Canonical MAAS vs Foreman
Canonical MAAS
canonical.com
Foreman
theforeman.orgSide by side
| Figure | Canonical MAAS | Foreman |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $2.50/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 8 | 1 |
| Spec score · IT Automation Software | 9.3 (#2) | 8.8 (#10) |
| Spec score · OS Deployment Software | 9.3 (#1) | 8.6 (#5) |
| Spec score · Bare Metal Provisioning Software | 9.3 (#1) | 8.7 (#5) |
| Spec score · Orchestration / Provisioning Software | 9.3 (#1) | 8.7 (#5) |
| Spec score · OS Imaging & Deployment Software | 9.3 (#1) | 8.6 (#5) |
| Spec score · Data Center Automation | 9.3 (#1) | 8.6 (#6) |
| Spec score · Bare Metal as a Service (BMaaS) Software | 9.4 (#1) | 8.8 (#2) |
| Architecture | A PostgreSQL-backed region controller handles operator requests while distributed rack controllers provide DHCP, IPMI, PXE, TFTP and cached images. | A typical Foreman deployment contains a Foreman server, Smart Proxy servers, and managed hosts. |
| Extensibility | Canonical documents CLI and Python client bindings, custom commissioning scripts, deployment scripts and custom power-driver plugins. | Foreman has a pluggable architecture that allows it to be extended in many directions. |
| Management interfaces | Nodes can be managed remotely through the web UI, command line, or API. | Foreman provides a web frontend, a RESTful API, and a CLI for Linux. |
| Purpose | MAAS is an open source platform for centrally managing and provisioning physical servers as cloud resources. | Foreman is an open-source tool for managing servers through provisioning, configuration, orchestration, and monitoring. |
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.
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.