DevOps Configuration Management Tools in 2026: Ansible, Puppet, Chef, Salt and What Belongs in Other Categories
DevOps configuration management tools keep servers and applications in a defined, repeatable state. The main tools are Ansible, Puppet, Chef Infra, Salt and CFEngine. Infrastructure as code tools such as Terraform and OpenTofu provision resources, and tools such as Packer, Vagrant, Podman, Nomad and TeamCity belong to other categories. Choose by your environment, team skills and license needs.
Key Takeaways
- Configuration management defines and enforces the state of machines (packages, files, services). Infrastructure as code creates the infrastructure itself. Many teams use both.
- HashiCorp changed Terraform's license from MPL 2.0 to the Business Source License in August 2023, and a community fork became OpenTofu under the Linux Foundation. IBM's acquisition of HashiCorp closed on February 27, 2025, for about $6.4 billion, per search results.
- HCP Terraform's free tier reportedly ended on March 31, 2026. Check current pricing if you use it.
- Ansible is agentless, and Puppet and Chef traditionally use agents. Agentless setups are simpler to start, while agent-based tools can enforce state continuously.
- Several items in the earlier version of this post are not configuration management tools: TeamCity, Delphix, Packer, Podman, Vagrant and Nomad.
Why is configuration management important?
- Consistency. Every server is built the same way, which reduces "works on my machine" problems.
- Speed. New environments and changes roll out by code, not by hand.
- Auditability. Configurations live in version control, so you can see who changed what.
- Recovery. You can rebuild a failed server from code.
- Security and compliance. You can enforce baselines and detect drift.
We found no reliable independent data to quantify these gains. The earlier version quoted market-size and customer-experience statistics from sources it did not link, so we removed them.
What kinds of tools exist?
| Category | Job | Examples |
| Configuration management | Define and enforce the state of servers and software | Ansible, Puppet, Chef Infra, Salt, CFEngine |
| Infrastructure as code | Provision cloud and infrastructure resources | Terraform, OpenTofu, AWS CloudFormation |
| Image and environment building | Build machine images and dev environments | Packer, Vagrant |
| Containers and orchestration | Run and schedule containers | Podman, Nomad, Kubernetes |
| CI/CD | Build, test and deploy code | TeamCity, Jenkins |
| Endpoint management | Manage user devices | Microsoft Intune (formerly Microsoft Endpoint Manager) |
Which tools do configuration management?
| Tool | How it works | Good for | Notes |
| Ansible | Agentless, YAML playbooks over SSH or WinRM | Quick starts, orchestration, mixed environments | Maintained by Red Hat |
| Puppet | Declarative language, agent-based with a central server | Large fleets that need continuous enforcement | Owned by Perforce. Check the current open source and commercial licensing. |
| Chef Infra | Ruby-based recipes, agent-based | Teams comfortable with code-heavy configuration | Owned by Progress. Check current licensing. |
| Salt | Master and minion model, event-driven, YAML | Large, fast remote execution and reactive automation | Owned by Broadcom through VMware. Check the project's status. |
| CFEngine | Lightweight agent, declarative promises | Large, resource-constrained or compliance-focused fleets | Long-running project. The earlier version listed PCI DSS, HIPAA and CIS support, which we could not verify. |
Ownership notes come from our general knowledge of the market, not from this research, so check each vendor's own site. The earlier version listed no versions, prices or licenses. Always check these before you adopt a tool.
What about Terraform, OpenTofu and other tools?
- Terraform. Infrastructure as code from HashiCorp. Its license changed from MPL 2.0 to the Business Source License in August 2023. IBM completed its acquisition of HashiCorp on February 27, 2025. Sources reported Terraform at version 1.14.x in 2026.
- OpenTofu. A fork of Terraform 1.5 under the Linux Foundation. Sources reported versions between 1.11 and 1.12 in 2026 and said the two projects have started to diverge. Licensing is mainly a concern for vendors and for teams with strict open source policies.
- Packer. Builds machine images. It is not configuration management.
- Vagrant. Manages development environments and virtual machines. Not configuration management.
- Podman. A daemonless, Docker-compatible container engine, used to run containers. Not configuration management.
- Nomad. A workload orchestrator from HashiCorp. Not configuration management.
- TeamCity. A CI/CD server. Not configuration management.
- Delphix. A data delivery tool for development and testing. Not configuration management.
- Juju and RackHD. Juju models and deploys applications. RackHD automated bare-metal hardware. We could not confirm RackHD's current activity, so check before use.
- Microsoft Endpoint Manager. The earlier version described it with Windows 10 framing. It is now branded Microsoft Intune, so check Microsoft's documentation.
Sources on Terraform and OpenTofu include Encore and Jorijn, found through search. Version numbers differ between sources, so check each project's releases page.
Planning a DevOps setup? Tell us your servers, cloud and team, and we will help you scope it. Get your project scoped
Agent-based or agentless?
| Factor | Agentless (for example Ansible) | Agent-based (for example Puppet, Chef) |
| Setup | Faster. Uses SSH or WinRM. | Needs agents and often a central server |
| Enforcement | When you run a playbook (or schedule it) | Agents check and correct drift on a schedule |
| Scale | Works well, with tuning for very large fleets | Designed for very large fleets |
| Network access | Control machine must reach targets | Agents call the server |
How do you choose a tool?
- Define the job: server configuration, cloud provisioning, or both.
- Count and map your machines: operating systems, cloud, on-premises.
- Check team skills: YAML, Ruby or a declarative language.
- Review licensing and ownership, including open source and commercial terms.
- Check maintenance: release history, community and vendor support.
- Pilot one environment and measure setup time, errors and drift.
- Plan secrets management, testing and code review for configurations.
For monitoring after you deploy, read best DevOps monitoring tools. The earlier version's conclusion discussed "16 monitoring tools" that belong to that other article, so we removed it.
How Appic helps with DevOps
Appic Softwares has built custom software since 2018, with offices in Jaipur (India), Frisco, Texas (USA) and Munich (Germany), and a 5.0 Clutch rating from 24 verified reviews. We offer DevOps services, DevOps automation and infrastructure management. Our average rate is about $35 per hour, and projects typically start around $10,000 for a focused scope. Appic is a publisher with a commercial interest, so compare quotes.
What changed from the earlier version of this post?
The March 2024 version had a 2025 title on 2024 content, listed 15 tools without versions, prices or licenses, counted tools from other categories as configuration management, had a "Six Open Source" section that overlapped the main list, used unlinked statistics, ended with a conclusion about monitoring tools and had no FAQ. This update groups tools by category, adds license and ownership notes for Terraform and OpenTofu, an agent comparison and a selection process.
Ready to automate your infrastructure? Share your environment and goals. We will reply with an approach and a cost range. Talk to our team
Frequently Asked Questions
What are DevOps configuration management tools?
They define and enforce the state of servers and software, such as packages, files and services, so every machine is built the same way and drift is detected. The main tools are Ansible, Puppet, Chef Infra, Salt and CFEngine. Configurations are stored as code in version control.
What is the difference between configuration management and infrastructure as code?
Configuration management sets up and maintains the software and settings on machines, while infrastructure as code provisions the infrastructure itself, such as virtual machines, networks and cloud services. Ansible, Puppet and Chef are configuration tools, and Terraform and OpenTofu are infrastructure as code tools. Many teams use both.
Is Ansible better than Puppet or Chef?
It depends. Ansible is agentless and quick to start, which suits mixed environments and orchestration, while Puppet and Chef use agents and suit large fleets that need continuous enforcement. Check team skills, licensing and maintenance, and pilot one environment before you choose.
Is Terraform still open source?
HashiCorp moved Terraform from MPL 2.0 to the Business Source License in August 2023, so it is source available rather than open source under common definitions. OpenTofu is a community fork of Terraform 1.5 under the Linux Foundation. IBM completed its HashiCorp acquisition on February 27, 2025.
Are Packer, Podman and TeamCity configuration management tools?
No. Packer builds machine images, Podman runs containers, Vagrant manages development environments, Nomad orchestrates workloads and TeamCity is a CI/CD server. They are useful in a DevOps toolchain but belong to other categories than configuration management.
How do I choose a configuration management tool?
Define whether you need server configuration, cloud provisioning or both, map your operating systems and environments, check your team's skills, review licensing and ownership, check maintenance and community support, pilot one environment and plan secrets management and testing. Appic projects typically start around $10,000.
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