Quick start
From git clone to pong in under ten minutes
You need Git, Docker and a terminal. Or skip all three and open the lab in Codespaces.
1. Get the lab
git clone https://github.com/Ali-Shaikh/ansible-practical-lab.git
cd ansible-practical-labZero-install alternative: open the repo in GitHub Codespaces and run the same commands in the browser terminal.
2. Run the pre-flight check
doctor verifies Git, Docker, Compose and free ports before anything starts, and names the exact problem when a check fails.
./lab doctor.\lab.ps1 doctor3. Start the estate
The first run downloads base images and builds the four managed hosts, so give it a few minutes. Every run after that takes seconds.
./lab up.\lab.ps1 up4. Run your first Ansible command
./lab ping.\lab.ps1 pingFour SUCCESS => "pong" responses mean Ansible read the inventory, reached every host over SSH and ran code on each one.
5. Apply your first playbook
The baseline playbook brings every host to a known starting state. Run it twice and watch the second run change nothing; that is idempotence, and it is the heart of Ansible.
./lab play playbooks/10_baseline.yml6. Optional: the web studio
Prefer one window for everything? ./lab studio starts VS Code in your browser with the repo open and a terminal that already has the lab tools.
./lab studioWhere next
The repo README is the source of truth for every command, including adding your own hosts and the optional systemd mode. For the full walkthrough with troubleshooting, read Set Up an Ansible Practice Lab in Under 10 Minutes.