CFEngine vs xCAT
CFEngine
cfengine.comxCAT
xcat.orgSide by side
| Figure | CFEngine | xCAT |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 3 | 1 |
| Spec score · IT Automation Software | 9.0 (#6) | 7.3 (#51) |
| Spec score · Data Center Automation | 9.0 (#3) | 7.3 (#15) |
| API | The Enterprise Hub exposes a REST API that also supports SQL-based queries for custom reports over distributed database data. | xCAT provides a REST API for integration with third-party software. |
| Platforms | CFEngine supports major platforms including RHEL, Ubuntu, Debian and Windows Server, with tailored support available for OpenBSD, IBM AIX, macOS and Solaris. | The download page provides Linux RPM and Ubuntu Debian packages, with Ubuntu repositories serving amd64, ppc64el, and riscv64. |
| Purpose | CFEngine automates infrastructure, security and compliance by continuously keeping infrastructure secure, compliant and up to date. | xCAT automates deployment, scaling, and management of bare metal servers and virtual machines. |
| Scale | CFEngine runs on embedded devices, servers, cloud systems and mainframes and handles tens or hundreds of thousands of nodes. | The documentation says xCAT can scale to hundreds of thousands of nodes with a distributed architecture. |
| Security | CFEngine's secure bootstrap uses mutual authentication, key exchange and encrypted communication over TLS. | The security documentation covers TLS configuration, transmission channels, command access control, auditing, password management, secure zones, and IP-based access control. |
| Support | Enterprise provides a dedicated support team that answers questions, recommends best practices and can prioritize development of requested features. | The project encourages GitHub issues for support and also lists an older user email list. |
Plans
CFEngine
- Community EditionFree
- Enterprise free trialFree
- Enterprise EditionPriced on request
In their own words
CFEngine
CFEngine automates infrastructure, security, and compliance by moving managed systems toward a state defined in policy. Users describe desired infrastructure states in CFEngine’s domain-specific language, and lightweight agents work to bring each device into compliance. By default, an agent contacts the CFEngine hub every five minutes. The system runs on embedded devices, servers, cloud systems, and mainframes, and is designed for tens or hundreds of thousands of nodes. Enterprise adds the Mission Portal web interface, reporting backed by an SQL database, REST APIs, compliance reports, policy analysis, alerts, inventory and change reporting, file-integrity monitoring, and performance monitoring. Dashboards provide compliance and performance views, alerts, and customizable sharing. Secure bootstrap uses mutual authentication, key exchange, and encrypted TLS communication. Community Edition is free under GNU GPL, supports Linux, and includes community support. Enterprise is free for up to 25 hosts; pricing beyond that is available on request. The supported operating systems listed include Linux distributions and Windows.