Bcfg2

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'.

Network & Admin Configuration Management

configuration-management drift-detection desired-state

Bcfg2 alternatives ➤

Bcfg2: Open-Source Configuration Management System

A highly scalable and customizable solution for maintaining computer configurations, enabling administrators to define desired states and automatically correct discrepancies

What is Bcfg2?

Bcfg2 is an open-source configuration management system created to help system administrators maintain consistent configurations across a large number of computers. It was originally developed to manage Linux/UNIX systems but also supports managing Windows, Mac OS X, network devices and more.

Bcfg2 allows administrators to define the desired configuration states for various components of a system, like packages that should be installed, services that should be enabled/disabled, or files that should have specific contents. These desired states are defined in a structured way using XML, Python, YAML or JSON.

The Bcfg2 server then connects to all managed clients periodically and audits their current configuration. Any differences between the actual state and the defined desired state, referred to as 'configuration drift', is automatically corrected by installing/updating packages, modifying config files, enabling services etc. This helps ensure consistency and compliance to defined policies.

Key capabilities include:

Flexible and extendable architecture
idempotent configuration enforcement
configuration drift detection and remediation
structured configuration specifications
server/client architecture for scalability
reporting and auditing

Bcfg2 can integrate with other systems like LDAP, Amazon EC2, GitHub, automation tools through its plugins. It is used to enforce security compliance, track changes, and speed up provisioning of software configurations across an entire IT infrastructure.

Bcfg2 Features

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

Pricing

Open Source

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

Official Links

Official Website
https://bcfg2.org

The Best Bcfg2 Alternatives

Top Network & Admin and Configuration Management and other similar apps like Bcfg2

Here are some alternatives to Bcfg2:

Ansible

Puppet

RunDeck

Cfengine

Cobbler

munki

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Ansible

Ansible, developed by Red Hat, is a powerful and open-source automation tool designed to simplify IT tasks ranging from configuration management to application deployment and task orchestration. Leveraging a simple and human-readable language, Ansible enables users to automate complex workflows, ensuring consistency, efficiency, and scalability across their IT infrastructure. At...

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Puppet

Puppet is an open source configuration management and automation tool used to manage IT infrastructure. It helps system administrators automate repetitive tasks, enforce desired state configuration, increase efficiency, and adopt infrastructure as code practices.Key features and benefits of Puppet include:Powerful domain specific language to model infrastructure as codeModular design to...

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RunDeck

RunDeck is an open source automation server used to run jobs, processes, and workflows across multiple machines. It allows you to schedule all kinds of tasks, including:Ad hoc scriptsSystem administrationBig data workflowsKey features include:Job scheduling and dispatchResource modeling (create an inventory of nodes)Role-based access controlIntegrations (SSH, LDAP, Active Directory)Remote execution...

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Cfengine

Cfengine is an open source configuration management software designed to automate IT infrastructure operations and tasks. It takes a policy-based approach, allowing system administrators to define the desired state of their infrastructure and servers through declarative policies.Key capabilities and uses of Cfengine include:Server configuration management - Cfengine can automatically set...

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Cobbler

Cobbler is an open-source Linux installation server and provisioning system designed to help automate setup and management of Linux systems across large networks of servers. It streamlines the installation of Linux distributions by allowing an administrator to set up a provisioning system from which a large number of machines may...

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Munki

Munki is an open-source software management system designed specifically for managing OS X clients in a corporate environment. It provides administrators the ability to manage software installation, updates, and configurations for macOS devices throughout the organization.Some key features of Munki include:Managing software repositories of pkg installers, dmg files, and other...

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Mgmt

mgmt is an open-source, lightweight framework for building custom solutions for configuration management, orchestration, and automation. It takes concepts from well-established tools like Ansible, SaltStack, and Puppet and combines them into a simple, portable, and composable API.Some key capabilities and features of mgmt include:Agentless - mgmt uses SSH to connect...

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Cdist

cdist is an open source configuration management and deployment tool written in Python. It takes a different approach from other tools like Ansible, Chef or Puppet in that the configuration logic is written in Python instead of a custom domain-specific language.Some key features and capabilities of cdist include:Configuration defined through...

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Crowbar

Crowbar is an open source software lifecycle management tool originally developed by SUSE for Linux and cloud environments. It provides automated, unattended operating system installation, configuration and maintenance on bare metal systems.Some key capabilities and features of Crowbar include:Automated discovery, provisioning and monitoring of physical serversDeployment of operating systems including...

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(R)?ex

(R)?ex is a feature-packed text editor for Windows that balances powerful editing tools with an accessible interface. It works well for both code and prose, making it a flexible option for developers, writers, and anyone who works extensively with text.As a code editor, (R)?ex supports syntax highlighting for over 200...

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Propellor

Propellor is an open source configuration management and deployment tool written in the Haskell programming language. Unlike traditional imperative configuration management tools like Ansible, Puppet or Chef, Propellor uses a declarative domain-specific language to define desired system configurations and state.Some key features and benefits of Propellor include:Declarative syntax - Specify...

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