Cfengine vs Puppet vs ChefRon TolandSCALE 2013

Background

Scenario

Common Features

Flexible

Configuration as Code

Declarative DSL*






* well, ok, not chef. but let's pretend.

Evaluation Criteria

Footprint

Scalability

Documentation

Learning Curve

Cfengine

Footprint: Low

Cfengine

Scalability: High

Cfengine

Documentation: Terrible

Cfengine

Learning Curve: Painful

Puppet

Footprint: Ruby

Puppet

Scalability: Tricky

Puppet

Documentation: Excellent

Puppet

Learning Curve: Gentle

Chef

Footprint: Ruby + Friends

Chef

Scalability: YES

Chef

Documentation: Ok

Chef

Learning Curve: Moderate

Recommendations

Small to Mid Scale: Puppet

Mid to Large Scale: Chef

Job Security: Cfengine

Further Reading

Cfengine: http://cfengine.com/

Puppet: https://puppetlabs.com/

Pro Puppet, Turnbull & McCune

Chef: http://www.opscode.com/chef/