cdist vs Rudder
cdist
cdi.st
Rudder
rudder.ioSide by side
| Figure | cdist | Rudder |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $3.33/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 8 |
| Spec score · Configuration Management Tools | 8.6 (#6) | 8.7 (#5) |
| Configuration | cdist is configured in POSIX shell, a language familiar to UNIX system engineers. | It can audit configurations in check mode or continuously correct them in enforce mode, with mode set globally, per system, or per configuration. |
| Documentation | The project provides manuals in HTML and man-page formats, including documentation for community-maintained contrib types. | Documentation includes reference manuals, installation guides, API references, examples, YAML techniques and changelogs. |
| Integrations | The project publishes a separate cdist-contrib repository for additional types not included in core cdist. | GetApp lists integrations or API connections involving Slack, Ansible, Rundeck, Zabbix and OpenSCAP. |
| Support | The maker offers community help through a Matrix room and an IRC channel, and says commercial support can be requested from ungleich. | Enterprise includes unlimited standard support, while the Corporate Security Suite includes unlimited premium support and a dedicated customer success manager. |
Plans
Rudder
- Rudder CoreFree
- Rudder Starter - Essential (Monthly)$4 a month
- Rudder Security Suite - Premium (Monthly)$23 a month
- Rudder Starter - Essential (Yearly)$40 a year
- Rudder Security Suite - Standard (Yearly)$200 a year
- Rudder Security Suite - Premium (Yearly)$225 a year
- Rudder Corporate Security SuitePriced on request
- Rudder EnterprisePriced on request
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.