Are you new to DevOps and looking for a clean, practical way to get started with container automation? In this beginner-friendly session, we’ll explore how modern open source tools like Ansible, Podman, and Podman Desktop can help you build a local DevOps lab—no Kubernetes required. We’ll walk through the process of writing and executing your first automation playbook, using Ansible Navigator and Execution Environments to run tasks inside containers with consistency and portability. You’ll also learn how Podman Desktop gives you a visual interface to manage your containers and even generate Kubernetes-style YAML files. By the end of this session, you’ll have a working demo, a complete set of tools installed, and a clear path to start experimenting and learning DevOps from your own laptop.