# CFEngine vs Puppet Bolt

| Attribute | CFEngine | Puppet Bolt |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 49.1 (63% (medium)) | 53.9 (71% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 63 | - |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 0 | - |
| adoption.github_stars | 538 | - |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"Provides automated configuration deployment and continuous enforcement of desired system state across large-scale infrastructures, with capabilities for security hardening and compliance verification. Available in open-source community and commercial enterprise editions. It is indexed under Configuration Management Tools.","source":"https://cfengine.com","question":"What is CFEngine?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"CFEngine does not publish its prices. Pricing is quoted on request, across 2 plans (Community Edition and Enterprise Edition), so the figure depends on your seat count and requirements. We record this as a pricing-transparency signal rather than guessing a number. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://cfengine.com","question":"How much does CFEngine cost?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"CFEngine supports the web, Windows, Linux and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://cfengine.com","question":"What platforms does CFEngine support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. CFEngine can be deployed cloud / SaaS, on-premise and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://cfengine.com","question":"Can CFEngine be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6}]` | `[{"answer":"Puppet Bolt supports Windows, Linux and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://www.puppet.com/community/open-source/bolt","question":"What platforms does Puppet Bolt support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Puppet Bolt can be deployed cloud / SaaS, hybrid, on-premise, air-gapped and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://www.puppet.com/community/open-source/bolt","question":"Can Puppet Bolt be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 11 integrations for Puppet Bolt, including ServiceNow, VMware, Argo CD, Jenkins, Dynatrace, Datadog, New Relic and CIS Benchmarks, plus 3 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.puppet.com/community/open-source/bolt","question":"What does Puppet Bolt integrate with?","confidence":0.6}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"self_hosted":true}` | `{"on_prem":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | A configuration management platform that automates IT infrastructure operations, enforces security policies, and enables compliance across systems. | A framework for managing infrastructure resources by specifying desired states through modules and code, supporting multiple operating systems. |
| features.capabilities | `{"model":"both","hosting":"both","language":"CFEngine policy language","idempotent":true,"architecture":"agent","desired_state":true,"windows_support":true,"content_registry":true,"open_source_core":true,"policy_compliance":true,"enterprise_edition":true}` | `{"hosting":"both","desired_state":true,"windows_support":true,"open_source_core":true,"policy_compliance":true,"cloud_provisioning":true,"enterprise_edition":true}` |
| integrations.count | 2 | 11 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Git"},{"name":"Docker"}]` | `[{"name":"ServiceNow"},{"name":"VMware"},{"name":"Argo CD"},{"name":"Jenkins"},{"name":"Dynatrace"},{"name":"Datadog"},{"name":"New Relic"},{"name":"CIS Benchmarks"},{"name":"Tenable Nessus"},{"name":"DISA STIG"},{"name":"Splunk"}]` |
| language.primary | C | - |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"linux":true,"windows":true}` | `{"linux":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Community Edition","summary":"Free, open source","features":["GitHub source access","Community support"],"description":"Open source under GPL v3, runs on Linux","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise Edition","summary":"Commercial with enterprise features","features":["Inventory & compliance reports","Web UI (Mission Portal)","APIs","Alerts & dashboards","Enhanced platform support"],"description":"Commercial license, runs on Windows and Linux","contactSales":true}],"summary":"Free open-source community edition or commercial enterprise edition","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://cfengine.com","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T12:11:00.175Z"}` | - |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | - |
| pricing.model | freemium | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | low | - |
| pricing.transparent | no | - |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | - |
| security.scorecard | 6.9 | - |
| security.trust_center | https://cfengine.com/blog/2022/security-holiday-calendar-part-1/ | - |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=github.com%2Fcfengine%2Fcore&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | - |

## Capabilities (Configuration Management Tools)

| Capability | CFEngine | Puppet Bolt |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Architecture | Agent-based | - |
| Push / pull model | Both | - |
| Config language | CFEngine policy language | - |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Masterless mode | - | - |
| Hosting | Cloud + self-hosted | Cloud + self-hosted |
| **Correctness** |  |  |
| Idempotent | ✓ | - |
| **Model** |  |  |
| Desired-state declarative | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Ecosystem** |  |  |
| Content registry | ✓ | - |
| **Platform** |  |  |
| Windows support | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Scope** |  |  |
| Cloud provisioning | - | ✓ |
| **Governance** |  |  |
| Policy / compliance | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Commercial** |  |  |
| Enterprise edition | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Licensing** |  |  |
| Open-source core | ✓ | ✓ |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T21:32:16.380Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*