# cloud-init vs Salt

| Attribute | cloud-init | Salt |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 51.9 (66% (medium)) | 53.3 (76% (high)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 34 | 100 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 0 | 0 |
| adoption.github_stars | 3,833 | 15,714 |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | - | 29,742 |
| 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":"An open-source framework that allows teams to automate and manage thousands of systems from a central control plane. It provides remote command execution, configuration management, and infrastructure orchestration capabilities through a master-minion agent architecture. It is indexed under Configuration Management Tools.","source":"https://saltproject.io","question":"What is Salt?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Salt is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the Apache-2.0 licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://saltproject.io","question":"Is Salt free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Salt supports Windows, macOS, Linux and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://saltproject.io","question":"What platforms does Salt support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Salt can be deployed cloud / SaaS and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://saltproject.io","question":"Can Salt be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Salt is published under the Apache-2.0 licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt","question":"Is Salt open source?","confidence":0.95}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"on_prem":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":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 Python-based automation tool and framework designed to deploy, configure, and manage complex IT infrastructure systems, supporting multiple operating systems and maintaining consistent desired state across infrastructure components. |
| 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}` | `{"model":"pull","hosting":"self","architecture":"agent","desired_state":true,"windows_support":true,"open_source_core":true,"cloud_provisioning":true,"enterprise_edition":false}` |
| integrations.count | - | 1 |
| integrations.list | - | `[{"name":"Bitnami"}]` |
| language.primary | Python | Python |
| license.spdx | - | Apache-2.0 |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | - |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"linux":true}` | `{"cli":true,"mac":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","sourceUrl":"https://cloud-init.io/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-21T12:43:06.271Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://saltproject.io","retrievedAt":"2026-10-13T15:11:26.897Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | open_source |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| release.cadence_days | 38 | 6 |
| 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"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3008.3","date":"2026-09-30T21:19:42Z","type":"stable","version":"v3008.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3007.15","date":"2026-09-30T21:12:34Z","type":"stable","version":"v3007.15"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3006.28","date":"2026-09-30T20:55:21Z","type":"stable","version":"v3006.28"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3008.1-2","date":"2026-07-26T01:32:20Z","type":"stable","version":"v3008.1-2"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3008.1-1","date":"2026-07-23T19:43:15Z","type":"stable","version":"v3008.1-1"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3008.2","date":"2026-07-01T19:37:49Z","type":"stable","version":"v3008.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3006.27","date":"2026-07-01T18:54:23Z","type":"stable","version":"v3006.27"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3006.26","date":"2026-06-24T17:16:34Z","type":"stable","version":"v3006.26"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3008.1","date":"2026-06-11T14:41:31Z","type":"stable","version":"v3008.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3008.0","date":"2026-05-27T10:36:40Z","type":"stable","version":"v3008.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3008.0rc4","date":"2026-05-15T17:27:10Z","type":"stable","version":"v3008.0rc4"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3008.0rc3","date":"2026-05-13T16:48:46Z","type":"stable","version":"v3008.0rc3"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3006.25","date":"2026-05-13T16:42:11Z","type":"stable","version":"v3006.25"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3008.0rc2","date":"2026-05-06T18:22:06Z","type":"stable","version":"v3008.0rc2"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3007.14","date":"2026-04-29T18:00:27Z","type":"stable","version":"v3007.14"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3008.0rc1","date":"2026-04-23T23:59:27Z","type":"stable","version":"v3008.0rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3006.24","date":"2026-04-23T22:26:43Z","type":"stable","version":"v3006.24"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3006.23","date":"2026-02-23T21:17:26Z","type":"stable","version":"v3006.23"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3006.22","date":"2026-02-22T02:37:56Z","type":"stable","version":"v3006.22"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3007.13","date":"2026-02-12T23:09:14Z","type":"stable","version":"v3007.13"}]` |
| reliability.status_page | - | yes |
| security.scorecard | 6 | 4.8 |
| 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}` | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=alpine&package_name=salt-syndic&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (Configuration Management Tools)

| Capability | cloud-init | Salt |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Architecture | Agentless / SSH-push | Agent-based |
| Push / pull model | Push | Pull |
| Config language | - | - |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Masterless mode | ✓ | - |
| Hosting | Self-hosted only | Self-hosted only |
| **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 2026-10-16T19:14:49.337Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*