FAQ
Questions people ask before their first ping
- What do I need to run the lab?
- Locally: Git, Docker (Desktop or Engine) and a terminal. That is the whole list; Ansible itself can run inside the lab's control-node container. In the browser: just a GitHub account, using Codespaces.
- Is it really free?
- Yes. The lab is open source under the MIT licence. Clone it, use it, fork it. Running it locally costs nothing; running it in GitHub Codespaces fits comfortably inside GitHub's free monthly allowance for personal accounts.
- How does the Codespaces free tier work?
- Personal GitHub accounts include a free monthly allowance of Codespaces hours and storage. A lab session uses a small machine, so the allowance goes a long way. Stop the Codespace when you finish a session so it does not idle the allowance away.
- Is it safe to run on my machine?
- The lab is a set of Docker containers on your machine, reachable only from your machine. Lab SSH credentials are generated locally, used only for the lab containers, and never touch your personal SSH keys. The browser studio binds to loopback, so it is not exposed to your network.
- Do I need to know Ansible already?
- No. The lab pairs with the free Practical Ansible article series, which starts from your first ansible ping and finishes at Vault, roles and CI. If you already know Ansible, the lab is equally useful as a scratch environment.