#Configuration Management Fundamentals
Automate the configuration of servers at scale.
#What is Configuration Management?
Automated management of system configurations across many servers.
#Benefits
| Benefit | Description |
|---|---|
| Consistency | Same config everywhere |
| Idempotency | Run multiple times safely |
| Version Control | Track changes |
| Scale | Manage thousands of servers |
| Compliance | Enforce policies |
#Tools Comparison
| Tool | Language | Agent | Learning Curve |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ansible | YAML | No | Low |
| Chef | Ruby | Yes | High |
| Puppet | DSL | Yes | Medium |
| SaltStack | YAML | Optional | Medium |
#Key Difference from IaC
| IaC | Config Management |
|---|---|
| Creates infrastructure | Configures infrastructure |
| VMs, networks, storage | Packages, users, services |
| Terraform, Pulumi | Ansible, Chef |
[!TIP] Pro Tip: Use IaC for infrastructure, config management for what runs on it!