| Management and Scheduling: In Ansible, instantaneous deployments are possible because the server pushes configurations to the nodes. When it comes to scheduling, Ansible Tower, the enterprise version, has the capabilities while it is absent in the free version. | Management and Scheduling: Puppet focuses mainly on the push and pulls configuration, where the clients pull configurations from the server. Configurations must be written in Puppet’s language. When it comes to scheduling, Puppet’s default settings allow it to check all nodes to see if they are in the desired state. |
| Ease of Setup and Use: Ansible is simpler to install and use. It has a master without agents, running on the client machines. The fact that it is agentless contributes significantly to its simplicity. Ansible uses YAML syntax, written in the Python language, that comes built-in most Linux and Unix deployments. | Ease of Setup and Use: Puppet is more model-driven, meant for system administrators. Puppet servers can be installed on one or more servers, while the puppet agent requires installation on all the nodes that require management. The model is thus a client-server or agent-master model. Installation times can take somewhere around ten to thirty minutes. |
| Availability: Ansible has a secondary node in case an active node falls. | Availability: Puppet has one or more masters in case the original master fails. |
| Scalability: Scalability is easier to achieve. | Scalability: Scalability is less easy to achieve. |
| Modules: Ansible’s repository or library is called Ansible Galaxy. It does not have separate sorting capabilities and requires manual intervention. | Modules: Puppet’s repository or library is called Puppet Forge. It contains close to 6000 modules. Users can mark puppet modules as approved or supported by Puppet, saving considerable time. |
| GUI: Less developed is Ansible’s GUI, first introduced as a command-line only tool. Even though the enterprise version offers a UI, it still falls short of expectations suffering from syncing issues with the command-line. | GUI: Puppet’s GUI is superior to that of Ansible, capable of performing many complex tasks. Used for efficiently managing, viewing, and monitoring activities. |
| Support: Ansible also includes two levels of professional support for its enterprise version. Additionally, AnsibleFest, which is a big gathering of users and contributors, is held annually. The community behind it is smaller when compared to Puppet. | Support: Puppet has a dedicated support portal, along with a knowledge base. Additionally, two levels of professional support exist; Standard and Premium. A “state of DevOps” report is produced annually by the Puppet community. |
