Cfengine vs Ansible

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

Cfengine is a Network & Admin solution with tags like automation, configuration-management, devops.

It boasts features such as Agent-based architecture for distributed configuration management, Declarative policy-based configuration language, File integrity monitoring and intrusion detection, Automated system configuration and maintenance, Built-in promise theory for modeling dependencies, Support for common OS platforms like Linux, Windows, Solaris and pros including Powerful policy framework for modeling system state, Agentless and autonomous operation, Efficient at scale for large server deployments, Robust security and access controls, Thorough file integrity monitoring capabilities, Open source with active development community.

On the other hand, Ansible is a Network & Admin product tagged with automation, configuration-management, deployment.

Its standout features include 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 it shines with pros like Very simple to set up and use, Powerful automation capabilities, Agentless model reduces resource usage, Playbooks provide infrastructure as code, Active open source community.

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

Product Overview

Cfengine

Description: Cfengine is an open source configuration management software used to automate tasks like configuring servers, managing files, and deploying applications. It uses a policy-based approach allowing admins to define desired system states.

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.

Key Features Comparison

Cfengine Features

• Agent-based architecture for distributed configuration management
• Declarative policy-based configuration language
• File integrity monitoring and intrusion detection
• Automated system configuration and maintenance
• Built-in promise theory for modeling dependencies
• Support for common OS platforms like Linux, Windows, Solaris

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

Pros & Cons Analysis

Cfengine

Pros

• Powerful policy framework for modeling system state
• Agentless and autonomous operation
• Efficient at scale for large server deployments
• Robust security and access controls
• Thorough file integrity monitoring capabilities
• Open source with active development community

Cons

• Steep learning curve for policy language
• Less intuitive than procedural languages like Ansible
• Limited built-in modules compared to Ansible/Puppet
• Complex dependency modeling requires planning
• Not as widely used as other tools like Chef/Puppet

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

Pricing Comparison

Cfengine

• Open Source
• Commercial Editions Available

Ansible

• Open Source