Which protocol does Ansible use to push modules to nodes in a network?

Telnet is an outdated and insecure protocol that transmits data, including sensitive credentials, in plain text, rendering it unsuitable for secure and modern automation practices like those employed by Ansible.

Kerberos is a robust network authentication protocol that provides strong authentication using secret-key cryptography, but it serves as an authentication mechanism rather than the primary transport protocol Ansible uses to push modules or execute commands; SSH fulfills the transport role.

SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) is primarily utilized for monitoring and managing network devices, collecting operational data, and sending alerts, but it is not the protocol Ansible uses to push configuration modules or execute commands on managed nodes.

Ansible is designed as an "agentless" automation tool that leverages standard, secure protocols already present on managed nodes. For Linux/Unix-like systems, it uses SSH (Secure Shell) to establish a secure connection, transfer its operational modules, and execute configuration or command instructions, eliminating the need for any special agent software on the target systems.