CFEngine 3.5

Welcome to the CFEngine Documentation site

CFEngine is a configuration management system that enables system administrators to define the desired end states of IT-systems throughout their organizations. The desired state is expressed through policies written using the CFEngine policy language. A policy is a collection of promises, or declared intentions that you wish to reach based on your business needs. This policy is typically version-controlled like any other software code, and is made available on a server (hub). From there, the policy is automatically pulled down by hosts (clients) that retrieve and execute these promises locally. They ensure the defined state.

CFEngine agents continuously ensure compliance with your desired state. The hub pulls down and collects reports on actual states or failures encountered while implementing the desired state on each and every host. You can read logs or run reports to verify the actual state of your IT-system.

Follow this workflow and examine the relevant links as you get started with CFEngine:

Install CFEngine

  • Choose from Community or Enterprise versions

Define your desired state

Your system state is defined by writing policy.

Your system state can also be defined through reusable policy templates, called sketches.

  • Enterprise Edition: Learn how to use the Design Center API via the Mission Portal to install, configure, and deploy sketches. View and activate sketches in the Design Center through the Mission Portal.
  • Community Edition: Learn how to use the Design Center API (via cf-sketch) to install, configure, and deploy sketches into the Masterfiles directory.

Recommended for Beginners

Verify your actual state (Enterprise Only)

Verify your actual state through Reports.

References

Recommended for Beginners

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