A while back I wrote up all the steps you would take to install Kubernetes on Proxmox servers running Ubuntu Server 22.04. Someone suggested using an ansible playbook to do the same. So, I began working on an ansible playbook to replicate what I had done manually. Fair warning: What I'm about to say is not an evaluation of using ansible for other operations. I'm talking strictly about accomplishing the Kubernetes/Proxmox/Ubuntu 22.04 installation.
I can see how ansible is great if you need to set up multiple Kubernetes clusters. It's the repetition that makes ansible playbooks worthwhile. But for a single installation, the complete instructions I detailed at the link above is actually less work than setting up an ansible playbook to do the same operations.
Here's an important exception, though. Once you have a control node working, I can see the benefit of creating an ansible playbook specifically for adding worker nodes. That way you can automate the addition of worker nodes more easily than going through the steps I outlined in the above link. So, if I had my druthers, I'd install the control plane manually and use ansible to add worker nodes.
So, my question to you is, how do you feel about creating and using ansible playbooks? Are you reaping benefits that outweigh manual steps to accomplish the same tasks?
