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Foreman VS Cobbler

Compare Foreman VS Cobbler and see what are their differences

Foreman logo Foreman

Foreman is an open source project that helps system administrators manage servers throughout their...

Cobbler logo Cobbler

Cobbler is a Linux installation server that allows for rapid setup of network installation...
  • Foreman Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-29
  • Cobbler Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-07-30

Foreman features and specs

  • Comprehensive Management
    Foreman provides a complete lifecycle management tool for physical and virtual servers, including provisioning, configuration management, and monitoring.
  • Integration
    It integrates well with a variety of configuration management tools like Puppet, Ansible, Chef, and Salt, offering flexibility in how you manage your infrastructure.
  • Open Source
    Being an open-source tool, Foreman allows for customization and community-driven improvements with no licensing costs.
  • Extensible
    Foreman has a plug-in architecture that allows for additional functionality and integrations, making it adaptable to complex environments.
  • GUI and CLI
    Foreman offers both a web-based graphical user interface (GUI) and command-line interface (CLI), catering to different user preferences and use cases.
  • Community and Documentation
    It enjoys an active community and extensive documentation, which can help in troubleshooting and extending functionalities.

Possible disadvantages of Foreman

  • Complexity
    Due to its comprehensive nature and numerous features, Foreman can be complex to set up and configure, requiring a significant time investment.
  • Performance
    In larger environments, performance issues might arise. Effective scaling often requires careful tuning and additional resources.
  • Learning Curve
    The extensive functionality and integration options come with a steep learning curve, which can be challenging for new users.
  • Dependency Management
    Foreman has multiple dependencies, making its installation and maintenance more cumbersome, especially in environments with strict configuration standards.
  • Interface Complexity
    The web interface can be overwhelming with its vast array of options and settings, potentially complicating routine tasks for less experienced users.
  • Limited Support for Non-Linux OS
    Foreman's support for managing non-Linux operating systems is limited compared to its robust capabilities with Linux-based systems.

Cobbler features and specs

  • Automation
    Cobbler automates and simplifies the process of setting up and managing network boot servers, reducing the manual effort involved in deployment.
  • Multi-Distro Support
    It supports multiple Linux distributions, allowing users to deploy various operating systems and configurations through a unified platform.
  • Scalability
    Cobbler can manage a large number of systems efficiently, making it suitable for both small environments and large-scale deployments.
  • Integration
    It integrates well with other configuration management tools like Ansible and Puppet, providing a cohesive infrastructure management solution.
  • Flexible Configuration
    Cobbler offers flexible configuration options, allowing users to customize network boot setups, including advanced features like dynamic DHCP.

Possible disadvantages of Cobbler

  • Complexity
    The initial setup and configuration of Cobbler can be complex and require a steep learning curve for users who are not familiar with network boot operations.
  • Documentation
    Users have reported that the documentation can be sparse or outdated, making it a challenge for newcomers to fully understand and utilize all features.
  • Maintenance
    Managing and maintaining a Cobbler server can be resource-intensive, requiring regular updates and monitoring to ensure ongoing reliability and security.
  • Dependence on Network Infrastructure
    Cobbler heavily relies on the network infrastructure, which means that any network issues can disrupt the deployment process.
  • Limited Windows Support
    While Cobbler excels at Linux deployments, its support for Windows operating systems is limited, which can be a drawback for mixed OS environments.

Foreman videos

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Cobbler videos

Robbie Collin reviews The Cobbler

More videos:

  • Review - Cobbler Union | Shoe Shine & Initial Review
  • Review - The Cobbler Movie Review! // Adam Sandler

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Foreman and Cobbler)
DevOps Tools
62 62%
38% 38
Monitoring Tools
61 61%
39% 39
Product Deployment
47 47%
53% 53
IT Automation
61 61%
39% 39

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Foreman and Cobbler

Foreman Reviews

12 Open Source/Commercial Software for Data Center Infrastructure Management
Foreman is an open-source and perfect life-cycle management application for physical and virtual servers, that give Linux system administrators the capability to easily automate repetitive jobs, rapidly deploy applications, and proactively manage servers, on-premise or in the cloud.
Source: www.tecmint.com

Cobbler Reviews

We have no reviews of Cobbler yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Foreman should be more popular than Cobbler. It has been mentiond 19 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Foreman mentions (19)

  • From Dotenv to Dotenvx: Next Generation Config Management
    Not to be confused with the larger foreman[0] also written in ruby. [0] https://theforeman.org. - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
  • Deploying 100+ windows 10 devices per week. Need to automate.
    In case you're unable to use intune, a free approach might be https://theforeman.org/ That works well for provisioning baremetal windows (with discovery image or pxe boot) once you've set it up. It supports script access as well as a nice hierarchy for configurations. But it's really not as well documented as it should be. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Configuration Management Tools for 20-30 servers
    I use the foreman with puppet and pxe/kickstart scripts to automate VM/baremetal provisioning etc. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Server management tool with GUI
    Might want to look into https://theforeman.org/ if it's not too complex for you. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Stockpiling Linux ISOs?
    The iso images are typically locked at a certain verison. The update repositories sounds like what you are looking for to cache updates. Look into theforeman.org and specifically the plugin Katello. This is an upstream for Red Hat's Satellite product. Another option would be Canonical's MAAS. Both of these options Sound like what you are headed for unless you really just mean synchronize into a folder and store... Source: about 2 years ago
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Cobbler mentions (10)

  • WDS equivalent for Linux
    I'm looking for Windows Deployment Services equivalent for my Linux network. At the momment I'm using Cobbler (https://cobbler.github.io/) but I'm are looking for a software where I could place .iso images and PXE boot for any machine. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Deploy Linux Workstations
    Take a look at Cobbler. I've used it for quite a few years & love it. It supports both preseed & kickstart. Source: about 2 years ago
  • [HELP] PXE Boot without data loss
    I haven't setup a PXE server in a long time. There are management tools like MaaS, Collins, Cobbler, etc that deal with the provisioning of systems. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Recommendations to help these fit?
    For users and enthusiasts of the Cobbler System http://cobbler.github.io/. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Network Booting 400+ Pi4b's from a Windows 10 Enterprise Workstation
    If you built a Linux Cobbler server you can do this all. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Foreman and Cobbler, you can also consider the following products

DCImanager - DCImanager is a platform for managing physical equipment. Connect any physical equipment to a single platform. Use the platform to manage your servers, switches, PDU as well as physical and virtual networks.

Ansible - Radically simple configuration-management, application deployment, task-execution, and multi-node orchestration engine

Salt - Fast, scalable and flexible software for data center automation

NetBox - NetBox is an open source web application designed to help manage and document computer networks. NetBox was developed specifically to address the needs of network and infrastructure engineers.

Puppet Enterprise - Get started with Puppet Enterprise, or upgrade or expand.

Terraform - Tool for building, changing, and versioning infrastructure safely and efficiently.