Updated February 28, 2023
Difference Between Chef vs Puppet
Infrastructure code is defined in the Chef Configuration tool. It mainly manages infrastructure by writing code. The chef was developed by Adam Jacob in 2009. The chef can integrate with cloud-based platforms. A chef can configure and maintain the company’s servers. Chef supports Linux and Microsoft Windows. The languages used in Chef are Ruby and Erlang. A puppet was developed by Puppet labs created by Luke Kanies in 2005. Puppet is used for long time deployments. The documentation of Puppet is good and can be used on many platforms. Puppet is fast in configuration management. It defines the software and configuration requirements of a system.
Head to Head Comparisons Between Chef vs Puppet (Infographics)
Below are the top 15 comparisons between Chef and Puppet:
Key Differences Between Chef vs Puppet
So let us have a look at the key differences.
- The chef can be considered as programming the nodes and writing codes for controlling the nodes whereas Puppet is a description of configuration files. System administrators prefer puppets due to the configuration files and developers prefer Chef due to their programming and developing background.
- Puppet is written in Ruby that supports Domain Specific Language with Ruby. The language used in Puppet is declarative similar to JSON or XML. The desired state should be described first in Puppet that constraints the use of the tool. The chef is written in Ruby with DSL and has prototype programming. The language is imperative where all the features of Ruby are used.
- The chef is installed through shell script which is not secure enough for the codes. Puppet is installed through manual instructions in supported repositories. A DNS setup is needed for the orchestration of nodes in Puppet. For configuration, Puppet requires a client certificate for client system configuration. The configuration is managed using Puppet DSL. In Chef, a workstation which is a container of all configurations is used that passes the configuration to the master. Ruby DSL is used to manage configuration in Chef. Third-party can be used for installing Puppet and Chef.
- The configuration files such as recipes and cookbooks are created in Chef while manifests and modules are created in Puppet. The resources and general concepts of configuration are explained with the terms and the user must be familiar with the configuration files. All the culinary terms are used in Chef Project. A chef is tested using Test Kitchen, again a culinary term whereas Puppet is tested using standard tools like RSpec and Cucumber.
- In Puppet, there are many plugins for Emacs, Vim, Atom, Sublime Text, and IDEs. Though we have plugins in Chef they are not used inside the project and are not fully configured.
- Chef and Puppet provisions DevOps tools. Chef automate is called as one-stop for automation in Chef provisioning of application automation. Puppet automation is called Puppet Enterprise Console which makes the customers automate the applications in Puppet.
- In Puppet, it checks the progress of Puppet DSL over Ruby. DevOps automation is the focus of Chef. Configurations are distributed to all nodes by push method in Puppet. Chef supports only the pull process. The chef’s price is lower than the Puppet. Puppet is costlier among all the configuration tools.
Comparison Table of Chef vs Puppet
Let’s look at the top comparisons between Chef vs Puppet.
| Chef | Puppet |
| A Ruby programmer is needed to manage the Chef tool. Ruby language is used in and out of the configuration management and helps in a greater way. | Only those who know puppet DSL can work with Puppet. No other programming language is needed in Puppet configuration. |
| The chef does manage large enterprises and is known for its reliability. | Puppet manages large enterprises for their infrastructure and is used for longer-term deployments. |
| The installation process needs a third party’s help as errors are not described during the installation process. | The installation process is difficult in Puppet as errors are not shown. Manual instructions are given through the codes and documents in Puppet. |
| New resources and modules can be learned faster. The tutorial says that the learning can be completed within an hour including testing the files. | It takes time to learn new resources and files and the learning is not fast as Chef. It takes three hours to complete the learning. |
| The documentation is well structured and easy to understand even for beginners. An existing system of virtual machines can be used to understand and learn Chef. | The documentation is in-depth and the user should go through the documentation first before working. There are many courses and training provided for the Puppet tool. |
| There are no master nodes and only backup servers in Chef. Chef also follows client-server architecture but there are no master and slave nodes in Chef. | When the master node fails, the role is handled by another master. Basically, it is a multi-master system. It follows client-server architecture and many masters are present in the architecture. |
| A chef is mainly developer-oriented. Codes are written to manage the tool for securing the files and managing the configuration settings. | Puppet is based on its system administrator. There are no codes to write and develop. The administrator’s role is to configure the files and this tool helps in the process. |
| Chef follows procedural style coding. There is a main server that takes care of the file storage and if it fails, other servers take the place. | Puppet has a declarative style. It follows the format of XML and the files are in the master-slave architecture. |
| Chef is popular than Puppet as it is easy to understand and learn. The server system makes it easy to store the files and any hosting system is used to learn Chef. | Puppet is not much popular when compared with Chef due to the installation difficulties and documentation. Extra training is always required to work in Puppet. |
| Chef does not perform app deployment. No provisions are made for the same. Also querying is also not done in this configuration tool. | App deployment is not that easy in Puppet but it performs it to an extent. The administrators should know the deployment of the app. Also querying of servers is difficult and is done with careful documentation. |
Conclusion
Puppet and Chef mainly focus on the configuration with minor differences between both. Puppet and Chef work mainly on Unix/Linux, windows are not used much in the configuration.
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This is a guide to Chef vs Puppet. Here we discuss the key differences with infographics and a comparison table of Chef vs Puppet. You can also go through our other related articles to learn more –
