Chef

An infrastructure automation platform for configuration management, compliance audits and workflow orchestration across servers.

PaidProprietaryWindowsmacOSLinuxSelf-hosted
Official websitechef.ioDownload pagechef.ioDocumentationdocs.chef.io

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About Chef

Chef automates how servers and infrastructure are configured, using policy-as-code so the same configuration can be applied repeatably across cloud and on-premises environments. The Progress Chef 360 platform adds a web interface for running operations, scheduled or on-demand compliance audits against standards-based content, and orchestration of other DevOps tools from one control plane.

It is aimed at enterprises managing large fleets rather than individuals. A free trial is offered, and downloads and documentation are published on the Chef site.

Strengths

  • Policy-as-code for repeatable server configuration
  • Built-in compliance auditing on a schedule
  • Works across cloud and on-premises environments

Limitations

  • Aimed at enterprises, with sales-led pricing
  • Considerable setup and learning before it pays off

Details

Pricing
PaidCommercial enterprise platform with a free trial; demos available on request.
License
Proprietary
Developer
Progress Software
Platforms
Windows, macOS, Linux, Self-hosted
How it runs
Downloadable app, Self-hosted
Best suited for
Operations teams automating configuration and compliance across many servers
Last verified
Added
Provenance
Facts checked against the developer's own pages and store listings, 1 sources on file.

Alternatives to Chef

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Software that can replace Chef for an important use case, and what changes if you switch.

  • Puppet

    A configuration management and infrastructure automation tool that enforces the intended state of servers.

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    Puppet also enforces server state with its own configuration language and offers the Puppet Forge module library, with compliance in its enterprise edition.

  • Salt

    Open-source automation framework for remote execution, configuration management and orchestration across many servers.

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    Salt is free and open source, combining remote execution and configuration management with event-driven automation on Linux.

  • CFEngine

    A configuration management and automation system that keeps servers in a defined, compliant state.

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    CFEngine offers a lightweight agent and a free open-source Community edition, though its web UI and reporting belong to the Enterprise edition.

  • Rudder

    Open-source configuration management and compliance platform for Linux and Windows systems.

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    Rudder is open source and covers Linux and Windows, adding patch and vulnerability management with CIS, NIST and ISO 27001 benchmark auditing.

  • Uyuni

    An open-source server for patching, configuring and provisioning large fleets of Linux machines using Salt.

    FreeOpen sourceLinuxWebSelf-hosted

    Uyuni is a free, open-source Salt-based server for configuring and patching Linux fleets, focused on Linux clients only.

Similar software

Related functionality, not necessarily a direct replacement.

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