AuroraBoot vs Cobbler
AuroraBoot
github.com
Cobbler
cobbler.github.ioSide by side
| Figure | AuroraBoot | Cobbler |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Bare Metal Provisioning Software | 8.3 (#6) | 8.1 (#7) |
| Integrations | AuroraBoot documents Redfish BMC deployment, Canonical MaaS image generation, Docker or OCI images and Pixiecore netboot serving. | Cobbler can integrate with external configuration management systems including cfengine3, Puppet, bcfg2 and Chef, and also has an internal lightweight system. |
| Provisioning | It provisions machines over PXE/netboot, Redfish or USB. | It supports PXE deployments, virtualization with Xen, QEMU/KVM or VMware, and reinstallation of existing Linux systems. |
| Purpose | AuroraBoot is the official Kairos bootstrapper for building images, provisioning machines and managing fleets. | Cobbler is a Linux installation server for setting up and automating network installation environments. |
| Support | Bug reports and feature requests are directed to the kairos-io/kairos issue tracker, and Kairos lists enterprise support contacts on its website. | The project directs users to its mailing list, GitHub issues and community chat for help. |
Plans
In their own words
AuroraBoot
AuroraBoot is Kairos’s bootstrapper for creating machine images, provisioning systems, and managing fleets. It builds ISO, UKI, raw disk, and system-extension images from Kairos flavors or container images, then supports provisioning by PXE/netboot, Redfish, or USB. Its fleet server pairs a browser dashboard for artifact building, deployment, and node management with a REST API and Go client; API documentation is available through Swagger UI at /api/docs. Registered nodes can receive upgrades, reboots, resets, cloud-config, and shell commands, with command output captured. The guided Artifact Builder offers templates for Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, openSUSE, Alpine, Rocky, and Hadron. A SecureBoot key store handles PK, KEK, db, and TPM PCR policy keys, with signed export and import. Documented architectures are amd64, arm64, and riscv64. The self-hosted software is free under Apache License 2.0; its fleet server uses SQLite by default and can use PostgreSQL. Docker or a container engine is required. One security consideration: netboot serves files over unauthenticated plain HTTP to reachable clients.
Cobbler
Cobbler is free, self-hosted Linux server software for creating and automating network installation environments. It supports PXE deployments, virtualization with Xen, QEMU/KVM, or VMware, and reinstallation of existing Linux systems. Administrators can coordinate DNS, DHCP, package updates, power management, and configuration-management orchestration. Interfaces include a command line, WebUI, and Python and XML-RPC APIs. Automated installation formats include AutoYaST for SUSE and openSUSE, Kickstart, and Preseed for Debian and Ubuntu. Templates and reusable snippets generate installation files and manage services such as DNS and DHCP. Cobbler integrates with cfengine3, Puppet, bcfg2, and Chef, or its internal lightweight system. It can be installed from distribution packages or source; pip installation is documented but not recommended. Python 3 is required, and server setup needs Apache, certificate, and administration knowledge. Security guidance notes broad network control and no SELinux or AppArmor profile. The project describes use in small and large installations.