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Chef Workstation vs Salt: catalog facts
Chef Workstation	Salt
Free Free to download; check Chef's licence terms before commercial use.	Free Free and open source.
Windows, Command line	Linux, Self-hosted, Command line
Everything needed to start with Chef in one install Covers writing, testing and running automation code	Remote execution and configuration management in one tool Event-driven automation
Only useful if you manage infrastructure with Chef Command-line focused with a learning curve	Concepts such as states, grains and pillars take time to learn Needs its own control infrastructure to run
Downloadable app	Downloadable app, Self-hosted
Closed source	Open source
License not stated	License not stated
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 1, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.