ActiveBatch vs CFEngine
ActiveBatch
advsyscon.com
CFEngine
cfengine.comSide by side
| Figure | ActiveBatch | CFEngine |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 3 |
| Spec score · IT Automation Software | 9.3 (#1) | 9.0 (#6) |
| API | The Web Services API supports SOAP 1.1–1.2 and REST and is included in the core license. | The Enterprise Hub exposes a REST API that also supports SQL-based queries for custom reports over distributed database data. |
| Purpose | ActiveBatch is a workload automation and enterprise job scheduling platform for orchestrating end-to-end IT and business processes. | CFEngine automates infrastructure, security and compliance by continuously keeping infrastructure secure, compliant and up to date. |
| Rating on G2 | 4.6 out of 5 from 212 reviews | 4.8 out of 5 from 2 reviews |
| Rating on Gartner Peer Insights | 4.7 out of 5 from 66 ratings | 4.0 out of 5 from 2 reviews |
| Rating on TrustRadius | 7.5 out of 10 from 40 reviews and ratings | 9 out of 10 from 3 reviews |
| Security | ActiveBatch supports multi-factor authentication for its Console, Web Console, Self-Service Portal and Mobile Ops interfaces. | CFEngine's secure bootstrap uses mutual authentication, key exchange and encrypted communication over TLS. |
| Support | Redwood states that it provides global 24 x 365 customer support through email, phone and a support portal. | Enterprise provides a dedicated support team that answers questions, recommends best practices and can prioritize development of requested features. |
| System requirements | Minimum documented hardware is a 2-GHz processor, 8 GB RAM and 700 MB disk, with .NET Framework 4.8, Windows Scripting Host and Universal C Runtime required. | The Enterprise quick-install hub requires a 64-bit recent Linux machine, 2 GB memory and 100 MB disk per connected host. |
| What it does | ActiveBatch is workload-automation and enterprise job-scheduling software for developing, optimizing and monitoring IT operations, infrastructure and applications. | CFEngine automates configuration, patching, security hardening, compliance and infrastructure maintenance through continuously running agents. |
Plans
CFEngine
- Community EditionFree
- Enterprise free trialFree
- Enterprise EditionPriced on request
In their own words
ActiveBatch
ActiveBatch is a workload automation and enterprise job scheduling platform for coordinating IT and business processes. Its low-code/no-code visual designer combines drag-and-drop workflow creation with hundreds of pre-built job steps. Jobs can start when external events occur or follow date and time schedules. Customizable monitoring, alerts, reporting and SLA monitoring help track execution; dependency controls, retries, recovery and execution observability are also listed. Integrations include PowerShell, SQL Server, ServiceNow and Microsoft Azure Data Factory. The Web Services API supports SOAP 1.1–1.2 and REST and is included in the core license. ActiveBatch supports on-premises, public-cloud, private-cloud and hybrid deployments, with execution agents for several operating systems. Its browser-based Web Console and Self-Service Portal provide interfaces for approved processes, with the portal intended for business and help desk users under IT control. Multi-factor authentication, audited object changes and revision rollback are supported. Pricing is on request; there is no free plan, and a free trial is available.
CFEngine
CFEngine automates infrastructure, security, and compliance by moving managed systems toward a state defined in policy. Users describe desired infrastructure states in CFEngine’s domain-specific language, and lightweight agents work to bring each device into compliance. By default, an agent contacts the CFEngine hub every five minutes. The system runs on embedded devices, servers, cloud systems, and mainframes, and is designed for tens or hundreds of thousands of nodes. Enterprise adds the Mission Portal web interface, reporting backed by an SQL database, REST APIs, compliance reports, policy analysis, alerts, inventory and change reporting, file-integrity monitoring, and performance monitoring. Dashboards provide compliance and performance views, alerts, and customizable sharing. Secure bootstrap uses mutual authentication, key exchange, and encrypted TLS communication. Community Edition is free under GNU GPL, supports Linux, and includes community support. Enterprise is free for up to 25 hosts; pricing beyond that is available on request. The supported operating systems listed include Linux distributions and Windows.