# BOSH vs Chef Infra

**Leader by Vioscale score:** BOSH

| Attribute | BOSH | Chef Infra |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 62.4 (78% (high)) | 51.9 (74% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 100 | 73 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 131 | - |
| adoption.github_stars | 2,077 | 8,231 |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"on_prem":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"hybrid":true,"on_prem":true,"air_gapped":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | A tool chain for automating the release engineering, deployment, and ongoing management of complex distributed services. It supports multiple cloud platforms and can manage itself through self-hosting. | A DevOps automation solution for defining and managing infrastructure configurations, enforcing compliance standards, and automating remediation across cloud, on-premises, hybrid, and air-gapped environments. Provides continuous compliance auditing, policy enforcement, and workflow orchestration. |
| features.capabilities | `{"model":"push","hosting":"self","language":"YAML","idempotent":true,"architecture":"declarative_os","desired_state":true,"masterless_mode":false,"windows_support":true,"content_registry":true,"open_source_core":true,"policy_compliance":false,"cloud_provisioning":true,"enterprise_edition":false}` | `{"hosting":"both","language":"Ruby","idempotent":true,"architecture":"agent","desired_state":true,"windows_support":true,"content_registry":true,"open_source_core":true,"policy_compliance":true,"cloud_provisioning":true,"enterprise_edition":true}` |
| integrations.count | 5 | 6 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"UAA"},{"name":"CredHub"},{"name":"OpenStack"},{"name":"vCloud"},{"name":"Amazon S3"},{"name":"Google Cloud Storage"},{"name":"Azure Storage"}]` | `[{"name":"Google Compute Engine"},{"name":"GitHub"},{"name":"Jenkins"},{"name":"AWS"},{"name":"Azure"},{"name":"GCP"}]` |
| language.primary | Ruby | Ruby |
| license.spdx | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"hqCountry":"US","primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://bosh.io/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-21T13:45:40.182Z"}` | `{"type":"usage","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Business","summary":"$59/node/year","features":["Node Management","Job Orchestration","Configuration Management","Desktop Management","Compliance Audit","Unlimited User Seats","Unlimited Org Units","30 Days Data Retention","Standard Support","99.9% Uptime SLA"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"node","amount":59,"period":"year","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Suitable for organisations that need to automate and orchestrate infrastructure management jobs critical to business success.","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"concurrent_jobs":"10","monthly_job_runs_per_node":"10"}},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","summary":"$189/node/year","features":["Node Management","Job Orchestration","Configuration Management","Desktop Management","Compliance Audit","Continuous Compliance","Cloud Security Posture Management","Application Delivery","Unlimited User Seats","Unlimited Org Units","30 Days Data Retention","Standard Support","99.9% Uptime SLA"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"node","amount":189,"period":"year","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For organizations tasked with maturing DevOps automation, orchestration and auditing for their entire organization.","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"concurrent_jobs":"10","monthly_job_runs_per_node":"10"}},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise Plus","summary":"Custom pricing, contact sales","features":["Node Management","Job Orchestration","Configuration Management","Desktop Management","Compliance Audit","Continuous Compliance","Cloud Security Posture Management","Application Delivery","Unlimited User Seats","Unlimited Org Units","Up to 60 Days Data Retention","Premium Support","99.9% Uptime SLA","Optional Dedicated Instance"],"description":"For security-focused organizations aiming to extend DevOps automation to address security and compliance requirements.","contactSales":true,"includedLimits":{"concurrent_jobs":"50","monthly_job_runs_per_node":"10"}}],"summary":"From $59/node/year annual billing. No free tier.","currency":"USD","freeTier":false,"sourceUrl":"https://www.chef.io","retrievedAt":"2026-08-05T14:05:19.898Z","startingPrice":{"amount":59,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["year"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | no |
| pricing.model | open_source | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | free | mid |
| pricing.transparent | yes | no |
| release.cadence_days | 6 | 233 |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/cloudfoundry/bosh/releases/tag/v283.1.6","date":"2026-08-20T03:50:27Z","type":"stable","version":"v283.1.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloudfoundry/bosh/releases/tag/v283.1.5","date":"2026-08-18T00:55:12Z","type":"stable","version":"v283.1.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloudfoundry/bosh/releases/tag/v283.1.4","date":"2026-08-13T12:05:33Z","type":"stable","version":"v283.1.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloudfoundry/bosh/releases/tag/v283.1.3","date":"2026-08-01T16:43:01Z","type":"stable","version":"v283.1.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloudfoundry/bosh/releases/tag/v283.1.2","date":"2026-07-24T08:38:03Z","type":"stable","version":"v283.1.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloudfoundry/bosh/releases/tag/v283.1.1","date":"2026-07-17T05:30:11Z","type":"stable","version":"v283.1.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloudfoundry/bosh/releases/tag/v283.1.0","date":"2026-07-13T17:49:26Z","type":"stable","version":"v283.1.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloudfoundry/bosh/releases/tag/v283.0.0","date":"2026-07-09T21:32:09Z","type":"stable","version":"v283.0.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloudfoundry/bosh/releases/tag/v282.1.17","date":"2026-06-26T01:19:54Z","type":"stable","version":"v282.1.17"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloudfoundry/bosh/releases/tag/v282.1.16","date":"2026-06-18T05:49:45Z","type":"stable","version":"v282.1.16"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloudfoundry/bosh/releases/tag/v282.1.15","date":"2026-06-11T15:05:55Z","type":"stable","version":"v282.1.15"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloudfoundry/bosh/releases/tag/v282.1.14","date":"2026-06-04T23:55:18Z","type":"stable","version":"v282.1.14"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloudfoundry/bosh/releases/tag/v282.1.13","date":"2026-05-26T08:57:46Z","type":"stable","version":"v282.1.13"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloudfoundry/bosh/releases/tag/v282.1.12","date":"2026-05-15T19:42:41Z","type":"stable","version":"v282.1.12"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloudfoundry/bosh/releases/tag/v282.1.11","date":"2026-05-08T23:20:28Z","type":"stable","version":"v282.1.11"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloudfoundry/bosh/releases/tag/v282.1.10","date":"2026-05-05T17:47:12Z","type":"stable","version":"v282.1.10"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloudfoundry/bosh/releases/tag/v282.1.9","date":"2026-05-01T16:41:36Z","type":"stable","version":"v282.1.9"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloudfoundry/bosh/releases/tag/v282.1.8","date":"2026-04-15T18:50:07Z","type":"stable","version":"v282.1.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloudfoundry/bosh/releases/tag/v282.1.7","date":"2026-04-09T09:35:47Z","type":"stable","version":"v282.1.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/cloudfoundry/bosh/releases/tag/v282.1.6","date":"2026-03-26T22:07:25Z","type":"stable","version":"v282.1.6"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/chef/chef/releases/tag/v15.8.23","date":"2020-02-20T06:51:07Z","type":"stable","version":"v15.8.23"},{"url":"https://github.com/chef/chef/releases/tag/15.1.36","date":"2019-07-01T23:16:15Z","type":"prerelease","version":"15.1.36"},{"url":"https://github.com/chef/chef/releases/tag/11.18.14","date":"2015-07-09T13:15:27Z","type":"stable","version":"11.18.14"},{"url":"https://github.com/chef/chef/releases/tag/12.3.0","date":"2015-04-27T19:51:58Z","type":"stable","version":"12.3.0"}]` |
| reliability.sla_pct | - | 99.9 |
| reliability.status_page | - | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | yes |
| security.gdpr | - | yes |
| security.scorecard | 6.9 | 3.2 |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=rubygems&package_name=bosh-template&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | - |

## Capabilities (Configuration Management Tools)

| Capability | BOSH | Chef Infra |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Architecture | Declarative-OS | Agent-based |
| Push / pull model | Push | - |
| Config language | YAML | Ruby |
| **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: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T17:21:34.068Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*