{"id":420,"date":"2026-10-14T06:51:44","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T06:51:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.scmgalaxy.com\/tutorials\/2015\/08\/19\/top-5-configuration-management-tools\/"},"modified":"2026-10-14T06:51:44","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T06:51:44","slug":"top-5-configuration-management-tools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/top-5-configuration-management-tools\/","title":{"rendered":"Puppet vs Chef vs Ansible vs CFEngine vs Salt: A Practical Configuration Management Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Originally published on 2015-08-19; fully revised and updated.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Configuration management tools help DevOps and platform teams define system state as code, apply it consistently, and reduce configuration drift across servers. This guide compares five widely used tools from the original post\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/puppetlabs.com\/\">Puppet<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chef.io\/chef\/\">Chef<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ansible.com\/home\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ansible<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/cfengine.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CFEngine<\/a>, and <a href=\"http:\/\/saltstack.com\/community\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Salt<\/a>\u2014so you can evaluate fit by workflow and operational style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/top-5-configuration-managem.png\" alt=\"Top 5 configuration management tools\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What configuration management tools solve<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At a high level, all five tools support a desired-state approach: you describe how systems should look, then the tool enforces and re-enforces that state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Define infrastructure and system configuration as code<\/li><li>Apply consistent baselines across many nodes<\/li><li>Detect and remediate drift from intended state<\/li><li>Improve repeatability for patching, provisioning, and service setup<\/li><li>Support auditability through versioned change history<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Quick comparison of the five tools<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Tool<\/th><th>Execution model<\/th><th>Agent model<\/th><th>Configuration style<\/th><th>Typical strengths<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Puppet<\/td><td>Pull-oriented convergence (commonly agent-driven)<\/td><td>Usually agent-based<\/td><td>Declarative manifests<\/td><td>Mature policy management and ecosystem<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Chef<\/td><td>Client runs policies from server or local mode<\/td><td>Typically agent-based<\/td><td>Ruby DSL (cookbooks\/recipes)<\/td><td>Strong flexibility for complex logic<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Ansible<\/td><td>Push-oriented task execution<\/td><td>Agentless over SSH\/WinRM<\/td><td>YAML playbooks<\/td><td>Fast onboarding and readable automation<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>CFEngine<\/td><td>Autonomous policy enforcement<\/td><td>Lightweight agent-based<\/td><td>Policy language<\/td><td>Small footprint and long-running compliance model<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Salt<\/td><td>Remote execution plus state enforcement<\/td><td>Commonly minion-based (agentless modes also exist)<\/td><td>YAML states with templating<\/td><td>High-speed orchestration and event-driven operations<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Typical desired-state workflow<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even though syntax differs, operational flow is broadly similar across tools:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"mermaid\">\nflowchart LR\n    A[Write desired state code] --> B[Commit to version control]\n    B --> C[Run lint and policy tests]\n    C --> D{Validation passed}\n    D -- no --> E[Fix policy and recommit]\n    D -- yes --> F[Apply with selected tool]\n    F --> G[Nodes converge to desired state]\n    G --> H[Collect compliance and drift reports]\n    H --> A\n<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Minimal examples by tool<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The examples below show common command and policy patterns for enforcing a simple web-server baseline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Puppet<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/puppetlabs.com\/\">Puppet<\/a> uses declarative manifests to model package, file, and service state.<\/p>\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\" aria-describedby=\"shcb-language-1\" data-shcb-language-name=\"JavaScript\" data-shcb-language-slug=\"javascript\"><span><code class=\"hljs language-javascript language-puppet\">package { <span class=\"hljs-string\">'nginx'<\/span>:\n  <span class=\"hljs-function\"><span class=\"hljs-params\">ensure<\/span> =&gt;<\/span> installed,\n}\n\nservice { <span class=\"hljs-string\">'nginx'<\/span>:\n  <span class=\"hljs-function\"><span class=\"hljs-params\">ensure<\/span>  =&gt;<\/span> running,\n  enable  =&gt; <span class=\"hljs-literal\">true<\/span>,\n  <span class=\"hljs-built_in\">require<\/span> =&gt; Package&#91;<span class=\"hljs-string\">'nginx'<\/span>],\n}<\/code><\/span><small class=\"shcb-language\" id=\"shcb-language-1\"><span class=\"shcb-language__label\">Code language:<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__name\">JavaScript<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">(<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__slug\">javascript<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\" aria-describedby=\"shcb-language-2\" data-shcb-language-name=\"CSS\" data-shcb-language-slug=\"css\"><span><code class=\"hljs language-css language-bash\"><span class=\"hljs-selector-tag\">puppet<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-selector-tag\">apply<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-selector-tag\">site<\/span><span class=\"hljs-selector-class\">.pp<\/span><\/code><\/span><small class=\"shcb-language\" id=\"shcb-language-2\"><span class=\"shcb-language__label\">Code language:<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__name\">CSS<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">(<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__slug\">css<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Chef<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.chef.io\/chef\/\">Chef<\/a> expresses desired state through Ruby-based cookbooks and recipes.<\/p>\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\" aria-describedby=\"shcb-language-3\" data-shcb-language-name=\"JavaScript\" data-shcb-language-slug=\"javascript\"><span><code class=\"hljs language-javascript language-ruby\">package <span class=\"hljs-string\">'nginx'<\/span>\n\nservice <span class=\"hljs-string\">'nginx'<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-keyword\">do<\/span>\n  action &#91;:enable, :start]\nend<\/code><\/span><small class=\"shcb-language\" id=\"shcb-language-3\"><span class=\"shcb-language__label\">Code language:<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__name\">JavaScript<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">(<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__slug\">javascript<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\" aria-describedby=\"shcb-language-4\" data-shcb-language-name=\"JavaScript\" data-shcb-language-slug=\"javascript\"><span><code class=\"hljs language-javascript language-bash\">chef-client --local-mode --runlist <span class=\"hljs-string\">'recipe&#91;base::web]'<\/span><\/code><\/span><small class=\"shcb-language\" id=\"shcb-language-4\"><span class=\"shcb-language__label\">Code language:<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__name\">JavaScript<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">(<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__slug\">javascript<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ansible<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ansible.com\/home\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ansible<\/a> is commonly used in agentless mode over SSH (or WinRM for Windows hosts).<\/p>\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\" aria-describedby=\"shcb-language-5\" data-shcb-language-name=\"JavaScript\" data-shcb-language-slug=\"javascript\"><span><code class=\"hljs language-javascript language-yaml\">- name: Configure web servers\n  <span class=\"hljs-attr\">hosts<\/span>: web\n  <span class=\"hljs-attr\">become<\/span>: <span class=\"hljs-literal\">true<\/span>\n  <span class=\"hljs-attr\">tasks<\/span>:\n    - name: Install nginx\n      <span class=\"hljs-attr\">package<\/span>:\n        name: nginx\n        <span class=\"hljs-attr\">state<\/span>: present\n    - name: Enable and start nginx\n      <span class=\"hljs-attr\">service<\/span>:\n        name: nginx\n        <span class=\"hljs-attr\">state<\/span>: started\n        <span class=\"hljs-attr\">enabled<\/span>: <span class=\"hljs-literal\">true<\/span><\/code><\/span><small class=\"shcb-language\" id=\"shcb-language-5\"><span class=\"shcb-language__label\">Code language:<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__name\">JavaScript<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">(<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__slug\">javascript<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\" aria-describedby=\"shcb-language-6\" data-shcb-language-name=\"CSS\" data-shcb-language-slug=\"css\"><span><code class=\"hljs language-css language-bash\"><span class=\"hljs-selector-tag\">ansible-playbook<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-selector-tag\">-i<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-selector-tag\">inventory<\/span><span class=\"hljs-selector-class\">.ini<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-selector-tag\">web<\/span><span class=\"hljs-selector-class\">.yml<\/span><\/code><\/span><small class=\"shcb-language\" id=\"shcb-language-6\"><span class=\"shcb-language__label\">Code language:<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__name\">CSS<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">(<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__slug\">css<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">CFEngine<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"http:\/\/cfengine.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CFEngine<\/a> focuses on continuous policy enforcement with lightweight agents.<\/p>\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\" aria-describedby=\"shcb-language-7\" data-shcb-language-name=\"PHP\" data-shcb-language-slug=\"php\"><span><code class=\"hljs language-php language-bash\"><span class=\"hljs-comment\"># Validate and run local policy<\/span>\ncf-promises -f .\/promises.cf\ncf-agent -Kf .\/promises.cf<\/code><\/span><small class=\"shcb-language\" id=\"shcb-language-7\"><span class=\"shcb-language__label\">Code language:<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__name\">PHP<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">(<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__slug\">php<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Salt<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"http:\/\/saltstack.com\/community\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Salt<\/a> combines fast remote execution with declarative state management.<\/p>\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\" aria-describedby=\"shcb-language-8\" data-shcb-language-name=\"CSS\" data-shcb-language-slug=\"css\"><span><code class=\"hljs language-css language-yaml\"><span class=\"hljs-selector-tag\">nginx<\/span>:\n  <span class=\"hljs-selector-tag\">pkg<\/span><span class=\"hljs-selector-class\">.installed<\/span>: <span class=\"hljs-selector-attr\">&#91;]<\/span>\n  <span class=\"hljs-selector-tag\">service<\/span><span class=\"hljs-selector-class\">.running<\/span>:\n    <span class=\"hljs-selector-tag\">-<\/span> <span class=\"hljs-selector-tag\">enable<\/span>: <span class=\"hljs-selector-tag\">true<\/span><\/code><\/span><small class=\"shcb-language\" id=\"shcb-language-8\"><span class=\"shcb-language__label\">Code language:<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__name\">CSS<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">(<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__slug\">css<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\" aria-describedby=\"shcb-language-9\" data-shcb-language-name=\"JavaScript\" data-shcb-language-slug=\"javascript\"><span><code class=\"hljs language-javascript language-bash\">salt <span class=\"hljs-string\">'web*'<\/span> state.apply webserver<\/code><\/span><small class=\"shcb-language\" id=\"shcb-language-9\"><span class=\"shcb-language__label\">Code language:<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__name\">JavaScript<\/span> <span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">(<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__slug\">javascript<\/span><span class=\"shcb-language__paren\">)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to choose between them<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Team skill set:<\/strong> YAML-first teams often ramp quickly on Ansible or Salt states; Ruby-heavy teams may prefer Chef.<\/li><li><strong>Control model:<\/strong> Push workflows and ad-hoc execution differ from periodic pull-based convergence.<\/li><li><strong>Fleet size and heterogeneity:<\/strong> Consider Linux-only vs mixed OS support and network constraints.<\/li><li><strong>Security posture:<\/strong> Evaluate credential handling, transport model, and access boundaries.<\/li><li><strong>Ecosystem and support:<\/strong> Module\/cookbook\/formula availability and commercial support options matter in production.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Best practices<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Start with a small, version-controlled baseline (users, packages, hardening, logging).<\/li><li>Treat policy changes like software changes: PR review, linting, and test gates.<\/li><li>Use idempotent resources and avoid imperative shell steps when native modules exist.<\/li><li>Roll out in stages (dev, staging, production) with clear rollback procedures.<\/li><li>Track drift and failed runs as operational signals, not just deployment events.<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Compare five long-standing configuration management tools across architecture, operating model, and day-to-day usage. This revised guide helps DevOps teams choose the best fit for their infrastructure automation workflow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3442,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[639,647,1642,1644,407,282,1517,1640,507,1643,244,159,1645,311,637,1641],"class_list":["post-420","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorised","tag-ansible","tag-best","tag-best-configuration-management-tools","tag-cfengine","tag-chef","tag-configuration","tag-configuration-management","tag-configuration-management-tools","tag-list","tag-list-of-configuration-management-tools","tag-management","tag-puppet","tag-saltstack","tag-tools","tag-top","tag-top-configuration-management-tools"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/420","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=420"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/420\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79293,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/420\/revisions\/79293"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3442"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=420"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=420"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=420"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}