Canonical MAAS vs Cobbler
Canonical MAAS
canonical.com
Cobbler
cobbler.github.ioSide by side
| Figure | Canonical MAAS | Cobbler |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $2.50/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 8 | 1 |
| Spec score · IT Automation Software | 9.3 (#2) | 8.0 (#26) |
| Spec score · OS Deployment Software | 9.3 (#1) | 8.0 (#8) |
| Spec score · Bare Metal Provisioning Software | 9.3 (#1) | 8.1 (#7) |
| Spec score · OS Imaging & Deployment Software | 9.3 (#1) | 8.0 (#7) |
| Spec score · Data Center Automation | 9.3 (#1) | 8.0 (#8) |
| Spec score · Bare Metal as a Service (BMaaS) Software | 9.4 (#1) | 8.2 (#3) |
| Integrations | Canonical documentation names Juju, Chef, Puppet, Ansible, Terraform, OpenStack and Kubernetes as MAAS automation or orchestration integrations. | Cobbler can integrate with external configuration management systems including cfengine3, Puppet, bcfg2 and Chef, and also has an internal lightweight system. |
| Purpose | MAAS is an open source platform for centrally managing and provisioning physical servers as cloud resources. | Cobbler is a Linux installation server for setting up and automating network installation environments. |
Plans
Canonical MAAS
- FreeFree
- Self-supportFree
- Essential$30 a year
- Essential$30 a year
- Standard$50 a year
- Standard$50 a year
- Advanced$100 a year
- Advanced$100 a year
In their own words
Canonical MAAS
Canonical MAAS is an open source platform for provisioning physical servers as centrally managed cloud resources. It automates server discovery, inventory, commissioning, deployment, and decommissioning, and lets operators manage nodes through a web interface, command line, or API. Hardware discovery uses PXE boot and supports IPMI-enabled machines, as well as subnets, VLANs, and switch fabrics. MAAS integrates with Terraform, Juju, and Ansible for infrastructure automation. It can configure networking and storage, run hardware tests, and manage LXD and KVM virtual machines. Listed images include Ubuntu, CentOS, Windows, and RHEL; images can be synchronized or served from an onsite mirror for offline use. Canonical describes MAAS for private cloud with OpenStack, server automation, and bare-metal Kubernetes. A free self-support plan covers all machines but excludes HA support, RBAC, Knowledge Base, a Sev 1 response SLA, phone support, and ticket support. Paid plans start at $30 a year per managed machine. Ubuntu Pro is required for MAAS controllers; Canonical says it provides security patching and enterprise support for controllers and Ubuntu machines.
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.