Best Configuration Management Software
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Most Popular Configuration Management Software
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List of 20 Best Configuration Management Software
Category Champions | 2025
Full stack configuration management software
Product Description
Site24x7 is an all-in-one cloud-based configuration management software for DevOps, system engineers, sysadmins, and IT admins. It monitors websites, servers, networks, applications, and cloud services for businesses of all sizes, from startups and SMBs to large enterprises. Read More About Site24x7
Site24x7 Is Tailored For
StartUps
SMBs
Mid-Market
Enterprises
Features
- Ssl/tls Certificate Monitoring
- Domain Expiry Monitoring
- Synthetic Monitoring
- Server Monitoring
- Email Monitoring
- Application Performance Monitoring
- Cloud Monitoring
- Network Monitoring
- View all Features
Site24x7 Features and Usability-Based User Satisfaction Score
Emergents | 2025
Product Description
Chef offers comprehensive DevOps solutions that are easy to implement, diversified, and highly scalable in real-time situations. It will help you conduct your DevOps operations with ease and security. You can create modernized apps as well. Read More About Chef
Chef Is Tailored For
StartUps
SMBs
Mid-Market
Enterprises
Features
- Custom Resources
- Automated Provisioning
- Configuration Management
- Environment Management
- Automated Workflows
- Data Bags
- Role Based Access Control
- Monitoring And Reporting
- View all Features
Chef Features and Usability-Based User Satisfaction Score
Emergents | 2025
Best configuration management software for OpsWorks
Product Description
Ansible Tower is a configuration management software that helps you deploy applications, crush complexity, and manage systems. It helps you create a strong foundation for DevOps, along with providing deployment management and source control. Read More About Ansible Tower
Ansible Tower Is Tailored For
StartUps
SMBs
Mid-Market
Enterprises
Features
- Rest Api
- Ldap/ad Integration
- Custom Inventory Scripts
- Custom Dynamic Inventory
- Job Templates
- Integrated Notifications
- Role Based Access Control
- Cli Tools
- View all Features
Ansible Tower Features and Usability-Based User Satisfaction Score
Emergents | 2025
Product Description
Bamboo is a fully-featured DevOps software designed to serve startups, enterprises, SMEs, and agencies. Bamboo provides end-to-end solutions. This integration system offers change management, configuration management, debugging, quality assurance management, and testing management in one place. Read More About Atlassian Bamboo
Atlassian Bamboo Is Tailored For
StartUps
SMBs
Mid-Market
Enterprises
Features
- Integration With Bitbucket
- Branch Detection
- Deployment Projects
- Docker Support
- Customizable Build Plans
- Build Agents
- Build Automation
- Artifact Sharing
- View all Features
Atlassian Bamboo Features and Usability-Based User Satisfaction Score
Emergents | 2025
Product Description
TeamCity is a groundbreaking software that revolutionizes the continuous integration and delivery landscape. Its innovative features streamline development processes, significantly enhancing productivity and efficiency, making it an indispensable tool for modern software development teams. Read More About TeamCity
TeamCity Is Tailored For
StartUps
SMBs
Mid-Market
Enterprises
Features
- Build Dependencies
- Build Configuration
- Code Coverage
- Build Snapshots
- Vcs Integration
- Build Notifications
- Code Inspection
- Build Chains
- View all Features
TeamCity Features and Usability-Based User Satisfaction Score
Contenders | 2025
Product Description
Docker is a powerful platform that simplifies application development by containerizing your apps, ensuring consistent performance across environments. Trusted by developers and Fortune 100 companies, Docker accelerates your workflow from code to cloud effortlessly. Read More About Docker
Docker Is Tailored For
StartUps
SMBs
Mid-Market
Enterprises
Features
- Kubernetes Integration
- Resource Isolation
- Docker Hub Integration
- Cli Tools
- Docker Swarm
- Monitoring
- Scalability
- Logging
- View all Features
Docker Features and Usability-Based User Satisfaction Score
Emergents | 2025
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Product Description
Puppet infrastructure software gives you a clear audit trail with detailed reports on the state of your infrastructure. There has got to be a better way to manage infrastructure. With automation, you eliminate manual work and minimize the risk of human error. Read More About Puppet
Puppet Is Tailored For
StartUps
SMBs
Mid-Market
Enterprises
Features
- Reporting And Compliance
- Continuous Delivery
- Scalability
- Self Healing Infrastructure
- Module Ecosystem
- Automated Provisioning
- Role Based Access Control
- Task Automation
- View all Features
Puppet Features and Usability-Based User Satisfaction Score
Emergents | 2025
Product Description
ManageEngine NCM is a robust network configuration management tool that simplifies device management, automates backups, and ensures compliance. It enhances network security and efficiency, making it an essential solution for streamlined IT operations and peace of mind. Read More About ManageEngine NCM
ManageEngine NCM Is Tailored For
StartUps
SMBs
Mid-Market
Enterprises
Features
- Scheduled Compliance Audits
- Custom Compliance Policies
- Real Time Compliance Status
- Firmware Vulnerability Management
- Remediation Actions
- Configuration Restore
- Compliance Reports
- Multi Vendor Support
- View all Features
ManageEngine NCM Features and Usability-Based User Satisfaction Score
Contenders | 2025
Fully Featured Configuration Management Software
Product Description
BladeLogic is a fully featured Configuration Management Software designed to serve SMEs and Startups. BladeLogic provides end-to-end solutions designed for web apps. This online data management system offers Audit Trail, Device Auto Discovery, Import/Export Data, Multi-User, and Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance in one place. Read More About BladeLogic
BladeLogic Is Tailored For
StartUps
SMBs
Mid-Market
Enterprises
Features
- Configuration Management
- Network Device Management
- Job Scheduling
- Virtualization Management
- Dependency Management
- Role Based Access Control
- Multi Platform Support
- Automated Patch Management
- View all Features
BladeLogic Features and Usability-Based User Satisfaction Score
Emergents | 2025
The All-Inclusive Open Source Database Management
Product Description
ClusterControl is a versatile database management tool that simplifies operations like failover, backups, and monitoring. It supports both open-source and proprietary databases, allowing deployment in any environment while ensuring high availability and performance. Read More About ClusterControl
ClusterControl Is Tailored For
StartUps
SMBs
Mid-Market
Enterprises
Features
- Resource Management
- Monitoring And Alerting
- Configuration Management
- Query Analysis
- Load Balancing
- Performance Tuning
- Scaling
- Failover Management
- View all Features
ClusterControl Features and Usability-Based User Satisfaction Score
Contenders | 2025
Comprehensive Solutions for Easy Deployment
Product Description
Juju as a Service (JAAS) is a configuration management software platform that allows you to quickly deploy your cloud-based applications. It offers pre-configured open-source software and hosted Juju controllers for high availability. Read More About Canonical Juju
Canonical Juju Is Tailored For
StartUps
SMBs
Mid-Market
Enterprises
Features
- Event Driven Automation
- Bundle Deployment
- Cross Model Relations
- Logging And Auditing
- Backup And Restore
- Model Driven Architecture
- Configuration Management
- Network Management
- View all Features
Canonical Juju Features and Usability-Based User Satisfaction Score
Contenders | 2025
Product Description
This software deals mainly with Macintosh platforms. It provides online asset management by means of software inventory, individual transactions, and network diagnosis. It is also used as MSP billing software. Read More About Auvik
Auvik Is Tailored For
StartUps
SMBs
Mid-Market
Enterprises
Features
- Network Mapping
- Performance Monitoring
- Ip Address Management
- Bandwidth Monitoring
- Automated Network Discovery
- Network Documentation
- Alerting And Notifications
- Multi Site Management
- View all Features
Auvik Features and Usability-Based User Satisfaction Score
Emergents | 2025
Product Description
Vagrant is a configuration management software solution by Hashicorp that enables you to configure portable, lightweight, and reproducible development environments. It offers an easy-to-use workflow and automation capabilities. Read More About Vagrant
Vagrant Is Tailored For
StartUps
SMBs
Mid-Market
Enterprises
Vagrant Features and Usability-Based User Satisfaction Score
Emergents | 2025
Product Description
CFEngine is a configuration management software tool that allows you to manage and configure servers on the cloud. Designed explicitly for IT professionals, CFEngine allows you to download packages, configure embedded devices, and more. Read More About CFEngine
CFEngine Is Tailored For
StartUps
SMBs
Mid-Market
Enterprises
Features
- Self Healing Capabilities
- Event Driven Automation
- Version Control
- Automated Configuration Management
- Policy Based Management
- Cross Platform Support
- Reporting And Analytics
- Scalability
- View all Features
CFEngine Features and Usability-Based User Satisfaction Score
Emergents | 2025
Product Description
SaltStack is an automation solution that helps IT organizations strengthen and secure their cloud infrastructure. This configuration management software allows you to automate the orchestration of enterprise DevOps workflows at scale. Read More About SaltStack
SaltStack Is Tailored For
StartUps
SMBs
Mid-Market
Enterprises
Features
- Event Driven Automation
- Configuration Management
- Role Based Access Control
- State Management
- Remote Execution
- Orchestration
- Extensible Architecture
- Infrastructure As Code
- View all Features
SaltStack Features and Usability-Based User Satisfaction Score
Emergents | 2025
Powerful DevOps tool for Deploying Web Apps
Product Description
Octopus Deploy is a configuration management solution that simplifies the release orchestration and DevOps automation process. It enables you to manage releases, automate complicated software deployments, and automate routine tasks. Read More About Octopus Deploy
Octopus Deploy Is Tailored For
StartUps
SMBs
Mid-Market
Enterprises
Features
- Manual Interventions
- Audit Logs
- Runbooks
- Variable Management
- Multi Tenancy
- Automated Deployments
- Channels
- Deployment Rollback
- View all Features
Octopus Deploy Features and Usability-Based User Satisfaction Score
Emergents | 2025
Run Easy Penetration and Security Assessments
Product Description
BackBox is an excellent Linux distro for technical professionals and organizations that want to run seamless security assessments and penetration tests. This configuration management software offers a tailored, easy-to-use environment. Read More About BackBox
BackBox Is Tailored For
StartUps
SMBs
Mid-Market
Enterprises
Features
- Scheduled Tasks
- Network Mapping
- Configuration Management
- Automated Backup
- Firmware Management
- Restful Api
- Audit Trail
- Role Based Access Control
- View all Features
BackBox Features and Usability-Based User Satisfaction Score
Emergents | 2025
Product Description
Azure Automation is a configuration management system that provides cloud-based automation and configuration solutions. It allows you to manage your resources with features like update management, process automation, and more. Read More About Azure Automation
Azure Automation Is Tailored For
StartUps
SMBs
Mid-Market
Enterprises
Features
- Credential Management
- Runbook Gallery
- Update Management
- Configuration Management
- Notifications
- Change Tracking
- Webhook Support
- Desired State Configuration (dsc)
- View all Features
Azure Automation Features and Usability-Based User Satisfaction Score
Emergents | 2025
Configuration Management Software with Custom Tool
Product Description
Terraform by HashiCorp is one of the best Cloud Infrastructure as Code solutions available. It allows you to spin up infrastructure in various cloud providers, like Azure, GCP, AWS, and more. However, working on Terraform can be tricky. Read More About Terraform
Terraform Is Tailored For
StartUps
SMBs
Mid-Market
Enterprises
Terraform Features and Usability-Based User Satisfaction Score
Emergents | 2025
IT and Configuration Management at Your Fingertips
Product Description
Micro Focus ZENworks is an effective configuration management software system that enables you to automate IT processes across various platforms and devices. It offers seamless application distribution features for efficient management. Read More About Micro Focus ZENworks
Micro Focus ZENworks Is Tailored For
StartUps
SMBs
Mid-Market
Enterprises
Features
- Policy Management
- Directory Integration
- Mobile Device Management
- Asset Inventory
- Patch Management
- License Management
- Power Management
- Application Virtualization
- View all Features
Micro Focus ZENworks Features and Usability-Based User Satisfaction Score
Get Free Expert Advice
Why is Configuration Management Software?
Configuration management software automates repetitive tasks and ensures your network is consistent and up-to-date. Configuration management is essential for any IT professional managing large networks with many devices.
Besides, configuration management tools perform various tasks to keep physical and logical assets consistent. These management tools identify and track all configuration items and document functional dependencies, helping the IT department understand how changing one configuration item affects all the others.
Here are some more reasons to use a configuration management tool.
1. Streamline Processes
Configuration management software helps you organize your servers, network devices, and other IT assets. For example, you can easily see what each device is doing, when it was last updated, and how long it's been running. This way, if there's an issue with one of your devices, you can quickly pinpoint the source of the problem.
2. Reduces Downtime
Having all of your devices organized in one central spot makes troubleshooting much easier. For example, if one server goes down for some reason (e.g., hardware failure or human error), you can easily find out which other pieces of equipment rely on that server and fix the issue before it becomes a major issue.
3. Improves Security
When there's no single point of failure in a networked environment, there's less risk of hackers compromising critical data or accessing sensitive information like passwords and credit card numbers through brute force attacks. However, with software configuration tools, you can eliminate security risks.
Who Uses Software Configuration Management Tools?
Software development teams and IT departments typically use software configuration management (SCM) tools. Here's why these groups use software configuration management tools:
1. Development Teams
Development teams use SCM tools because it makes their job easier by tracking what changes have been made to code and where those changes came from. Besides, configuration management tools in software testing allow developers to see what other developers have done on a project and find out if there are conflicts between their work and someone else's.
2. IT Departments
SCM tools give IT departments version control of an application, so they know what version needs to be installed on each user's computer when upgrading their system. This also helps the DevOps team collaborate when tackling infrastructure challenges.
10 Best Configuration Management Software
Our top ten configuration management tools list includes:
1. Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform
2. Rudder
3. CFEngine
4. Chef Infra
5. Puppet Enterprise
6. Azure Automation and Control
7. ServiceNow Now Platform
8. Hashicorp Terraform
9. Octopus Deploy
10. Split
Let's dig deeper into the top five software configuration management tools so you can make an informed decision.
1. Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform
Ansible by Red Hat is new generation software that helps businesses automate critical processes. It allows IT teams to define rules for different departments and leverage automation to prevent processes that might interfere with current procedures.
Additionally, this software configuration management tool allows administrators to standardize how users deploy, initiate, and audit automation and configuration files in the network, enabling them to keep the systems stable.
Key Features
- Automation controller dashboard
- Real-time job output
- Remote command execution
- Job scheduling
- Workflows
- Role-based access control
- Audit trail
- 24/7 support
Pricing
Red Hat has not made the pricing public. You will have to contact the company for a customized quote.
2. Rudder
The Rudder is a configuration management solution that allows you to automate, deploy, and maintain your applications. It also acts as a server configuration monitor, enabling you to manage numerous devices and network types, including laptops, cloud environments, and industrial physical servers.
Furthermore, you can audit and enforce security across your systems based on your internal policies and vulnerability management strategies. This also helps IT managers prove infrastructure compliance.
Key Features
- Automate global configuration management
- Create dynamic groups based on inventory and data criteria
- Centralize systems management
- API-based design
- Drift management
- Hierarchical data management
- Progressive rollout
- Custom security policies
- CVE assessment
- OpenSCAP audit
- Activity logs and compliance view
Pricing
- Basic: 50€ per node per year
- Standard: 80€ per node per year
- Premium: 100€ per node per year
However, Rudder offers a one-month free trial to help you evaluate if it's the right choice for your business.
3. CFEngine
CFEngine is one of the best configuration management tools that allow you to automate your infrastructure, security, and compliance. You can also customize its reports and dashboards for better insights.
Furthermore, it acts as a single source of truth, allowing you to access critical business information from all your devices, including bare metal servers, VMs, cloud tools, or IoT devices.
Key Features
- Configuration management
- Real-time compliance levels
- Performance monitoring
- CI/CD integration
- Patch management
- Compliance reporting
- Alerts and dashboards
- APIs and web interface
- Automated inventory management
Pricing
Pricing details are not available on their website. Although there is a free version for open-source projects, enterprises must pay for a business license.
4. Chef Infra
The Chef configuration tool is a powerful policy-based configuration management software that helps businesses manage their systems and configuration changes. You can define configurations & policies and automate data aggregation & validation.
The DevOps team can automate repeatable and reusable processes for various types of systems and embedded networked devices. Besides, the continuous integration server developed by Chef Infra helps integrate with preferred source control, infrastructure, secrets management, and provisioning tools.
Key Features
- Test-driven development
- AIOps support
- Self-service
- Scheduled updates
- Resource management
- Secrets management
- Data aggregation and validation
- Full stack visibility
- Agile development practices
Pricing
Pricing isn't available on their website. However, you can contact the company for a customized quote.
5. Puppet Enterprise
If you're looking for a software configuration management tool that helps manage and automate complex workflows simply and effectively, Puppet is the right choice. It has model-based and task-based automation capabilities to help you scale your infrastructure.
Besides, its master client setup model helps deploy changes quickly and with fewer inconsistencies. It also has thousands of extensible modules that make it easier for organizations to enhance their capabilities.
Key Features
- Single sign-on (SSO) and multi-factor authentication (MFA)
- Customizable reporting
- System health checks
- Cloud integrations, including AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud
- Compliance tools
- Self-service automation
Pricing
Puppet offers a customized quote. You can contact the company for pricing.
The key features of configuration management systems include
1. Configuration Identification
Software configuration management tools can individually identify any instance or version of a tool. Every time a build is reconfigured, it will take a snapshot of the software so you can check its history at any time. This improves transparency and ensures complete visibility.
2. Configuration Control
Configuration management tools formalize internal change processes via configuration control. For example, admins can ensure any change in the software is fully authorized and documented. They can also set permissions to control access across the team, preventing unauthorized changes.
3. Configuration Status Monitoring:
Configuration management software tools help monitor the status of each change in an application. This ensures everyone stays on the same page and can react more effectively to issues (if any).
4. Automatic Configuration:
Whether you want to manage configuration management data or change the application status, you can define rules for them to happen automatically with tools for configuration management.
What are The Common Problems With Configuration Management Software?
The most common problems with SCM tools are:
- It doesn't always include everything
- It is complicated to use (at least at the start)
- Increases security risks (if not implemented appropriately)
- Can affect your decision-making (if accurate data is not fed)
Let's understand the challenges of IT configuration management software in detail.
1. Doesn't Include Everything You Need
There are many different types of configuration management software available on the market today, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. However, no single product can handle every situation, so you need to pick one that best suits your needs.
For example, Chef or Puppet may be a good choice if you're looking for something that helps you manage your networks and applications and implement a continuous integration server. However, if you're looking for something to manage your server environments, then Ansible may be better suited for your needs.
But the good part is that you can customize your SCM tool to meet your business’s unique requirements without paying a hefty amount.
2. Might Be Complicated
Another common problem with configuration management software is that it can sometimes be too complicated for inexperienced users to use effectively. If you've never used a product like Chef or Puppet before, it's quite likely that it will take some time before things make sense! This can lead people to give up on their implementation efforts early because they think they're doing it wrongly.
3. Inaccurate data
This can cause problems when deciding what features should be added or removed from your platform. For example, suppose you have inaccurate data. In that case, you may not know whether a given feature would benefit your customers or not because the data may indicate that it isn't being used as much as it is being used. Therefore, make sure you constantly analyze data accurately and remove inaccurate ones.
4. Security risks
Although tools for configuration management help mitigate security risks, they can significantly increase if you don't have accurate data. That’s because you won't know if there are security risks associated with certain features — or if the data indicates there aren't any security risks when there are some. This can leave you vulnerable to hackers trying to exploit loopholes in your system's security policy.
The key trends related to SCM tools are continuous integration and deployment, AI integration, and model-driven automation management.
Regarding the industry, the configuration management system market was valued at $1.72 billion in 2020. The number is expected to reach $5.81 billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 16.26% from 2021 to 2028. This indicates that configuration management systems are not going out of the trend anytime soon!
So, what can we expect in the future of configuration management software tools? Here are some trends!
1. Continuous Integration and Deployment (CI/CD)
A proper CI/CD strategy includes planning, building, testing, and deploying software. It also involves ensuring compliance with the project's goals. Configuration management software helps streamline the CI/CD process by offering agile control over application infrastructure.
2. Artificial Integration (AI) integration
AI integration will be one of the most sought-after features in configuration management tools in 2025. AI-based mechanisms will be able to identify bugs automatically, saving developers a lot of time on debugging.
3. Model Driven Automation Management
As more organizations adopt DevOps culture and practices, automated SCM tools are becoming popular among software developers. These tools can automatically detect changes in code and initiate tasks such as testing or deploying them without requiring manual intervention by developers. This helps reduce human errors while improving efficiency at the same time.
What are The Software and Services Related to Configuration Management Software Tools?
The key software and services related to software configuration management tools are bug tracking systems, software testing tools, and version control systems.
1. Bug tracking systems
Bug tracking systems provide an organized way for teams of developers to track and manage bugs in their projects. Bug tracking systems include issues tracking, requirements management, timekeeping, and defect tracking capabilities.
2. Software testing tools
Software testing solutions allow you to test code before it goes into production to ensure it works as expected before making it live. Software testing tools include automated test case builders and manual testing tools like Selenium WebDriver for browser-based testing.
3. Version control systems
Version control systems are tools that allow you to store multiple versions of files in an organized way and then easily retrieve any file at any point in history. If a change is made to a file that needs to be rolled back, the version control system will let you know which version is the most recent and which should be restored from the repository.
FAQs
What is the first step of configuration management?
The first step of configuration management is identification and planning. In this step, you need to plan for software development and identify areas for improvement.
What are the five stages of the configuration management process?
The five steps of the SCM tools process are:
- Planning and identification
- Version control and baseline configuration
- Change control
- Configuration status accounting
- Audits and reviews
What is the aim of configuration management?
The primary aim of configuration management tools is to help development teams control the process of managing software, documenting the development process, and modifying source code. It also helps them report, audit, and verify service assets and configuration items.
Who is responsible for configuration management?
The project manager is responsible for configuration management. They will plan, implement, maintain, and improve the configuration management service based on the framework provided by the administration.
What is configuration management service in DevOps?
Configuration management services are a feature of DevOps, which is the practice of continuously integrating code from multiple developers into a shared repository. Configuration management tools automate updating and maintaining the configuration files in your applications, so you don't have to worry about it.