OSI-licensed open source
Configuration management software keeps servers and infrastructure in a defined state: packages installed, services running, files and users configured, all described in code. It makes environments repeatable and detects drift.
The classic tools (Ansible, Puppet, Chef, Salt) configure machines, while OpenTofu and Pulumi provision the infrastructure underneath. Rudder adds continuous compliance. All licenses were read from repositories. Terraform itself is excluded because HashiCorp moved it to a source-available license; OpenTofu is the open-source fork.
Tools, licences and pricing checked against vendor and repository pages on November 7, 2026.
| Tool | Best for | Pricing | Licence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ansible | Agentless configuration and orchestration | Free, open source (self-hosted) | GPL-3.0 |
| Puppet | Model-driven management at scale | Free, open source (self-hosted) | Apache-2.0 |
| OpenVox | Community-governed Puppet continuity | Free, open source (self-hosted) | Apache-2.0 |
| Chef Infra | Code-heavy teams comfortable with Ruby | Free, open source (self-hosted) | Apache-2.0 |
| Salt | Fast remote execution at scale | Free, open source (self-hosted) | Apache-2.0 |
| Rudder | Compliance-focused configuration | Free, open source (self-hosted) | GPL-3.0 |
| OpenTofu | Provisioning cloud infrastructure | Free, open source (self-hosted) | MPL-2.0 |
| Pulumi | Infrastructure in real programming languages | Free, open source (self-hosted); paid Pulumi Cloud - see vendor pricing | Apache-2.0 |
Best for: Agentless configuration and orchestration · Free, open source (self-hosted)
Ansible is an agentless automation tool that uses YAML playbooks over SSH or WinRM. Its repository is GPLv3.
Best for: Model-driven management at scale · Free, open source (self-hosted)
Puppet is a declarative configuration management tool whose source repository is Apache-2.0.
Best for: Community-governed Puppet continuity · Free, open source (self-hosted)
OpenVox is a community fork of Puppet maintained as an open-source project under Apache-2.0.
Best for: Code-heavy teams comfortable with Ruby · Free, open source (self-hosted)
Chef Infra uses Ruby-based recipes to configure systems; the source repository is Apache-2.0.
Best for: Fast remote execution at scale · Free, open source (self-hosted)
Salt supports remote execution and configuration management with event-driven automation, Apache-2.0 licensed.
Best for: Compliance-focused configuration · Free, open source (self-hosted)
Rudder is a continuous configuration and compliance platform for infrastructure, GPLv3 licensed.
Best for: Provisioning cloud infrastructure · Free, open source (self-hosted)
OpenTofu is the open-source infrastructure-as-code tool forked from Terraform, MPL-2.0 licensed.
Best for: Infrastructure in real programming languages · Free, open source (self-hosted); paid Pulumi Cloud - see vendor pricing
Pulumi defines infrastructure using general-purpose languages, with an Apache-2.0 core.
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| If you need… | Start with |
|---|---|
| Agentless and quick start | Ansible |
| Declarative, agent-based at scale | Puppet, OpenVox |
| Ruby-based code | Chef Infra |
| Fast remote execution | Salt |
| Compliance visibility | Rudder |
| Provision cloud resources | OpenTofu, Pulumi |
Quick answers to common questions
Defining system state in code and enforcing it automatically on servers.
Ansible is agentless and simple; Puppet is agent-based with continuous enforcement.
Recent Terraform versions use a source-available license; OpenTofu is the open-source fork.
They overlap; IaC tools provision resources while configuration tools manage what runs on them.
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