Featuring

Featuring - Luca Berton

Luca is the brain behind awesome projects like Ansible Pilot and AI liberator. He also wrote a couple of books and is present on many community events. Let's find out what motivates Luca to be such a strong part of the community, maybe take a peek behind the scenes and learn about him as a person.

Daniel Schier

Nov 29, 2023 — 5 min read

Photo by Luca Berton

Featuring FOSS people

"Featuring FOSS people" is a format to learn more about the people in FOSS. If you wonder how these folks manage to work for FOSS in their free time or as a professional, this format might be for you. But it also introduces those that are seeking for support, want to make an impact or just do the heavy lifting when it comes to testing and bug reports.

If you want to learn more about this format, check out "Featuring FOSS people".

Luca Berton

Now, let's dig into Luca's life and find out who he is and what he provides to the community. Shall we?

Luca, the human

Well, I asked Luca to introduce himself. He came up with:

Luca Berton is an Ansible Automation Expert with over 15 years of experience as a System Administrator, specializing in Infrastructure Hardening and Automation. A published author and content creator of the Ansible Pilot project, Luca has a deep passion for open source and actively contributes to the community. Born in Italy and based in the UK, Luca's journey includes notable stints at JPMorgan Chase & Co. and the Red Hat Ansible Engineer Team.

- Luca Berton

I am sure, all of this true. And he really is an expert. But, when I got in touch with him, I got a totally different impression. If I should describe him, it would be more like this:

Luca Berton approached me during the Ansible Community Day in Berlin. Immediatly we found something to talk about. We discussed Ansible, Enterprise Linux in general, how the community evolved over the last years and how he perceives Ansible. He also explained why he started Ansible Pilot and how he wanted to help the community members to become Ansible experts on their own. He is handsome, very chatty, modest with his expertise and really interested in other people.

- Daniel Schier

One might say, my description is just … ehm … better.😜

No really, he is an awesome person with a huge passion for Open Source and this also reflects in his work.

My Ansible Pilot project gave me the foundations to think big and acquire more skills in video recording and public speaking.

Luca Berton

Luca, the Ansible Pilot

Now, what does he actually do? First, there is this enormous project "Ansible Pilot". It is not just a website, but also a YouTube channel about Ansible, FOSS in general and the Ansible community. You can find over 500 high quality articles and videos at Ansible Pilot, still counting.

For me, this is the lighthouse of his work, his masterpiece (until now). And Luca thinks similarly about this project:

One of my proudest achievements is creating the Ansible Pilot project in 2021. It represents my dedication to pushing the boundaries of automation and providing a valuable resource for the community. This project gives me the platform to have an open dialogue with thousands of passionate technology professionals worldwide via LinkedIn.

- Luca Berton

If you want to learn about Ansible continuously, I am sure you will find some content. And yes, Luca is also a lifetime learner, like most of us.

Every day, I learn new things and technology to automate my world. When I face an error, I always take it as an opportunity for a lesson to learn, even if it is frustrating when I face a red code with a tight timeline on a project.

- Luca Berton

For me, this is one of his best attitudes. Someone who is so proficient about Ansible as he is, is still is seeking for new experiences and learnings. This clearly shows how open-minded Luca is.

Luca, the author

Then, there is work as a writer for tech books. He already released 3(!!!) books, all about Open Source and automation. If you are still not convinced that Luca is somebody you should consider as a valuable source for knowledge, let me introduce you to his books.

I am working on my own book for over 3 years now, and I am not nearly done. Maybe I should ask Luca for some advice how he can be so productive. Simply astonishing. And, by the way, "Ansible for Kubernetes by Example" is really worth a read. The examples are simple enough to follow, but concise and well explained.

I like talking with people and understanding their needs.

Luca Berton

What's next?

Well, somebody who has already published three books and is busy with two blogs and a YouTube channel is at the goal, right? I asked Luca about his future plans, and he is not done, yet. There is much more stuff coming up.

He is already working on some more books, "Ansible Automation Platform" and "Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) Exam Guide", and also started with "Kubernetes Cookbook books". I am thrilled to get my hands on one of these. Perhaps this time with a signature @Luca? 😋

Furthermore, we might see him as a speaker on events like KubeCon Paris and the Red Hat Summit in Denver. Stay tuned!

Links

You can find Luca's work all over the web. Here are some resources that you need to check out, for real.

Some final words

I think, Luca should have the last word here. So, Luca, what do you want to let the world know?

To the community, I want to express my gratitude for the collaborative spirit that makes open source thrive. [...] Let's continue to share knowledge, support each other, and push the boundaries of what's possible in the world of automation. Feel free to reach out, connect, and let's build something great together!

- Luca Berton