Cobbler vs FAI (Fully Automatic Installation)
Cobbler
cobbler.github.ioFAI (Fully Automatic Installation)
fai-project.orgSide by side
| Figure | Cobbler | FAI (Fully Automatic Installation) |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Bare Metal Provisioning Software | 8.1 (#7) | 8.0 (#9) |
| Spec score · OS Deployment Software | 8.0 (#8) | 7.9 (#10) |
| Spec score · OS Imaging & Deployment Software | 8.0 (#7) | 7.9 (#9) |
| Integrations | Cobbler can integrate with external configuration management systems including cfengine3, Puppet, bcfg2 and Chef, and also has an internal lightweight system. | The maker documents receiving configuration over HTTP, NFS, SVN or Git, and adding SSH public keys from GitHub, GitLab, Debian Salsa or a custom URL in FAI.me. |
| Purpose | Cobbler is a Linux installation server for setting up and automating network installation environments. | FAI automates unattended mass deployment and configuration of Linux systems and software on computers and virtual machines. |
| 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. | FAI packages are signed with Thomas Lange's GPG key, and the project lists Secure Boot support in FAI release 6.5.7. |
| Support | The project directs users to its mailing list, GitHub issues and community chat for help. | The project directs questions to its mailing list and bugs to the Debian Bug Tracking System, and says commercial support is available worldwide from the author. |
Plans
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.
FAI (Fully Automatic Installation)
FAI (Fully Automatic Installation) automates unattended deployment and configuration of Linux systems and software on physical computers and virtual machines. It is free software under GNU GPL version 2 or later and can scale from a few computers to several thousand. The project lists Debian, Ubuntu, Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux, Linux Mint, RHEL, and SUSE among supported distributions. Installations can use PXE network boot or unattended CD media, retrieving configuration through HTTP, NFS, SVN, or Git. Classes group similar machines, while hooks customize installation stages. FAI can partition disks, create file systems, and configure software RAID or LVM. It automates virtual-machine installation and customized cloud images for OpenStack, KVM, Azure, EC2, and GCE. FAI.me builds custom installation or live media and bootable disk images without local FAI installation, with settings for SSH keys, repositories, packages, scripts, and first-boot actions. Targets include desktops, servers, notebooks, clusters, server farms, and Linux labs or classrooms. The default large CD image includes full Debian XFCE and GNOME packages but fetches many other distribution packages over the network.