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Tech riderRev. 20 Sept 2026

Tinkerbell

Ch 226.2of 29 Bare Metal Provisioning Software
  1. 1Runs onAPI, Linux, self-hosted
  2. 2CostsNot stated by the maker
  3. 3API accessYes
2 lines stated Written from the maker's own pages: tinkerbell.org
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The Tinkerbell homepage

Overview

Tinkerbell is ranked #22 of 29 in bare metal provisioning software on Specifiction. It runs on API, Linux, Self-hosted.

Compared on bare metal provisioning software

API access
Yestinkerbell.org

Facts

Purpose
Tinkerbell is a bare metal provisioning engine for provisioning and managing bare metal infrastructure.tinkerbell.org · 5 Oct 2026
Stack components
The core stack includes Tink, Smee, Tootles, and Hook, with optional power and boot services and a Cluster API provider.tinkerbell.org · 5 Oct 2026
Workflow model
A workflow combines hardware and a template for execution and is managed as a Kubernetes custom resource.tinkerbell.org · 5 Oct 2026
Templates
Templates contain sequential tasks and actions, including actions such as streaming an image to disk, writing files, and partitioning disks.tinkerbell.org · 5 Oct 2026
Custom actions
Actions can use any container image available to the worker.tinkerbell.org · 5 Oct 2026
Network boot
Smee provides DHCP and TFTP services and serves iPXE and the initial installation image.tinkerbell.org · 5 Oct 2026
Metadata
Tootles exposes hardware metadata over HTTP and can provide it in an AWS EC2 compatible format.tinkerbell.org · 5 Oct 2026
BMC management
Rufio manages baseboard management controllers and can execute one-off actions to bring physical machines to a desired state.tinkerbell.org · 5 Oct 2026
Kubernetes integration
The Cluster API provider lets Tinkerbell act as a bare metal provider for Kubernetes cluster creation and management.tinkerbell.org · 5 Oct 2026
Deployment options
The installation guide documents Kubernetes, standalone binary, and Docker Compose deployment options.tinkerbell.org · 5 Oct 2026
Production setup
The documentation recommends Kubernetes for production and specifies Kubernetes 1.26 or later as a prerequisite.tinkerbell.org · 5 Oct 2026
Network requirement
The stack requires Layer 2 networking for its DHCP server, or a configured DHCP relay in the deployment environment.tinkerbell.org · 5 Oct 2026
Resource requirements
The documented minimum stack resources are 2 vCPUs, 4 GB RAM, and 300 MB disk, and target worker machines must support iPXE network boot.tinkerbell.org · 5 Oct 2026
Community support
The project directs users to its documentation, GitHub organization, and the #tinkerbell channel in the CNCF Slack workspace for help and participation.tinkerbell.org · 5 Oct 2026

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Where it ranks on Specifiction

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Sources