidding.”

Upgrade to Ansible Automation Platform 2: What's new and how to speed up the migration

Thu, 26 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Red Hat launched Ansible Automation Platform 2 (AAP2) in September 2021 and has since already updated to version 2.3. It brings many excellent features to further enhance your automation. The current date to finally upgrade from Ansible Automation Platform 1.2 to AAP2 is September 2023, so now would be a great time to start thinking about the upgrade.

Yes, we know that upgrades can present a challenge, but do not let it hold you back. Not only do the benefits of AAP2 far outweigh any difficulties you may face, with the help of the right tools, such as Steampunk Spotter , you can upgrade your playbooks in minutes instead of hours.

Why use Steampunk Spotter when we already have Ansible Lint?

Tue, 24 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Ansible Lint is a tool that checks your Ansible Playbooks for errors and provides recommendations for improvements. Steampunk Spotter is a tool that checks your Ansible Playbooks for errors and provides recommendations for improvements. So, what’s the deal? Is Spotter just a fancy Ansible Lint? Do we really need two similar tools? Why should you use Spotter, if you already use Ansible Lint? What does Spotter have that Ansible Lint doesn’t already? Yeah, we’re used to these questions, and we understand. At first glance, both tools can look quite the same.

How to upgrade your Ansible Playbook in 20 minutes instead of 2 hours

Tue, 17 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

If you’re reading this, you know the feeling of putting off upgrading your Ansible Playbooks for as long as possible because you know it will take time, effort, and patience to do it. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Not when we have tools to do the grunt work for us, such as Ansible Lint and Steampunk Spotter.

Ansible Lint validates Ansible syntax to catch misconfigurations and enforce best practices in Ansible content, whereas Steampunk Spotter goes beyond syntax checks when analyzing your playbooks - and especially shines when it comes to Ansible upgrades. It scans your content and takes into account your environment to identify all the things you need to resolve when performing your upgrade. Many of provided hints, warnings and errors such as the use of FQCNs and generating requirements file with correct collection requirement versions can be applied automatically (automagically :P). For the other, more tricky issues, the suggestions are equipped by links to module documentation of a specific version.

Step by step analysis of an Ansible Upgrade

Wed, 07 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Upgrading Ansible Playbooks to the newest Ansible version can be quite a challenge, as a lot can change between versions (best practices alter, parameters and modules are moved or renamed, attributes are deprecated). And if you’re upgrading from older versions when Ansible Collections weren’t even a thing, you’re in for some heavy lifting if you approach this process manually.

In this webinar, we take you through the process of upgrading your playbooks from Ansible 2.4 to Ansible 2.14 step by step and we show you how Steampunk Spotter can help you fix five years of dependency changes in no time.

Automate and strengthen your security with Ansible

Thu, 17 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000

This post was originally published on XLAB Blog .

Modern IT systems and infrastructures are becoming increasingly complex, and while technological advancements bring many benefits to organizations, they also open up new opportunities to exploit their security vulnerabilities and weaknesses. The consequences of sophisticated cyber attacks can be severe, ranging from financial losses and lost productivity to legal liability and reputational damage, so security of IT infrastructure should be among the company’s priorities. And while this is not an easy task, it is definitely one that companies must address to ensure the security of their business.

Keeping your secrets out of Ansible Playbooks

Thu, 10 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000

This post was originally published on July 15, 2020, but the content has since been updated to adhere to latest best practices.

Every good web service needs a good authentication layer. AWS uses IAM to manage users, one of which is your development user (you’re not using the root account, are you?). How do we authenticate with AWS when Ansible? Let’s find out!

Steampunk Spotter: Analyze Ansible Playbooks and Enhance Automation

Wed, 09 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000

This post was originally published on October 13, 2022. The content has been updated to reflect the latest releases.

Don’t you wish you had a little helper by your side to spot elusive errors when writing Ansible Playbooks? Or anticipate potential problems playbooks might cause when you run them? Well, now you do!

Steampunk Spotter is a powerful platform you can use to analyze and enhance your Ansible Playbooks. It helps you simplify and speed up your automation with improved playbooks that guarantee reliable execution.

Steampunk Spotter: What's new in 1.1?

Thu, 03 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000

We’re constantly improving Steampunk Spotter by adding new checks that enhance stability, reliability, and security of your Ansible Playbooks, and enriching the Spotter app with advanced reporting features. We’re excited to announce the release of version 1.1 of Spotter, which brings new checks for an easier Ansible upgrade process, new integration, and a new reporting feature in the Spotter app, among other improvements. Read on to learn what’s new in Spotter 1.1.

Introduction to configuration management tools

Wed, 12 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000

This post was originally posted on October, 22, 2020. The content has been revised to reflect latest trends.

In this article, you’ll learn the basics of Configuration Management tools so that you can decide which one you need. Whether you’re looking to automate your infrastructure management or are just browsing for future reference, you’ll walk away with a handful of useful takeaways and insights.

Getting started with Ansible

Fri, 07 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000

This post was originally published on November 12, 2020, but the content has been updated according to the recent Ansible changes.

In our previous blog post , we looked at what configuration management tools bring to the table. And in this post, we will take a closer look at Ansible, our configuration management tool of choice. So if you want to learn what Ansible is, what it does, and how it works, this is the post for you.

The Best Cloud Infrastructure Automation Tools of 2022

Fri, 07 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000

This post was originally published on March 18, 2021, but the content has been updated according to the recent trends.

Cloud automation tools can save companies time and money by enabling them to focus their efforts and resources on value-added activities instead of managing their cloud infrastructure. And as a cloud provider, it is in your best interest to ensure your users have the best possible experience by automating at scale.

Join us for AnsibleFest and Contributor Summit 2022

Fri, 30 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Are you ready for one of the biggest IT automation events of the year? In less than a month, Ansible enthusiasts from around the world will gather for AnsibleFest. This year’s event will feature a wide range of live sessions, labs, demos, and also on-demand sessions, so everyone is sure to find something interesting, catch up on the latest news, and expand their Ansible knowledge.

And there’s no better way to warm up before the big event than to attend the Ansible Contributor Summit, which takes place the day before AnsibleFest. It is a great opportunity to get involved in the Ansible community, find out how it works, and get a glimpse of future plans.

Steampunk Spotter

Tue, 20 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Steampunk Spotter analyzes and provides recommendations for your Ansible Playbooks to help you increase the reliability and security of your automation.

Dealing with Ansible upgrades in an intelligent way

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000

If you are reading this, you are no stranger to the Ansible update and upgrade process. The fact that Ansible is constantly being improved is great. And while the community is making its best effort to minimize breaking changes, there are times when keeping your Ansible content up to date requires additional work. To make things as clear as possible, let’s tackle this topic step by step.

In this post, we’ll explain:

Say hello to Steampunk Spotter: Assisted Automation Writing Tool

Tue, 30 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000

There hasn’t been much buzz around our Ansible Playbook Quality Scanner lately. But with a good reason. Our team has been putting blood, sweat, and tears (of joy 😉) into shaping the Scanner into what it was meant to be all along - the ultimate helper for your automation.

With a bunch of new checks and features added, Scanner actually grew so much, it outgrew its name. It evolved into Steampunk Spotter , indispensable tool that analyzes and enhances your Ansible Playbooks to help you reduce risks and speed up your automation.

Automating management of Linux infrastructure with Ansible

Wed, 03 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Ansible can be used to automate anything, from configuration management, application deployment, provisioning, orchestration, and networking to security. In this post, we will focus on one specific use case: setting up and updating Linux with Ansible.

Problem

Our client needed help with optimizing the management of their server fleet. The existing environment consists of a Microsoft Active Directory (AD) domain with Windows and Linux servers. The network is isolated. There is no connection to the Internet except for a few select services. For example, operating system updates are retrieved from the Internet but by a single dedicated server acting as an application-level firewall and a caching proxy.

The ultimate guide for writing high-quality Ansible Playbooks

Wed, 13 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0000

The point of automating IT tasks is to save time. But in reality, the process of successfully automating a task can actually take longer than the task itself if your instructions are not clear. So should we give up on automating IT and miss out on all its benefits ?

Of course not, manual management of the increasingly complex IT infrastructure is simply not viable anymore. So, should we just accept the fact that before automation simplifies our life, it will complicate it a bit first? Well, everything comes at a price, but if you get it right from the start, you’ll reap the invaluable benefits of automation in no time.

What we learned about IT automation at Red Hat Summit 2022

Thu, 02 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

How often do you get the chance to hear firsthand from the people behind the code? Red Hat Summit, the premier open source technology event, brings a valuable opportunity to listen to open source leaders and the community, hear the latest news and announcements, and learn more about IT automation and Ansible .

Whether you are just learning about automation or want to catch up on the latest Ansible trends, everyone can find something at the Summit. The event took place on May 10 and 11, but don’t worry if you missed it – most of the sessions are still available on-demand, so you can watch them whenever you want (while we all impatiently wait for AnsibleFest, where all IT automation enthusiasts really get our kicks off). We have prepared a brief summary of our favourites, so keep reading.

Why choose Ansible for your IT automation

Tue, 26 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Increasing infrastructure complexity and limited time and staff – IT teams not yet embracing automation struggle to keep the vital IT processes up and running. IT automation increases productivity and efficiency while relieving teams of manual tasks, minimizing service disruptions and the risk of errors.

You know manually keeping up isn’t working anymore and you know the benefits of automation. But what now? Before tackling the deployment of automation across your IT infrastructure, you first need to choose the appropriate tool, capable of solving your challenges most efficiently. Yes, there are many automation tools out there, but one stands out. Read on to see why choose Red Hat Ansible and what you can automate with it.

Technical workshop: Automation with Ansible

Thu, 14 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0000

This post was originally published on the XLAB blog .

Managing dynamic IT environments is no longer possible without IT automation, which frees IT teams from repetitive tasks, increases productivity and efficiency, reduces the chance of errors, and allows you to do much more with the resources you have .

Do more, faster: IT automation ignites business growth

Thu, 10 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000

This post was originally published on the XLAB blog .

Modern businesses must respond quickly to the rapidly evolving technology landscape and market demands and innovate faster than ever before to deliver top-notch services, providing superior user experience. That can’t be done without constantly incorporating new technologies. And as the world moves forward at the speed of light, IT teams - the backbone of modern organizations - struggle to keep the lights on when they should be shining instead.

Avoiding common mistakes in your Ansible Playbooks

Wed, 12 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Ansible Collections gave us much more control over the content we use when building our Ansible Playbooks. But they also brought on a new challenge: identifying high-quality content. Take a look here to see how to make sure the content you intend to use in your playbooks is up to standard.

Avoiding common mistakes in Ansible Playbooks | XLAB Steampunk

Tue, 07 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000

When we write an Ansible Playbook or role, we usually do so because we want to automate error-prone manual tasks. But if the Ansible Playbook we wrote is unreliable, all we did is replace one source of problems with another. Fortunately, with a little bit of knowledge, discipline, and help from appropriate tools, everyone can write a high-quality Ansible Playbook.

In this webinar, you’ll learn how to make your Ansible Playbooks reliable and versatile and get familiar with the tools you can use to improve the quality of your playbooks, such as our Ansible Playbook Quality Scanner. As a bonus, you’ll get answers from a developer involved in maintaining the Molecule and Ansible Lint tools.

Cloud automation for cloud providers | XLAB Steampunk

Tue, 07 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Why should cloud providers care about Ansible integrations? Because having a high-quality Ansible Collection for your cloud gives your users the ability to manage their infrastructure with ease, and the improved user experience accelerates the adoption of your cloud in return.

In this webinar, you’ll find out more about the value the Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform brings to you and your users. You’ll also learn how XLAB Steampunk experts can help you get to market faster, automate your customers’ complex tasks, and increase revenue - all without having to build your own Ansible practice.

Using Steampunk Scanner's Command Line Interface (CLI)

Thu, 11 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Almost exactly five months ago, we unveiled the first version of Steampunk Scanner . To keep things simple, we only offered an online version at that time. The initial version took an Ansible Playbook as input and returned some suggestions on how to improve your content .

What's new: Automating ServiceNow with Ansible Automation Platform

Wed, 13 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000

This post was originally published on the Ansible blog .

It has been almost half a year since the XLAB Steampunk and Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform teams developed the first version of the Red Hat Ansible Certified Content Collection for ServiceNow IT Service Management (ITSM) . You may also want to read our ServiceNow introduction if you are not familiar with this already. So, let’s take a look at what is new since the last release.

Did you miss our AnsibleFest talks? Watch them on demand!

Mon, 04 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000

AnsibleFest, the event all of us IT automation enthusiasts look forward to all year, is behind us. We’re proud to have once again been an active part of this invaluable opportunity to catch up on the latest news and expand Ansible skills, as we are always happy to share our Ansible expertise and help make your automation journey smoother.

Join us for AnsibleFest and Contributor Summit 2021

Wed, 22 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000

September holds a special place in the Ansible world. Why? Because of the AnsibleFest , of course! It is one of the biggest IT automation events in the world where seasoned pros and new Ansible enthusiasts alike can find something exciting to learn.

WEBINAR for cloud providers: Cloud automation with Ansible

Thu, 26 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Ansible can automate anything, and cloud is no exception. Automating cloud with Ansible gives your users a chance to simplify management of their existing infrastructure. And when your users benefit, you benefit, too!

Writing reliable Ansible Playbooks

Thu, 17 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000

We often talk about techniques and tools that help developers write high-quality Ansible content (modules and plugins). Of course, having high-quality Ansible collections is a prerequisite for creating robust automation workflows, but Ansible Playbook authors still need to use that content appropriately. And this is the topic we will talk about today.

Cloud automation with Ansible series: Inventory caching

Thu, 03 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000

We’ve previously talked about using a dynamic inventory for cloud automation with Ansible and promised to also explore inventory caching. Here we are! We’re looking at what inventory caching is, why we need it, and how it can speed up our day-to-day operations with Ansible.

Ansible role argument specification

Thu, 20 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

It has been a while since our last hardcore technical post. So we decided to put steamy cloud posts aside for a moment and get down and dirty with one of the new features of Ansible Core 2.11: argument specification for Ansible roles.

Automating ServiceNow with Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform

Thu, 13 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

This post was originally published on the Ansible blog .

IT service management (ITSM) is a collection of policies and processes for the management and support of IT services. The main focus of ITSM is increasing the value of the customers service chain. But without the proper automation support, providing IT services can quickly become a major time-sink.

Cloud automation with Ansible series: Dynamic inventory

Thu, 06 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

If you have any decent amount of servers in the cloud, you want to use automation to create and manage them. Even with few servers, having your infrastructure specified as code serves the much-needed dual purpose of documenting exactly what is necessary for your setup and giving you the ability to deploy and redeploy your stack quickly and reliably.

Ansible: Add value to your product with IT automation

Thu, 15 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

This post was originally published on Red Hat Partner Connect blog .

Think of IT automation with Ansible as the perfect way to help customers by automating repeated tasks, product updates, management, and provisioning of your product. Because of Ansible’s widespread adoption, chances are your customers already realize the benefits of its integration with your product and are looking forward to extending the use cases of Ansible inside their organization.

5 tips for choosing an Ansible collection that's right for you

Wed, 31 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000

This post was originally published on Opensource.com .

In August 2020, Ansible issued its first release since the developers split the core functionality from the vast majority of its modules and plugins. A few basic Ansible modules remain part of core Ansible - modules for templating configuration files, managing services, and installing packages. All the other modules and plugins found their homes in dedicated Ansible collections .

Why Cloud Automation with Ansible is The Future

Thu, 18 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Cloud provisioning is a critical element of the modern cloud computing model. We live in the age of microservices, where automation is not a nice-to-have anymore. It became an integral part of everyday operations.

Ansible Integration: Possible use cases for your product

Wed, 27 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Are you looking into creating an Ansible integration for your product? The integration will speed up the adoption of your product , attract new users, and ease its use. However, decide on an integration that doesn’t fit your product and it will have no real value for your business.

Should you build or outsource the development of Ansible Collections?

Wed, 13 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

You are ready for an Ansible integration.

Based on your initial research, developing Ansible integration for your product will speed up adoption rate and attract new users. However, there’s one important decision left to make - are you going to develop the integration in-house, or will you outsource it to Ansible experts?

The benefits of IT automation and why you should start using it now

Wed, 06 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

This post was originally published on the XLAB blog .

IT automation is not a choice anymore, it’s a necessity. To stay competitive, a business must optimize processes and enable employees to stop focusing on routine tasks and start focusing on activities that create a competitive edge on the market. But how to begin the automation of your IT processes? XLAB Steampunk experts recommend Red Hat Ansible and help you with the implementation of automation.

A Short Guide to Increasing Your Product Adoption with IT automation

Tue, 15 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Successful product adoption results in high user engagement and loyal brand advocates who love your product and use it regularly. It’s the culmination of customer satisfaction, and is a vital tenet that encourages others to purchase your products.

The Importance Of Software Integrations For Your Product

Tue, 01 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Integration is a crucial aspect of any modern business. As businesses in every industry are managing increasingly more complex systems, a shift towards unified automation and DevOps principles is essential to stay competitive.

Why and how of the NGINX Unit Ansible Collection

Thu, 26 Nov 2020 00:00:00 +0000

At the beginning of July 2020, we started using the NGINX Unit application server in one of our projects. Because we are not barbarians, we wanted to use Ansible to automate the deployment. And this is where the “fun” started.

In this post, we will give a short backstory about our NGINX Unit adoption, continue with the reasons behind our decision to create a complete Ansible Collection instead of a simple Ansible role, and conclude with a short development process overview.

Speed up Automation with Ansible Collections

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Automation is becoming the preferred method for adopting new technologies among users. High-quality Ansible Collections help eliminate barriers to adoption and improve the reliability of onboarding new technology. In this webinar, get ready to learn how to get from the “my collection exists” level to the “my collection really speeds up the adoption of automation” level. Find out the value a high-quality Ansible Collection brings to Ansible users and how it leads to successful automation of your products.

Managing Sensu Go 6 using Ansible

Thu, 19 Nov 2020 00:00:00 +0000

This post was originally published on the Sensu Go blog .

Earlier this year, we shared the certified Ansible Collection for Sensu Go , which makes it easy to automate your monitoring and achieve real-time visibility into auto-scaling infrastructure. Now that Sensu Go 6 has been released , we will share the latest updates on the Collection, including the management aspects of Sensu Go 6, with a focus on the structure of Ansible playbooks in the Sensu Go 6 world.

Intro to Testing Ansible Collections

Tue, 13 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000

There’s no such thing as perfect code. However, for Ansible integrations to run smoothly, it’s crucial that Ansible Collections are tested systematically to prevent bugs from entering the codebase. With a sturdy test suite in place, you’ll be confident that the tested code produces the desired results and that any future modifications will not break the backward compatibility.

By the end of this FREE workshop, you’ll understand the value and benefits of testing, its setup, and different types of tests accompanied with real-life examples.

Client Spotlight: Ansible integration helps Sensu reach more users

Mon, 12 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000

In order to provide a great experience to its users, Sensu decided to integrate its product with Ansible. The team outsourced the integration to XLAB Steampunk for the best possible result. How did our collaboration work out for them? Did Sensu’s Ansible Collection help them reach their goal?

Attract new users with high-quality Ansible Collections

Tue, 06 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000

The IT industry has been increasing in complexity for quite some time now. Organizations have to find a way to manage an additional maintenance burden. Most of them are trying to solve the problem via automation. But this cultural shift towards the DevOps and site reliability engineering disciplines has one significant consequence for product owners: automation is becoming the preferred method for adopting new technologies.

Ansible module documentation reliability and compliance

Thu, 03 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Module documentation is an entry point for Ansible playbook authors. So it is vitally important that we keep the said documentation in sync with the module implementation or risk getting angry bug reports. But here lies the problem.

A day in a life of a Steampunk member

Wed, 29 Jul 2020 00:00:00 +0000

We write about different projects and topics on this blog. But have you ever wondered what it is like to work, support, and write about all those projects while also being a father of two children? Well, it is “fun” ;)

Adding integration tests to Ansible Content Collections

Tue, 30 Jun 2020 00:00:00 +0000

This post was originally published on the Ansible blog .

In the previous installment of our “let us create the best Ansible Content Collection ever” saga, we covered the DigitalOcean-related content migration process. What we ended up with was a fully functioning Ansible Content Collection that unfortunately had no tests. But not for long; we will be adding an integration test for the droplet module.

Enforcing Compliance using the AWS Ansible Collection

Tue, 16 Jun 2020 00:00:00 +0000

If you are responsible for managing a bunch of your organization’s AWS resources, you probably know how annoying it is to debug various deployment-related issues, only to learn that someone accidentally messed with your setup, yet again. Which you probably resolved by navigating your command-line history like a maniac (because you don’t use Ansible and have to Ctrl+R, as you also forgot to put down the setup instructions ;)). We’ve been there, too. And this is what we learned:

AWS Ansible Collection: Dynamic EC2 Inventory

Tue, 02 Jun 2020 00:00:00 +0000

The Ansible inventory. Essential, yet often neglected part of Ansible. But not today. Today, we will bring it into the spotlight it deserves, and demonstrate some of its features that can help us simplify our life substantially when dealing with Amazon EC2. And we will start with a little bit of set theory, just like every other Ansible inventory blog post does ;)

AWS Ansible Collection: Getting started with IPv4 for Amazon VPC

Tue, 19 May 2020 05:02:00 +0200

We’ve done a Getting started with the AWS Ansible Collection already, so this time we will go all in with the collection, aiming to set up a fresh EC2 VPC complete with an instance that hosts a web server. To get there, we will follow the steps in this article from Amazon . And we will do it all in Ansible. Educational, interesting and useful!

Migrating Existing Content Into a Dedicated Ansible Collection

Tue, 12 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000

This post was originally published on the Ansible blog .

Today, we will demonstrate how to migrate part of the existing Ansible content (modules and plugins) into a dedicated Ansible Collection. We will be using modules for managing DigitalOcean’s resources as an example so you can follow along and test your development setup. But first, let us get the big question out of the way: Why would we want to do that?

Getting Started with the AWS Ansible Collection

Wed, 06 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Configuring your infrastructure using our AWS Ansible Collection is simple. Join us in pressing Enter to create your own infrastructure!

Say Hello to Enterprise AWS Ansible Collection

Tue, 21 Apr 2020 00:00:00 +0000

In the era of fast changes, it is next to impossible to keep the infrastructure running manually. Why? Because there are just too many different pieces that we must keep running in harmony. And no, waiting for evolution to give us an additional finger or two for hyper-speed keyboard bashing is not an option ;) Luckily, there is a better way of solving this problem: automation.

Make integration tests for your Ansible Collection fast

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Tests are great. Especially integration tests. But we need quite a lot of them to cover the codebase. And because we want to run them as often as practically possible, we must make sure our test suite is fast. What follows is a story of how Steampunks made Sensu Go Ansible Collection’s test times as short as possible.

Ansible Content Collections: The Sensu Go Use Case

Mon, 10 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0000

This post was originally published on the Ansible blog .

In Getting Started With Ansible Content Collections , which presented the general idea behind what is becoming a new standard in the distribution of Ansible content, we learned about the what, the why and the how of Ansible Collections (and hopefully it got you excited about Ansible Collections!). In this post, we’ll take things a bit further, continuing the journey into the world of Ansible Collections accompanied by the certified Sensu Go Ansible Collection that our team at XLAB Steampunk developed and supports for Sensu .

High-quality Ansible Collections e-book

Sun, 02 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Here’s what you’ll learn:

Why Ansible Collections add value to your existing solution
Why it’s important to invest into a high-quality Collection and not develop it as a side project
What “high-quality” actually means and how to ensure it
How Sensu managed to attract new customers with their Ansible integration

How to benefit from Ansible Collections

Thu, 05 Dec 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Today, we can’t imagine managing complex IT environments without efficient automation, and luckily, we don’t have to owing to ingenious tools such as Ansible.

Documenting Ansible Collections

Tue, 22 Oct 2019 00:00:00 +0000

It is a well-known fact that real programmers do not document their code. If it was hard to write, it should be hard to understand and use. But this attitude might prove itself to be a bit problematic if we would like to get paid for our work. And because we do not want to see you all broke, we will show you how to document your Ansible collections using Sphinx .

The Galactic Future of Ansible Content

Mon, 16 Sep 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Ansible project is maturing and changing the way we deliver Ansible content to the users. And while Ansible Galaxy is already a goto place for finding roles, it is now becoming a central hub for all things Ansible. So you might wonder: how does this change affect us: the community of Ansible content producers?

Let us give Ansible a REST

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 00:00:00 +0000

It is becoming increasingly difficult to find a home or office product that cannot be controlled using some kind of web application programming interface (API) . Smart light bulbs, robotic lawn mowers, espresso machines - they all have it. Wouldn’t it be cool if we could use Ansible to control them?

Taking Ansible apart

Wed, 03 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0000

This post was reviewed in August 2024 and remains up-to-date with the latest Ansible changes.

Unless you have been living under a rock, you have probably already heard about Ansible and how it can make your job of maintaining company infrastructure easier. But have you ever asked yourself what exactly Ansible is and how it works? We have and this is what we discovered.

Provisioning bare metal servers using ManageIQ

Tue, 26 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000

It seems that today almost anyone knows how to provision a virtual machine in the cloud: simply select an operating system image of choice along with an instance type and you are one click away from a working virtual machine. But what about bare metal servers? Is it possible to provision them with the same ease? Let us find out.

Managing pixies with style

Thu, 14 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Managing preboot execution environment (PXE) boot configurations for different computers is really tedious and error-prone when done manually. There exist various projects like Cobbler that try to address this problem, but in this post, we will be using ManageIQ to manage the PXE server and its content.

How to train your pixies

Wed, 30 Jan 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Setting up a preboot execution environment (PXE) server is relatively straightforward task once you know how various pieces fit together. But setting it up for the first time can be quite a challenge. And if you think “Hey, there are already countless semi-working tutorials on the internet”, well, we have got some good news for you: ours is fully-working ;)

Ansible Playbook as an Event Callback in CloudForms

Tue, 18 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Running your own Ansible playbooks upon ManageIQ / CloudForms provider event opens unimaginable possibilities to automate your data centers. This blogpost and accompanying YouTube video is a step-by-step tutorial that will show you how to unleash the power of Ansible within CloudForms. Our example is based on Nuage Networks provider and focuses on triggering a playbook executed when a “new enterprise was created” event occurs on remote server. The playbook connects to the remote server and automatically provisions a dozen of entites in the newly created enterprise.

Dynamic UI for ManageIQ Provider Operations

Thu, 16 Aug 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Having read our blogpost about Implementing ManageIQ Provider Operations with Ansible one might be wondering about how to capture Ansible playbook inputs from user. Isn’t it difficult to provide a custom native UI form in ManageIQ that would capture user inputs like subnet name, address and netmask?

Well, it used to be a big pain to implement any dynamic and fully-customized HTML form for a ManageIQ provider. But not anymore. Just a few days ago the ManageIQ UI team introduced support for React Components that live in a provider codebase.

We immediately fell in love. So much that we simply had to share the story with you, fellow developers.

Implementing ManageIQ Provider Operations with Ansible

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Traditional way of integrating ManageIQ provider operations is to bake them in code of the provider core, adhering to certain specifics of the provider API. While this is perfectly valid and has served the purposes well for years, ManageIQ team investigated options for superior flexibility.

This post explains how we did it using Ansible on a real example for the Nuage Networks provider. It will serve other adventurous developers getting started with Ansible within ManageIQ.

ManageIQ and Redfish, sitting in a tree ...

Thu, 26 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000

… K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes read-only inventory support, then comes ability to perform simple actions, then comes support for system provisioning, um, in a baby carriage ;) And for those of you who do not speak childish, we will be talking about ManageIQ and Redfish integration.

Fishing Around in the Sea of Hardware

Thu, 31 May 2018 07:31:58 +0200

Have you ever thought about how Amazon and the likes manage to take care of all their servers? And no, buying admins Segways to drive around the data center is not the right answer (albeit a cool one). Interested?

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Manage Teams and Collaborate

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

With Spotter, it’s a breeze to collaborate with others, cultivate a shared workspace and bring diverse types of users and teams in the automation chain closer together. If you understand how and when the automation is run, you can focus more on delivering the results you want to achieve. See DEMO or read blog .

Invite New Members

To add users to your organization, simply send an invitation. Go to members tab, click on Invite new member, and provide user’s email.

15-Minute quick call

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

30-Minute short demo

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

60-Minute deep dive

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

All Spotter Commands

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Using Spotter is simple. You just need to know a few simple commands to make your Ansible Playbooks spotless. And don’t worry, you can look them up anytime by running s --help in Spotter CLI. Dive in!

To scan


$`spotter scan playbook.yml`Copied!	Perform a simple default scan.
$`spotter scan path/to/playbook`Copied!	Scan a playbook.
$`spotter scan path/to/taskfile1.yaml`Copied!	Scan a taskfile.
$`spotter scan path/to/role`Copied!	Scan a role.
$`spotter scan path/to/collection`Copied!	Scan an Ansible Collection.
$`spotter scan path/to/folder`Copied!	Scan any folder that contains Ansible content.
$`spotter scan path/to/playbook1.yaml path/to/playbook2.yaml`Copied!	Scan two playbooks.
$`spotter scan path/to/role1 path/to/role2`Copied!	Scan two roles.
$`spotter scan path/to/playbook1.yaml path/to/playbook2.yaml`Copied!	Scan multiple playbooks at once.
$`spotter scan path/to/taskfile.yaml path/to/playbook.yaml path/to/role path/to/collection`Copied!	Scan multiple files at once.
$`spotter scan path/to/playbook/folder/play_*.yaml`Copied!	Scan multiple playbooks using glob.

$ spotter scan playbook.yml Copied!

Perform a simple default scan.

$ spotter scan path/to/playbook Copied!

Scan a playbook.

$ spotter scan path/to/taskfile1.yaml st Copied!

Scan a taskfile.

$ spotter scan path/to/role Copied!

Scan a role.

$ spotter scan path/to/collection Copied!

Scan an Ansible Collection.

$ spotter scan path/to/folder Copied!

Scan any folder that contains Ansible content.

$ spotter scan path/to/playbook1.yaml path/to/playbook2.yaml Copied!

Scan two playbooks.

$ spotter scan path/to/role1 path/to/role2 Copied!

Scan two roles.

$ spotter scan path/to/playbook1.yaml path/to/playbook2.yaml Copied!

Scan multiple playbooks at once.

$ spotter scan path/to/taskfile.yaml path/to/playbook.yaml path/to/role path/to/collection Copied!

Scan multiple files at once.

$ spotter scan path/to/playbook/folder/play_*.yaml Copied!

Scan multiple playbooks using glob.

To set scanning profile

Analytics and Reporting

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

No matter where you perform your scans, you can see the scan history and analytics in the Spotter app, enabling you to track the frequency of failed playbook executions, identify common errors, spot trends, and monitor progress. You do not have to spend hours searching for the source of the problem. Addressing playbook pain points and finding potential solutions has never been faster, easier, and most importantly – more transparent. Watch DEMO or read blog .

Assisted Playbook Writing

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Spotter Assisted Writing feature speeds up your playbook writing even more. All you need to do is define your automation goals and Spotter will suggest suitable tasks and even whole playbooks when possible. Keep in mind, this feature is available only in Spotter VSC extension (jump to Spotter Integrations to learn more about the VSC extension). Watch DEMO or read blog .

Get Inline Suggestions

By enabling the feature’s settings, you can access a wealth of time-saving suggestions that enhance playbook writing. Spotter allows you to set the number of suggestions displayed, giving you complete control over the assistance level. You simply type in:

Assure Secure Playbook Execution

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

How to make sure your playbooks are secure, especially when dealing with hundreds or thousands of playbooks? When using Ansible Playbook platforms like Steampunk Spotter, offering full control over playbooks, assuring their security is a breeze.

1. Conduct in-depth playbook analysis

Spotter performs in-depth playbook analysis, ranging from best practice to deep security checks. Spotter makes sure all playbooks you run are executed securely by highlighting potential misconfigurations and security risks. It helps you understand potential outcomes when running playbooks and follow best practices to minimize security vulnerabilities and downtime.

Automatically Apply Fixes

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Not only does Spotter find all the errors that could seriously ruin at least your day, if not your whole infrastructure, but it can also automatically fix specific ones for you! Watch DEMO or read blog .

All you have to do is run the Spotter scan command with the --rewrite argument and watch the magic unfold as Spotter automatically changes your Ansible content: 

$ spotter scan --rewrite playbook.yml 

While normally scanning, Spotter highlights which checks can be rewritten:

Create Custom Policies

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

To boost security, ensure compliance, and customize Spotter to meet your unique requirements, you can create custom policies to enforce regulations, establish playbook standards, define modules and collections, enforce naming conventions, limit required values on specific modules, and much more. Watch DEMO .

Write Custom Policies

Spotter uses Open Policy Agent (OPA) to define Custom policies. These policies are written in a human-readable format using the Rego language. You don’t need to know any programming language to write them, you just need to understand how to write Rego files.

Create Your Account

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

To start using Steampunk Spotter, head over to the registration page , sign up for an account and verify your email.

Define your custom rules and policies

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

> spotter policies set Policies
Custom policies successfully set.
 > spotter scan playbook.yml
Scanning...success. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 100% 0:00:00

Check results:
playbook.yml:7:7: ERROR: [E2300] Name value should start with uppercase letter.
playbook.yml:7:7: ERROR: [E2300] Region should be set to europe (eu-...).
playbook.yml:7:7: ERROR: [E2300::IncorrectValue] ec2_group.rules[0] SSH' (Port:22) should not be public.
playbook.yml:7:7: ERROR: [E2300::IncorrectValue] ec2_group.rules[1] should not open the http port (80).
playbook.yml:23:7: ERROR: [E2300] Instances should not be in default security groups.
playbook.yml:23:7: ERROR: [E2300] Name value should end with a dot.
playbook.yml:23:7: ERROR: [E2300] Volume size should be set to less then 128GB.
playbook.yml:41:7: ERROR: [E2300] Name value should end with a dot.
playbook.yml:47:7: HINT: [H1600] Tasks should always be named using the name parameter.
playbook.yml:52:7: ERROR: [E2300] Access key should be written as a variable.

Scan summary:
Spotter took 2.078 s to scan your input.
It resulted in 9 error(s), 0 warning(s) and 1 hint(s).
Can rewrite 0 file(s) with 0 change(s).
Overall status: ERROR

> spotter clear-policies
Custom policies successfully cleared.
>

Easily upgrade to the latest Ansible version

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

 > spotter set-policies Policies
Custom policies successfully set.
 > spotter scan playbook.yml
Scanning...success. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 100% 0:00:00

Check results:
playbook.yml:7:7: ERROR: [E2300] Name value should start with uppercase letter.
playbook.yml:7:7: ERROR: [E2300] Region should be set to europe (eu-...).
playbook.yml:7:7: ERROR: [E2300::IncorrectValue] ec2_group.rules[0] SSH' (Port:22) should not be public.
playbook.yml:7:7: ERROR: [E2300::IncorrectValue] ec2_group.rules[1] should not open the http port (80).
playbook.yml:23:7: ERROR: [E2300] Instances should not be in default security groups.
playbook.yml:23:7: ERROR: [E2300] Name value should end with a dot.
playbook.yml:23:7: ERROR: [E2300] Volume size should be set to less then 128GB.
playbook.yml:41:7: ERROR: [E2300] Name value should end with a dot.
playbook.yml:47:7: HINT: [H1600] Tasks should always be named using the name parameter.
playbook.yml:52:7: ERROR: [E2300] Access key should be written as a variable.

Scan summary:
Spotter took 2.078 s to scan your input.
It resulted in 9 error(s), 0 warning(s) and 1 hint(s).
Can rewrite 0 file(s) with 0 change(s).
Overall status: ERROR

 > spotter clear-policies
Custom policies successfully cleared.
 >

Fix issues automatically

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

> spotter scan --rewrite playbook.yml
playbook.yml:5:7: ERROR: Use a fully-qualified name, such as community.crypto.x509_certificate instead of openssl_certificate.
View docs at https://docs.steampunk.si/plugins/community/crypto/latest/module/x509_certificate.html.
playbook.yml:5:7: HINT Required collection community.crypto is missing from requirements.yml or requirements.yml is missing.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Overall status: ERROR 
> cat playbook.yml
---
- name: Sample playbook
 hosts: localhost
 tasks:
 - name: Ensure that the server certificate belongs to the specified
 private key community.crypto.x509_certificate:
 path: “{{ config_path }}/certificates/server.crt”
 privatekey_path: “{{ config_path }}/certificates/server.key”
 provider: assertonly
>

From Risk to Resilience: An Enterprise Story to Secure and Compliant Ansible Playbooks | XLAB Steampunk

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

As Ansible Playbooks become increasingly complex and distributed across multiple teams, securing them becomes a critical challenge. Enterprises are under constant pressure from evolving cyber threats, software vulnerabilities and more complex compliance requirements. Without the right controls in place, organizations risk exposing security gaps, failing to meet compliance requirements and making costly mistakes. Relying on manual controls and reactive measures is no longer enough. Security and compliance must be integrated directly into automation pipelines.

Generate missing requirements files

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

> ls
playbook.yml
> spotter scan --rewrite playbook.yml
Scanning...success. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 100% 0:00:00

Rewritten check results:
playbook.yml:5:7: HINT: [H1900] Required collection community.crypto is missing from requirements.yml or requirements.yml is missing.

Remaining check results:
playbook.yml:5:7: ERROR: [E601] Value of provider in module community.crypto.x509_certificate is set to assertonly which does not match any of the possible choices listed in [acme, entrust, ownca, selfsigned]. View docs at https://docs.steampunk.si/plugins/community/crypto/2.15.1/module/x509_certificate.html.

Scan summary:
Spotter took 1.368 s to scan your input.
It resulted in 1 error(s), 0 warning(s) and 1 hint(s).
Did rewrite 1 file(s) with 1 change(s).
Overall status: ERROR
> ls
playbook.yml requirements.yml
>

Get instant help with module documentation

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

 > spotter scan playbook.yml
Scanning...success. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 100% 0:00:00

Check results:
playbook.yml:5:7: ERROR: [E006] Required parameter instance.host was not set in module servicenow.itsm.change_request. Environment fallback was unsuccessful as variable SN_HOST is not set. If you decide to set the environment variable remember to do it on other configuration systems too. Another way is to set the parameter in task directly. View docs at https://docs.steampunk.si/plugins/servicenow/itsm/2.2.0/module/change_request.html.
playbook.yml:18:7: ERROR: [E601] Value of policy in module ansible.builtin.iptables is set to DROPcy=DROP chain=INPUT which does not match any of the possible choices listed in [ACCEPT, DROP, QUEUE, RETURN].

Scan summary:
Spotter took 2.005 s to scan your input.
It resulted in 2 error(s), 0 warning(s) and 0 hint(s).
Can rewrite 0 file(s) with 0 change(s).
Overall status: ERROR
 >

How an Enterprise Company Saved Over 17,000 Hours with Automated Ansible Upgrade and Migration | XLAB Steampunk

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Enterprises with critical infrastructure face unique challenges when migrating from legacy platforms like AWX or Tower. Playbooks are often outdated, inconsistent and spread across multiple teams. Combined with strict compliance rules, this makes modernizing playbooks difficult and time-consuming. For this reason, many enterprises are turning to automation — to speed up the process, reduce manual effort and lower the risk of errors.

In this webinar we show you a real-life example of how one of the world’s largest financial institutions migrated thousands of legacy Ansible playbooks to the Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform (AAP) 2.4 while also upgrading from Ansible 2.9 to 2.15 to deliver fully AAP-compliant playbooks in just three months.

How Computer Space Leverages Steampunk Spotter to Supercharge Productivity

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

"Spotter transforms our automation process by identifying and mitigating potential issues before execution, reducing errors, and boosting productivity. It's not just a tool – it's a catalyst for evolving the way we manage and perceive automation."

Miguel Esteban, CEO, Computer Space

Challenge

Computer Space is committed to enhancing its services by establishing an Automation Office. However, the complexity of Ansible Playbooks and the need for manual review posed challenges for the company. As a result, achieving certain milestones, such as Ansible upgrades and implementing custom policies, became difficult.

How Spotter enabled Computer Space to scale its Ansible automation projects and create a centralized quality framework

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

The Challenge

With nearly 600 Ansible Playbooks spread across 20–25 repositories, Computer Space faced a challenge of how to maintain code quality and standardization. Teams with varying levels of expertise contributed to the codebase, leading to inconsistent implementations and bottlenecks in manual reviews. Maintaining best practices was time-consuming, error-prone, and unsustainable. It became clear that further scaling without a robust quality control system would introduce unacceptable risks. A more standardized approach was essential.

Install Spotter CLI

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Spotter CLI is easy to use and install. It’s available as a steampunk-spotter Python package, but you will need at least Python 3 to install it.

$ pip install steampunk-spotter Copied!

Once you’ve got the CLI up and running, you can easily check out its commands and optional arguments. Just type in spotter –help to see all the info you need. And remember, you can use --help or –h with any command too. Just type in spotter –help/-h < your command>.

Integrations

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Boost Spotter capabilities, streamline workflows, and efficiently manage development projects. Spotter seamlessly integrates with your work environment. Include it into your CI/CD pipelines with GitLab and GitHub integration or use it with your favorite code editor with Spotter Visual Studio Code extension - and even discover additional functionalities. No matter where you do your best work, Spotter is right by your side.

GitHub Actions

The Steampunk Spotter GitHub Action makes it easy to scan your Ansible content right within your GitHub CI/CD workflows. See DEMO or read tutorial .

Live Demo: Securing Ansible Workflows with Steampunk Spotter | XLAB Steampunk

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Most security incidents don’t start with a sophisticated attack. They start with a hardcoded secret, an outdated dependency, or a misconfigured playbook that nobody caught. As Ansible environments grow more complex and span multiple teams, these risks multiply — and manual controls just can’t keep up. The pattern is always the same: risks that were invisible during development become very visible in production at a much higher price.

Our experts will show you how Steampunk Spotter catches and addresses these risks before it’s too late - through a live demo of its core security capabilities. Then we’ll walk through a real enterprise case study so you can see what this looks like in a highly regulated environment.

Manage Supply Chain

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Maintain strict control over the Ansible content used in your automation playbooks. Ensure that automation dependencies, such as Ansible runtime and Ansible Collection versions, comply with your security and compliance policies. Spotter allows security teams to approve safe versions and block vulnerable or unapproved software, while playbook writers focus on automation logic without needing deep Python expertise. Read blog or watch DEMO.

To manage the supply chain, visit Spotter App and add or remove constraints with a few simple clicks.

MindPoint Group and XLAB Steampunk Join Forces for Enhanced Security Compliance Automation

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Challenge

Automating system security requirements can be difficult and time-consuming. MindPoint Group solves this issue with Ansible Lockdown, a library of Ansible automation content for hardening common operating systems, applications, and network devices and clouds, helping organizations achieve recognized security benchmark compliance for CIS (Center for Internet Security) or STIG (Secure Technical Implementation Guides).

While Ansible Lockdown represents a comprehensive collection of Ansible content developed and maintained by expert-level cybersecurity and Ansible professionals, even expert-maintained content demands continuous refinement and tuning.

Optimizing Ansible Playbooks with Steampunk Spotter | XLAB Steampunk

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

We’ll explore unique challenges faced by multiple teams using Ansible for varied customer projects, focusing on duplication and maintenance of roles and collections. You’ll learn how Steampunk Spotter is being employed as a centralized platform to manage roles and collections, providing a cohesive solution for version control, security compliance, and security audits in Ansible deployments and how it facilitates these checks to bolster security standards.

We’ll also talk about the development of a compliance baseline for Ansible Playbooks and showcase how Deutsche Telekom MMS pioneers custom policy development and compliance strategies, setting the standard for effective playbook management.

Scan

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Spotter allows you to check the quality of your private Ansible content, such as tasks, playbooks, roles, and collections to improve its quality, and enables you to check the quality of public Git repositories to ensure that the resources you’re using are dependable, secure and well-maintained.

Scan your Ansible Content

If you want to scan private Ansible content, you can do so via Spotter CLI. All you have to do is run spotter scan command, sit back and get your scan results. See DEMO or read tutorial .

Set Scan Profiles

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When conducting scans, we target specific goals. For instance, one project might focus on upgrading our Ansible environment to a newer version, while another could aim to enhance playbooks for the current version. This means that certain check results provided by Steampunk Spotter may be relevant for one project but not the other. Spotter addresses this by allowing the use of scan profiles via the --profile argument - a selected set of checks. Make sure to add suitable arguments to your commands to make your scanning experience optimal.

Shift left and secure: How to embed security in the Ansible development lifecycle | XLAB Steampunk

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

In this webinar, we will show how to embed security into the Ansible development lifecycle using a practical shift left approach, walk you through the common Ansible security risks, and share best practices for securing your Ansible automation.

This session also highlights an important reality: Ansible Playbooks are only the tip of the iceberg. Every execution depends on Ansible core, collections, modules, plugins, Python packages, and system-level dependencies. Vulnerabilities anywhere in this chain can silently spread and amplify risk across your entire infrastructure. We will show you how to secure the full dependency chain, so your automation remains robust and compliant.

Skip and Enforce Checks

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To help you achieve security, compliance and quality of your automation while optimizing it, Steampunk Spotter allows you to centrally control which checks to enforce or skip across your Ansible Playbooks.Watch DEMO or read blog .

Organization Level

Organization admins can enforce or skip checks organization-wide with just a few clicks in the Spotter App. Any checks enforced at this level can’t be ignored when scanning by any user in your organization. Go to Check management, click Add rule, select whether you want to skip or enforce the check, enter the check code or search for it by name, and click Save.

Steampunk Spotter Guide

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Steampunk Spotter thoroughly analyzes and improves your Ansible content to help you identify elusive and time-consuming errors, enhance the quality, reliability, and security of your playbooks, shorten development and testing time, and adhere to automation best practices. This powerful platform comprises a user-friendly CLI and the Spotter app , providing insights into your automation. Moreover, Spotter seamlessly integrates with popular platforms like GitLab, GitHub, and VS Code, further enhancing its versatility and usability.

Streamlining Ansible Playbook Migration and Upgrade for One of the Top Global FSIs with Steampunk Spotter

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Challenge

The bank had to migrate thousands of Ansible Playbooks from legacy platform to AAP 2.4 and ensure compatibility with Ansible 2.15. These playbooks were created over the course of nearly a decade and followed different patterns as Ansible evolved over time. As teams were spread around the globe, they also developed their own common practices, which resulted in the Ansible Playbooks being inconsistent. Fixing these issues manually would have required years of engineering effort for the bank, a number of highly skilled Ansible experts to understand the changes required, and would have been a major obstacle to modernization, automation scaling, and operational efficiency.

The value of high-quality Ansible Collections | XLAB Steampunk

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Automation plays an increasingly important role in improving the utilization of existing resources and adopting new technology among users. Ansible Collections form a bridge between Ansible and the automated product. Because of their central role, the quality of Ansible Collections significantly impacts user experience and the reliability of automated processes.

By the end of this webinar, you’ll understand the value of high-quality Ansible Collections and the core principles of building and maintaining user-focused Ansible content. ISVs will see how high-quality Ansible Collections benefit their products and their users, Ansible Collection developers will learn the basics of designing high-quality plugins and modules and why quality matters when it comes to user experience, and Ansible users will find out what to expect from an Ansible Collection.

Upgrade Playbooks

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You’ll find Spotter to become your best friend when dealing with Ansible upgrades. It checks if your playbooks are compatible with the latest Ansible version, advises you on what to do to avoid breaking them and helps you speed up the upgrade itself using the rewrite function and other features. To learn more about how to use Spotter to speed up and simplify Ansible upgrades, watch this webinar or this short demo .