cdist vs LCFG
cdist
cdi.stLCFG
lcfg.orgSide by side
| Figure | cdist | LCFG |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Configuration Management Tools | 8.6 (#6) | 8.2 (#10) |
| Documentation | The project provides manuals in HTML and man-page formats, including documentation for community-maintained contrib types. | The project documentation includes a practical system configuration book, a guide, build tool documentation, and material on dynamic network configuration. |
| Purpose | cdist is a configuration management system positioned as an alternative to Ansible, Chef, or Puppet. | LCFG automatically installs and manages configurations for large numbers of Unix systems, particularly at sites with diverse and rapidly changing configurations. |
| Support | The maker offers community help through a Matrix room and an IRC channel, and says commercial support can be requested from ungleich. | LCFG provides an archived mailing list for discussion and announcements, and its package documentation directs bug reports and feedback to [email protected]. |
| Supported systems | The maker’s supported operating systems list includes Linux distributions and BSD systems, as well as Mac OS X and XenServer. | The FAQ lists Fedora Core 3, 5, and 6 and Scientific Linux 5 as supported releases, while warning that Solaris is less supported and un-packaged for distribution. |
Plans
In their own words
cdist
cdist is a free, open-source configuration management system that applies a defined state to computers through shell scripts and cdist types. It is positioned as an alternative to Ansible, Chef, and Puppet. Types provide the extension mechanism, and the project says their results are idempotent, so outcomes do not depend on call order. cdist uses push mode: source computers connect to targets over SSH and apply configuration, without requiring a central server or an agent on the target. A target needs a POSIX-compatible shell and SSH server, while the source needs a POSIX-like shell, Python 3.5 or later, and an SSH client. The project lists a small core, standard types, and parallel execution. Installation is documented through Git or pip. Supported systems include Linux distributions, BSD systems, Mac OS X, and XenServer. Manuals are available in HTML and man-page formats, with community help through Matrix and IRC.
LCFG
LCFG is a free, GPL-licensed system for automatically installing and managing configurations across large groups of Unix machines. It targets sites where systems differ and change frequently. Administrators keep source settings on a central server; LCFG compiles them into XML profiles that clients download when changes occur. Client components react to resource changes by generating configuration files and reconfiguring related daemons. A package component aligns installed software with each machine’s profile. New machines can be installed over a network file system after source files are created, using a boot floppy or PXE. LCFG is self-hosted and agent-based, with patch management and HTTP resource transport. Listed supported platforms include Ubuntu 20.04, 22.04, and 24.04; FAQ material also names Fedora Core 3, 5, and 6 and Scientific Linux 5. Solaris support is weaker and un-packaged, Mac OS X is experimental, and the demonstration Windows client lacks real components. Documentation covers configuration, dynamic networking, and build tools.