Last Updated on December 10, 2018
This software automates the configuration of machines to a particular state. Like any other tools, they are designed to solve specific problems in certain ways. The goal is to get a system from whatever state it is in, into the desired state. Configuration management software are the tools of choice for many system administrators and devops professionals.
Many of the finest configuration management tools have a version released under an open source license. This article selects our recommended software, all free to download and published under an open source license. The information in each page should help you identify the software best suited for your needs.