Azure Automation vs Foreman
Azure Automation
azure.microsoft.com
Foreman
theforeman.orgSide by side
| Figure | Azure Automation | Foreman |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 8 | 1 |
| Spec score · IT Automation Software | 9.0 (#5) | 8.8 (#10) |
| Configuration management | Users can author PowerShell configurations, import scripts and generate node configurations for physical or virtual machines. | Foreman includes configuration management support for Puppet and Salt and collects Ansible reports and facts. |
| REST API | The public Automation REST API supports creating, updating, deleting, listing, retrieving content for and publishing runbooks; the documented API version is 2024-10-23. | Foreman provides a RESTful API for tasks such as registering hosts and assigning user roles. |
Plans
Azure Automation
- Process automation — job run timePriced on request
- Process automation — watchersFree
- Configuration management — Azure nodePriced on request
- Configuration management — non-Azure nodePriced on request
- Update managementPriced on request
- Update managementFree
- Configuration management non-Azure nodePrice not published
- Process automation job runtimePrice not published
In their own words
Azure Automation
Azure Automation is a cloud service for process automation, configuration management, patch management, and remediation automation on Windows and Linux. Process automation is divided into job run time and watchers: the job run time plan includes 500 minutes per month, while the watchers plan is listed at free with 744 hours included monthly. Configuration management has separate Azure-node and non-Azure-node plans. The Azure-node option includes a configuration pull service and change tracking; the non-Azure-node option includes five nodes per month. An Update management plan lists update visibility and update deployment. These options cover automating processes, managing configuration, and handling updates across both supported operating systems. Azure Automation uses a cloud deployment model. The pricing model is listed as freemium, although the facts also state there is no free plan.
Foreman
Foreman is a free, open-source lifecycle management tool for physical and virtual servers. System administrators can use it to automate repetitive tasks, deploy applications, and manage on-premise or cloud systems. It provisions bare-metal machines and resources from providers including Amazon EC2, Google Compute Engine, OpenStack, Libvirt, oVirt, and VMware. Configuration integrations include Puppet, Ansible, Chef, and Salt; Foreman also collects Ansible reports and facts. Administrators can work through a web frontend, REST API, or Linux CLI, including Hammer CLI access to API calls. Role-based access control and integrations such as LDAP, FreeIPA, and Microsoft Active Directory support access management. Host groups, bulk management, health reports, and audits help organize systems and review changes. A typical deployment has a Foreman server, Smart Proxy servers, and managed hosts. The quickstart lists Enterprise Linux 9, Debian 12 and 13, and Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04, and requires 4 GB of memory. Installation configures multiple system components, and setup requires Linux system administration knowledge.