Facter vs HardInfo2
Facter
puppet.comHardInfo2
hardinfo2.orgSide by side
| Figure | Facter | HardInfo2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 4 | 0 |
| Spec score · System Information Software | 8.8 (#2) | 7.0 (#23) |
| Command line | Facter can be installed as a Ruby gem with the command gem install facter. | The CLI can generate reports in text or HTML and run specified benchmarks. |
| License | Facter is open source and the repository identifies the Apache-2.0 license. | The project describes itself as open source under GPL2+. |
| Purpose | Facter is a command-line tool that gathers facts about systems, including hardware details, network settings, and operating system type and version. | HardInfo2 is a system information and benchmark program for Linux systems. |
Plans
Facter
- Puppet Core DeveloperFree
- Puppet Core CommercialPriced on request
- Puppet EnterprisePriced on request
- Puppet Enterprise AdvancedPriced on request
In their own words
Facter
Facter is a free command-line tool that gathers system information such as hardware details, network settings, and operating system type and version. Puppet uses it to collect information before requesting a catalog or compiling one with puppet apply. Its built-in core facts include legacy and structured facts, though some facts do not apply to every system. Users can add custom facts in Ruby, with multiple resolutions available for determining a value, or external facts that return static data or output from a script or program. Facts can be hashes or arrays, and Boolean, numeric, and structured values retain their types. Configuration can block fact groups or cache results with time-to-live settings. Facts are available in Puppet manifests, while the --puppet option loads Puppet-specific facts from the command line. PuppetDB's API can support exploration, search, and reporting on infrastructure facts. Facter runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows and can be self-hosted. Legacy facts are omitted from default command-line output unless --show-legacy is used. Puppet's custom-fact examples require some Ruby familiarity, and facter.conf must be created manually or managed with a module.