# Ansible vs PowerShell DSC

**Leader by Vioscale score:** Ansible

| Attribute | Ansible | PowerShell DSC |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 57.5 (61% (medium)) | 40.3 (35% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 22 | 1 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 2,140 | - |
| adoption.github_stars | 70,473 | 57 |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | 2,699,011 | - |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` | - |
| description.long | Ansible is an open source IT automation engine that automates provisioning, configuration management, application deployment, orchestration, and many other IT processes. It is free to use, and the project benefits from the experience and intelligence of its thousands of contributors. | A declarative configuration platform where you describe desired system state in JSON or YAML, then validate and enforce it across machines. Resources handle the actual configuration work and can be written in any language. |
| features.capabilities | `{"open_source_core":true}` | `{"model":"push","language":"JSON, YAML","idempotent":true,"architecture":"agentless","desired_state":true,"windows_support":true,"open_source_core":true,"policy_compliance":true}` |
| integrations.count | 22 | - |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Terraform"},{"name":"VMware"},{"name":"ServiceNow"},{"name":"AWS"},{"name":"Microsoft Azure"},{"name":"Google Cloud Platform"},{"name":"Cisco"},{"name":"Juniper"},{"name":"F5"},{"name":"HPE"},{"name":"Dell Technologies"},{"name":"NetApp"},{"name":"SAP"},{"name":"Pure"},{"name":"Palo Alto Networks"},{"name":"CyberArk"},{"name":"HashiCorp Vault"},{"name":"Splunk"},{"name":"Dynatrace"},{"name":"Infoblox"},{"name":"Aruba"},{"name":"Windows"}]` | - |
| language.primary | Python | PowerShell |
| license.spdx | GPL-3.0 | CC-BY-4.0 |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true}` | `{"cli":true,"mac":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Ansible (Open Source)","description":"Free open-source project"},{"free":false,"name":"Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform","description":"Enterprise platform with security hardening and support","contactSales":true}],"summary":"Free open-source version or paid enterprise platform","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.ansible.com","retrievedAt":"2026-08-05T14:05:30.789Z"}` | - |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | - |
| pricing.model | commercial | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | low | - |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.21.3","date":"2026-08-10T16:46:28Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.21.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.20.8","date":"2026-08-10T16:45:07Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.20.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.19.12","date":"2026-08-10T16:43:51Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.19.12"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.18.19","date":"2026-08-10T16:42:12Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.18.19"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.21.3rc1","date":"2026-08-03T22:47:24Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.21.3rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.20.8rc1","date":"2026-08-03T22:46:13Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.20.8rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.19.12rc1","date":"2026-08-03T22:35:50Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.19.12rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.18.19rc1","date":"2026-08-03T22:35:39Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.18.19rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.21.2","date":"2026-07-13T19:39:26Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.21.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.21.2rc1","date":"2026-07-06T18:32:45Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.21.2rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.21.1","date":"2026-06-18T19:35:26Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.21.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.20.7","date":"2026-06-18T19:36:46Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.20.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.19.11","date":"2026-06-18T19:37:59Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.19.11"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.18.18","date":"2026-06-18T19:39:12Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.18.18"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.16.19","date":"2026-06-18T19:40:26Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.16.19"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.21.1rc1","date":"2026-06-11T19:29:45Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.21.1rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.20.7rc1","date":"2026-06-11T19:31:04Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.20.7rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.19.11rc1","date":"2026-06-11T19:32:36Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.19.11rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.18.18rc1","date":"2026-06-11T19:33:53Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.18.18rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.16.19rc1","date":"2026-06-11T19:40:34Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.16.19rc1"}]` | - |
| reliability.status_page | - | yes |
| security.scorecard | 7.5 | - |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":7,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=pypi&package_name=ansible-core&per_page=100","last_12m":1,"max_severity":"HIGH"}` | - |

## Capabilities (Configuration Management Tools)

| Capability | Ansible | PowerShell DSC |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Architecture | - | Agentless / SSH-push |
| Push / pull model | - | Push |
| Config language | - | JSON, YAML |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Masterless mode | - | - |
| Hosting | - | - |
| **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: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T16:53:37.663Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*