# cloud-init vs Puppet Bolt

| Attribute | cloud-init | Puppet Bolt |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 51.9 (66% (medium)) | 53.9 (71% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 34 | - |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 0 | - |
| adoption.github_stars | 3,833 | - |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"An open-source utility that customizes cloud instances during boot by applying user-provided configuration data, supporting all major cloud providers and Linux distributions. It is indexed under Configuration Management Tools.","source":"https://cloud-init.io/","question":"What is cloud-init?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"cloud-init is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://cloud-init.io/","question":"Is cloud-init free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"cloud-init supports Linux. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://cloud-init.io/","question":"What platforms does cloud-init support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. cloud-init can be deployed cloud / SaaS, on-premise and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://cloud-init.io/","question":"Can cloud-init be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"cloud-init is available worldwide. The vendor is headquartered in the United Kingdom.","source":"https://cloud-init.io/","question":"Where is cloud-init available?","confidence":0.75}]` | `[{"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 | `{"cloud":true,"on_prem":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"on_prem":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | A boot-time initialization framework for Linux and Unix systems that automatically detects the cloud environment, retrieves configuration metadata, and provisions instances with network setup, storage configuration, SSH keys, and other initialization tasks. Supports all major public clouds, private cloud infrastructure, and bare-metal systems. | A framework for managing infrastructure resources by specifying desired states through modules and code, supporting multiple operating systems. |
| features.capabilities | `{"model":"push","hosting":"self","idempotent":true,"architecture":"agentless","desired_state":true,"masterless_mode":true,"windows_support":false,"open_source_core":true,"cloud_provisioning":true}` | `{"hosting":"both","desired_state":true,"windows_support":true,"open_source_core":true,"policy_compliance":true,"cloud_provisioning":true,"enterprise_edition":true}` |
| integrations.count | - | 11 |
| integrations.list | - | `[{"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 | Python | - |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"linux":true}` | `{"linux":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","sourceUrl":"https://cloud-init.io/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-21T12:43:06.271Z"}` | - |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | - |
| pricing.model | open_source | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | free | - |
| pricing.transparent | yes | - |
| release.cadence_days | 38 | - |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/canonical/cloud-init/releases/tag/26.2","date":"2026-07-29T03:33:43Z","type":"stable","version":"26.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/canonical/cloud-init/releases/tag/26.1","date":"2026-02-28T02:05:06Z","type":"stable","version":"26.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/canonical/cloud-init/releases/tag/25.3","date":"2025-09-26T11:33:24Z","type":"stable","version":"25.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/canonical/cloud-init/releases/tag/25.2","date":"2025-08-12T19:05:26Z","type":"stable","version":"25.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/canonical/cloud-init/releases/tag/25.1.4","date":"2025-08-06T19:27:52Z","type":"stable","version":"25.1.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/canonical/cloud-init/releases/tag/25.1.3","date":"2025-06-12T20:48:07Z","type":"stable","version":"25.1.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/canonical/cloud-init/releases/tag/25.1.2","date":"2025-05-01T17:45:51Z","type":"stable","version":"25.1.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/canonical/cloud-init/releases/tag/25.1.1","date":"2025-03-24T17:21:47Z","type":"stable","version":"25.1.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/canonical/cloud-init/releases/tag/25.1","date":"2025-02-20T21:12:24Z","type":"stable","version":"25.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/canonical/cloud-init/releases/tag/24.4.1","date":"2025-01-15T16:21:06Z","type":"stable","version":"24.4.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/canonical/cloud-init/releases/tag/24.4","date":"2024-11-25T16:33:16Z","type":"stable","version":"24.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/canonical/cloud-init/releases/tag/24.3.1","date":"2024-09-05T17:05:38Z","type":"stable","version":"24.3.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/canonical/cloud-init/releases/tag/24.3","date":"2024-08-30T22:38:19Z","type":"stable","version":"24.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/canonical/cloud-init/releases/tag/24.2","date":"2024-07-03T15:35:00Z","type":"stable","version":"24.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/canonical/cloud-init/releases/tag/24.1.7","date":"2024-06-05T16:36:32Z","type":"stable","version":"24.1.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/canonical/cloud-init/releases/tag/24.1.6","date":"2024-05-24T17:01:37Z","type":"stable","version":"24.1.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/canonical/cloud-init/releases/tag/24.1.4","date":"2024-04-05T21:48:54Z","type":"stable","version":"24.1.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/canonical/cloud-init/releases/tag/24.1.3","date":"2024-03-27T13:17:42Z","type":"stable","version":"24.1.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/canonical/cloud-init/releases/tag/24.1.2","date":"2024-03-21T15:55:41Z","type":"stable","version":"24.1.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/canonical/cloud-init/releases/tag/24.1.1","date":"2024-03-12T02:40:29Z","type":"stable","version":"24.1.1"}]` | - |
| security.scorecard | 6 | - |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=ubuntu&package_name=cloud-init&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | - |

## Capabilities (Configuration Management Tools)

| Capability | cloud-init | Puppet Bolt |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Architecture | Agentless / SSH-push | - |
| Push / pull model | Push | - |
| Config language | - | - |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Masterless mode | ✓ | - |
| Hosting | Self-hosted only | 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 2026-10-16T19:14:37.000Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*