Ansible vs Bcfg2

Struggling to choose between Ansible and Bcfg2? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Ansible is a Network & Admin solution with tags like automation, configuration-management, deployment.

It boasts features such as Agentless architecture, Uses YAML playbooks to define automation tasks, Idempotent execution of tasks, Large library of modules for interacting with different systems, Push-based model for deploying configuration changes, Supports parallel execution of tasks and pros including Very simple to set up and use, Powerful automation capabilities, Agentless model reduces resource usage, Playbooks provide infrastructure as code, Active open source community.

On the other hand, Bcfg2 is a Network & Admin product tagged with configuration-management, drift-detection, desired-state.

Its standout features include Configuration management, Managing large server environments, Automated configuration monitoring, Detect and correct configuration drift, Declarative configuration modeling, Integration with Puppet, Chef, etc, Plugin architecture, and it shines with pros like Powerful configuration modeling, Scales to large environments, Detects and fixes drift, Integrates with other tools, Open source and free.

Feature	Ansible	Bcfg2
Overall Score	1	N/A
Primary Category	Network & Admin	Network & Admin

Product Overview

Ansible

Description: Ansible, an open-source automation tool for configuration management, application deployment, and task orchestration. Using a simple, human-readable language, Ansible enables efficient automation of IT infrastructure. It streamlines complex tasks, promotes consistency, and empowers teams to manage infrastructure as code.

Bcfg2

Description: Bcfg2 is an open-source configuration management system that helps administrators maintain an overview of the configuration of many computers. It allows defining desired configuration states and automatically correcting any detected differences or 'drift'.

Key Features Comparison

Ansible Features

• Agentless architecture
• Uses YAML playbooks to define automation tasks
• Idempotent execution of tasks
• Large library of modules for interacting with different systems
• Push-based model for deploying configuration changes
• Supports parallel execution of tasks

Bcfg2 Features

• Configuration management
• Managing large server environments
• Automated configuration monitoring
• Detect and correct configuration drift
• Declarative configuration modeling
• Integration with Puppet, Chef, etc
• Plugin architecture

Pros & Cons Analysis

Ansible

Pros

• Very simple to set up and use
• Powerful automation capabilities
• Agentless model reduces resource usage
• Playbooks provide infrastructure as code
• Active open source community

Cons

• Limited Windows support compared to Linux
• Steeper learning curve than some other tools
• Not ideal for large, complex environments without additional orchestration
• Upgrades can sometimes break playbooks

Bcfg2

Pros

• Powerful configuration modeling
• Scales to large environments
• Detects and fixes drift
• Integrates with other tools
• Open source and free

Cons

• Steep learning curve
• Less flexible than pure scripting
• Limited adoption compared to Puppet/Chef/Ansible
• No commercial support available

Pricing Comparison

Ansible

• Open Source

Bcfg2

• Open Source