The best configuration management tools, according to hackers
5 configuration management tools recommended in Hacker News comments over the past year, ranked by how many separate people recommend each one.
All configuration management tools
- AnsibleA battle-tested, widely used way to reproduce server and desktop setups from readable playbooks, though many find its YAML syntax and data manipulation painful.120recommend
- PyInfraRecommended as a plain-Python alternative to Ansible, with users finding its code easier to read and maintain. Critics say it is missing some configuration features.30recommend
- PuppetRecommended for managing large server fleets as a mature configuration management system. Critics call it complex, dated and slow.16recommend
- Progress ChefRuby-based configuration management tool that lets you fall back to plain Ruby when its DSL falls short. Critics say it is buggy and painful at scale.10recommend
- SaltFree, fast configuration management that people use to run thousands of servers with simple templated configs. Common caveat: it grows heavy and bloated over time.9recommend