Clad
Clad is free, open-source declarative configuration management for servers, using a Terraform-style plan and apply workflow.
What Clad is
Clad is free, open-source declarative configuration management for servers, using a Terraform-style plan and apply workflow. Before commands run, it shows proposed changes on every host. If a task fails, Clad says it reverses changes in reverse order. It compares declared state with live servers to identify manual changes, while Clad Shapes define reusable service patterns. Clad connects through SSH and requires no agent on managed hosts. Ansible playbooks can be converted to Clad format with one command. Installation uses Cargo, shell-script commands, or a downloadable binary. The free Clad plan costs nothing and is a single 5MB binary without Python, pip, or virtualenvs. Enterprise features include audit dashboards, scheduled drift scans, webhooks, team RBAC and SSO, compliance reports, and priority support. Grundlabs is identified as maker.
Good
- Previews changes on every host
- Reverse-order rollback when tasks fail
- Drift detection compares declared and live state
- No agent required on managed hosts
- Free single-binary open-source plan
Watch out
- Self-hosted deployment model
- Managed execution requires SSH keys
Who it suits
Clad suits operators managing self-hosted servers who want previewed changes, drift detection, SSH execution, and reusable configuration patterns. Enterprise teams may need its listed governance features.
Verdict
Clad offers a compact, agentless approach to declarative server configuration with planning, rollback, and drift checks. Enterprise governance is available, but its pricing is listed only as contact-based.
Plans and prices
From Clad's own pricing page, checked 11 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Clad | Free | Free and open source · Single binary |
| Enterprise | Priced on request | Centralized audit dashboard · Scheduled drift scans · Webhook notifications · Team RBAC & SSO · Compliance reports · Priority support |
The facts
Each one read from Clad's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Ansible import
- Clad can convert Ansible playbooks to Clad format with one command.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Compliance
- The Enterprise offering lists compliance reports.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Dependencies
- The maker describes Clad as a single 5MB binary that needs no Python, pip, or virtualenvs.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Drift detection
- Clad compares declared state against live servers to identify manual changes.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Enterprise features
- Enterprise offerings listed include audit dashboards, scheduled drift scans, team RBAC and SSO, and compliance reports.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Enterprise integrations
- The Enterprise offering lists webhook notifications.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Execution
- Clad uses SSH and says it needs no agent on managed hosts.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Installation
- The page gives Cargo and shell-script commands to install Clad or download its binary.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The page describes Ansible playbook import and webhook notifications for enterprise teams.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Managed hosts
- The maker says Clad uses SSH keys and requires no agent on managed hosts.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Reusable patterns
- Clad Shapes let users define a service pattern once and deploy it repeatedly.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Rollback
- Clad says it rolls back changes in reverse order if a task fails.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Speed
- Clad says batched checks use four SSH round-trips instead of 139 and are 10x faster than Ansible on real infrastructure.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Support
- Priority support is listed as an Enterprise offering, and the page gives [email protected] as a contact.checked 11 Oct 2026
- What it does
- Clad is declarative server configuration management with Terraform-style plan and apply, automatic rollback, and drift detection.checked 11 Oct 2026
The company
- Maker
- The page footer identifies Grundlabs as the maker; it does not state a headquarters or founding year.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Team access
- The Enterprise offering lists team RBAC and SSO.checked 11 Oct 2026
Money
- Plan before apply
- Clad shows what will change on every host before a command runs.checked 11 Oct 2026
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