Foreman vs Puppet
Foreman
theforeman.org
Puppet
puppet.comSide by side
| Figure | Foreman | Puppet |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $120/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 5 |
| Spec score · IT Automation Software | 8.8 (#10) | 8.9 (#9) |
| Spec score · IT Configuration Management Software | 8.7 (#4) | 8.8 (#3) |
| Spec score · Orchestration / Provisioning Software | 8.7 (#5) | 8.8 (#4) |
| Spec score · Data Center Automation | 8.6 (#6) | 8.8 (#4) |
| Configuration management | Foreman includes configuration management support for Puppet and Salt and collects Ansible reports and facts. | The platform continuously enforces declared configuration state and records audit and correction information. |
| Extensibility | Foreman has a pluggable architecture that allows it to be extended in many directions. | The product supports an extensible scanner architecture and open API framework, while Puppet Forge provides more than 7,000 reusable modules. |
| Intended users | Foreman is aimed at system administrators, and the project says getting started requires a degree of Linux system administration knowledge. | Puppet describes Puppet Enterprise as best suited to medium and large organizations managing complex hybrid environments that require security, compliance, and centralized automation. |
| Purpose | Foreman is an open-source tool for managing servers through provisioning, configuration, orchestration, and monitoring. | Puppet Enterprise provides policy-driven configuration management and infrastructure automation for enterprise-scale environments. |
| Security compliance | Smart Proxy can perform OpenSCAP security compliance scans on hosts and upload compliance reports to Foreman. | Security Compliance Enforcement supplies policy-as-code aligned with CIS Benchmarks and DISA STIGs and continuously remediates drift. |
| Support | Community support is available through the Discourse support board and a public Matrix room; the project says its support room is not an official support channel. | Enterprise plans include standard or premium technical support, CVE service-level commitments and optional technical account management. |
Plans
Puppet
- Puppet CoreFree
- Puppet Enterprise free trialFree
- Puppet Enterprise listing price$120 a month
- Puppet EnterprisePriced on request
- Puppet Enterprise AdvancedPriced on request
In their own words
Foreman
Foreman is a free, open-source lifecycle management tool for physical and virtual servers. System administrators can use it to automate repetitive tasks, deploy applications, and manage on-premise or cloud systems. It provisions bare-metal machines and resources from providers including Amazon EC2, Google Compute Engine, OpenStack, Libvirt, oVirt, and VMware. Configuration integrations include Puppet, Ansible, Chef, and Salt; Foreman also collects Ansible reports and facts. Administrators can work through a web frontend, REST API, or Linux CLI, including Hammer CLI access to API calls. Role-based access control and integrations such as LDAP, FreeIPA, and Microsoft Active Directory support access management. Host groups, bulk management, health reports, and audits help organize systems and review changes. A typical deployment has a Foreman server, Smart Proxy servers, and managed hosts. The quickstart lists Enterprise Linux 9, Debian 12 and 13, and Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04, and requires 4 GB of memory. Installation configures multiple system components, and setup requires Linux system administration knowledge.
Puppet
Puppet Enterprise provides policy-driven configuration management and infrastructure automation for complex cloud and hybrid environments. It uses policy as code to continuously enforce desired state, helping organizations identify and remediate configuration drift. Both agent-based and agentless management are supported, with a web interface and role-based access control. Puppet Enterprise Advanced adds continuous enforcement of CIS Benchmarks and DISA STIGs, self-service automation, AI features, observability integrations, and advanced patching. It also integrates with third-party vulnerability scanners, including Nessus, for remediation. Listed integrations include GitHub, AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, HashiCorp Vault, and ServiceNow. Agents are listed for Linux, Windows, and macOS. Puppet describes the product as suited to medium and large organizations managing complex environments that require security, compliance, and centralized automation. Pricing is custom; a free trial runs on up to 10 nodes with no commitment or time limit. Network and edge device management is optional, and licensing for those devices requires contacting sales.