Hold Tools · New
Chef
Configuration management in Ruby; not our choice for new initiatives.
Chef describes server configuration as code in Ruby. The usual set-up is an agent on every system; there is now also an agentless mode. Chef is not widely used in networking.
According to the vendor, the open-source Chef Infra Server will be discontinued in November 2026, to be succeeded by the commercial Chef 360 platform. Existing Chef environments can stay, but the move should be planned. For new initiatives, especially those involving the network, we recommend Ansible because it works without agents and is easier for network engineers to read.
A good fit if …
- Chef is already established
- the team is proficient in Ruby and maintains the environment
Not a good fit if …
- you are introducing configuration management from scratch
- network devices are to be automated
Related entries
- Adopt 10Ansible Configuration and changes as code.
- Adopt 13Terraform Infrastructure as code for cloud and data centre.
History Hold (New)
Which tools suit your operations?
In an initial call we review your tool landscape and show where a change pays off and where it does not.