Cobbler vs Digital Rebar Provision
Cobbler
cobbler.github.ioDigital Rebar Provision
rackn.comSide by side
| Figure | Cobbler | Digital Rebar Provision |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Bare Metal Provisioning Software | 8.1 (#7) | 8.7 (#4) |
| Integrations | Cobbler can integrate with external configuration management systems including cfengine3, Puppet, bcfg2 and Chef, and also has an internal lightweight system. | The datasheet lists Terraform, Ansible AWX, VMware, Nutanix, Proxmox, Kubernetes, OpenShift, Git, GitLab, GitHub, ServiceNow, Remedy, Nagios, Prometheus, Chef and external vaults. |
| Intended users | The project describes Cobbler as suitable for small and large installations and says it is used by companies, universities and government organizations. | The product is positioned for multi-site production bare metal teams and for regulated, air-gapped, and high-availability-critical fleets. |
| Security | The security policy says Cobbler has no SELinux or AppArmor profile and advises protecting it because it manages DHCP and TFTP and has broad network control. | Security features include SAML and LDAP single sign-on, Active Directory integration, API-layer role-based access control, access logs, and Secure Boot workflows. |
| Support | The project directs users to its mailing list, GitHub issues and community chat for help. | Every paid edition includes 8×5 support, while 24×7 premium support with architecture reviews is an upgrade. |
Plans
Digital Rebar Provision
- Digital Rebar EnterprisePrice not published
- Digital Rebar PlatformPrice not published
In their own words
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.
Digital Rebar Provision
Digital Rebar Provision has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.