Chef

Chef is an open source tool for configuration management, focused on the developer side for its user base. Chef operates as a master-client model, with a separate workstation needed to control the master. It’s based in Ruby, with pure Ruby used for most elements you write. The Chef design is transparent and based on following the instructions it’s given, which means that you’ll have to make sure your instructions are clear.

When to use it: Before considering Chef, make sure you’re familiar with Git, as it’s required for configuration, and Ruby, as you’ll have to be writing in it. Chef is good for development-focused teams and environments. It’s good for enterprises looking for a more mature solution for a heterogeneous environment.

Price: Free open source version, standard and premium plans priced on a per node annual basis. The prices start at $137/node/annual for Chef Automate, or $72/node/annual for Hosted Chef.

Pros:

• Rich collection of modules and configuration recipes.
• Code-driven approach gives you more control and flexibility over your configurations.
• Being centered around Git gives it strong version control capabilities.
• ‘Knife’ tool (which uses SSH for deploying agents from workstation) eases installation burdens.

Cons:

• The learning curve is steep if you’re not already familiar with Ruby and procedural coding.
• It’s not a simple tool, which can lead to large code bases and complicated environments.
• Doesn’t support push functionality.

Quick Start Video of Chef