# Rex vs Salt

**Leader by Vioscale score:** Salt

| Attribute | Rex | Salt |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 43.1 (57% (medium)) | 56.5 (78% (high)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 0 | 47 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 8 | 428 |
| adoption.github_stars | 734 | 15,637 |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | - | 23,765 |
| deployment.options | `{"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | Rex is an open-source framework that lets you automate infrastructure management and task execution using Perl code. It supports both local and remote execution via SSH, push and pull management styles, and both imperative and declarative approaches, giving you flexibility in how you build your automation. | 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. |
| features.capabilities | `{"model":"both","hosting":"self","language":"Perl","idempotent":true,"architecture":"agentless","desired_state":true,"masterless_mode":true,"windows_support":false,"open_source_core":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 | Perl | Python |
| license.spdx | - | Apache-2.0 |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true}` | `{"cli":true,"mac":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.rexify.org/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-13T22:42:22.675Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://saltproject.io","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T13:47:59.463Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | commercial | open_source |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| release.cadence_days | - | 5 |
| release.history | - | `[{"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"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3006.21","date":"2026-02-11T16:11:06Z","type":"stable","version":"v3006.21"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3007.12","date":"2026-02-05T23:17:46Z","type":"stable","version":"v3007.12"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3006.20","date":"2026-02-05T23:05:27Z","type":"stable","version":"v3006.20"}]` |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.scorecard | - | 4.8 |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=cpan&package_name=Rex&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | `{"count":67,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=pypi&package_name=salt&per_page=100","last_12m":2,"max_severity":"CRITICAL"}` |

## Capabilities (Configuration Management Tools)

| Capability | Rex | Salt |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Architecture | Agentless / SSH-push | Agent-based |
| Push / pull model | Both | Pull |
| Config language | Perl | - |
| **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: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T14:39:18.496Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*