Crowbar vs Cfengine

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

Crowbar is a Os & Utilities solution with tags like linux, automation, provisioning.

It boasts features such as Automated operating system installation, Configuration management, Lifecycle management for Linux and cloud environments, Disaster recovery, Monitoring and alerts, Integration with cloud platforms like OpenStack and CloudFoundry, RESTful API and pros including Automates and simplifies OS deployment, Powerful configuration management capabilities, Supports leading Linux distros and cloud platforms, Open source and community driven, Active development and support.

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

Its standout features include 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 it shines with pros like 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.

Feature	Crowbar	Cfengine
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Os & Utilities	Network & Admin

Product Overview

Crowbar

Description: Crowbar is an open source software lifecycle management tool developed by SUSE for Linux and cloud environments. It provides automated, unattended operating system installation and configuration on bare metal systems.

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.

Key Features Comparison

Crowbar Features

• Automated operating system installation
• Configuration management
• Lifecycle management for Linux and cloud environments
• Disaster recovery
• Monitoring and alerts
• Integration with cloud platforms like OpenStack and CloudFoundry
• RESTful API

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

Pros & Cons Analysis

Crowbar

Pros

• Automates and simplifies OS deployment
• Powerful configuration management capabilities
• Supports leading Linux distros and cloud platforms
• Open source and community driven
• Active development and support

Cons

• Steep learning curve
• Limited adoption outside of SUSE ecosystem
• Not as feature rich as some proprietary alternatives
• Requires dedication and expertise to run in production

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

Pricing Comparison

Crowbar

• Open Source

Cfengine

• Open Source
• Commercial Editions Available