cdist

What it does

Architecture

cdist uses push mode, needs no central server, and can be run from any computer.checked 8 Oct 2001

Audience

The maker says cdist is used in environments ranging from small deployments to enterprise grade environments.checked 8 Oct 2001

Configuration

Users configure cdist with shell scripts and define target state through cdist types.checked 8 Oct 2001

Core features

The maker lists a small core, standard types, parallel execution, and no central server among cdist’s features.checked 8 Oct 2001

Deployment model

cdist uses a push model in which one or more source computers connect to target hosts and apply configuration.checked 8 Oct 2001

Documentation

The project provides manuals in HTML and man-page formats, including documentation for community-maintained contrib types.checked 8 Oct 2001

Extensibility

Types are cdist’s extension mechanism, and type and core are kept separate.checked 8 Oct 2001

Idempotence

The maker says results from cdist types are idempotent, so their outcome does not depend on the order in which the types are called.checked 8 Oct 2001

Idempotency

The site says cdist types make configuration results idempotent.checked 8 Oct 2001

Installation

cdist can be installed from Git or as a Python package using pip install cdist.checked 8 Oct 2001

Integrations

The documentation describes SSH for remote communication and Git for obtaining cdist; it does not list a separate integrations catalog.checked 8 Oct 2001

Intended users

The site describes cdist as used in environments ranging from small to enterprise grade.checked 8 Oct 2001

Operating systems

The documentation lists Linux distributions, FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, Mac OS X, and XenServer among systems cdist was tested or known to run on.checked 8 Oct 2001

Purpose

cdist is a configuration management system positioned as an alternative to Ansible, Chef, or Puppet.checked 8 Oct 2001

Remote requirements

Target hosts need only a POSIX-like shell and an SSH server.checked 8 Oct 2001

Source requirements

The source host needs a POSIX-like shell, Python 3.5 or later, and an SSH client; Sphinx is needed to build documentation.checked 8 Oct 2001

Source verification

The installation guide describes verifying signed source archives with GPG and provides a signing public key.checked 8 Oct 2001

Support

The maker offers community help through a Matrix room and an IRC channel, and says commercial support can be requested from ungleich.checked 8 Oct 2001

Supported systems

The maker’s supported operating systems list includes Linux distributions and BSD systems, as well as Mac OS X and XenServer.checked 8 Oct 2001

Target requirements

A target host needs a POSIX-compatible shell and an SSH server; cdist says it does not require an agent or an extra open port.checked 8 Oct 2001

Transport and security

cdist uses SSH as its transport protocol, and its push model means target hosts do not need to connect back to the source host.checked 8 Oct 2001