In the article, deploying and configuring an instance of the time series database InfluxDB using Ansible is covered as a simple example project. The use of Ansible's simplicity and ease-of-use features makes it unique among configuration management tools. InfluxDB itself offers a balance between ease-of-use and power with language support for multiple programming languages, making it suitable for various use cases. To deploy InfluxDB using Ansible, the process involves setting up the repository, installing InfluxDB, configuring its hostname, starting the service, and optionally loading sample data. The full deployment is made possible by creating a task file that enumerates all the steps required to configure the server, and then running it with Ansible's playbook feature.