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Packer VS Ansible Semaphore

Compare Packer VS Ansible Semaphore and see what are their differences

Flagsmith
Flagsmith lets you manage feature flags and remote config across web, mobile and server side applications. Deliver true Continuous Integration. Get builds out faster. Control who has access to new features. We're Open Source. featured
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Packer logo Packer

Packer is an open-source software for creating identical machine images from a single source configuration.

Ansible Semaphore logo Ansible Semaphore

Modern UI for Ansible
  • Packer Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-15
  • Ansible Semaphore Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-09

If your project has grown and deploying from the terminal is no longer for you then Ansible Semaphore is what you need.

Packer features and specs

  • Multi-Provider Support
    Packer supports a wide variety of providers such as AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, VMware, and more. This allows for flexibility and the ability to create machine images across different environments.
  • Automation
    Packer automates the creation of machine images, eliminating the need for manual image configuration and reducing the potential for human error.
  • Script Reusability
    Packer allows for the reuse of scripts and configuration files, enabling a consistent and repeatable process for image creation.
  • Parallel Builds
    Packer can build multiple images in parallel, which can significantly speed up the provisioning process.
  • Idempotency
    Packer ensures that the output machine image is always an identical result given the same input configuration, reducing the risk of inconsistencies.

Possible disadvantages of Packer

  • Steep Learning Curve
    The variety of features and flexibility that Packer offers can make it complex and challenging to learn, especially for beginners.
  • Limited Debugging Tools
    Packer's debugging tools are not as mature or as integrated as those found in some other DevOps tools, making troubleshooting more difficult.
  • Configuration Complexity
    Complex configurations with multiple builders and provisioners can become hard to manage and maintain, leading to potential errors.
  • No State Management
    Unlike Terraform, Packer does not manage state, which means users need to handle state management separately if required.
  • Dependency on External Tools
    Packer often relies on external scripts and tools for provisioning, which can introduce additional dependencies and complexities.

Ansible Semaphore features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Ansible Semaphore provides a web-based graphical interface that simplifies workflow management and task automation, making it accessible for users who prefer visual tools over command-line interfaces.
  • Integration with Ansible
    It integrates seamlessly with Ansible, allowing users to utilize Ansible's powerful automation capabilities while providing additional features like role-based access control and project management.
  • Role-Based Access Control
    Supports role-based access control (RBAC), enabling organizations to manage permissions and access to projects and resources efficiently, enhancing security and collaboration.
  • Improved Collaboration
    Facilitates better collaboration among team members by providing a centralized platform for managing playbooks, logs, and automation tasks.
  • Automation Scheduling
    Allows users to schedule automation tasks easily, streamlining regular maintenance tasks and ensuring consistency and reliability across deployments.

Possible disadvantages of Ansible Semaphore

  • Limited Scalability
    While suitable for small to medium-scale environments, Ansible Semaphore might not scale effectively for very large infrastructures without performance issues.
  • Feature Limitations
    Compared to other enterprise-level automation tools, it may lack some advanced features, integrations, or customizability options that larger organizations require.
  • Dependency on Ansible
    Since it relies heavily on Ansible, any limitations or bugs in Ansible can directly affect the functionality and reliability of Ansible Semaphore.
  • Community Support
    As an open-source project, Ansible Semaphore may have limited formal support and relies on community contributions and documentation, which might not be as comprehensive as commercial products.
  • Initial Setup Complexity
    Some users may find the initial setup and configuration process complex, particularly if they are new to Ansible or automation tools in general.

Packer videos

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Ansible Semaphore videos

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Ansible Semaphore - Modern Ansible UI

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Packer and Ansible Semaphore)

Packer

Ansible Semaphore

DevOps Tools
83 83%
DevOps Tools
17% 17
Continuous Integration And Delivery
100 100%
Continuous Integration And Delivery
0% 0
IT Automation
0 0%
IT Automation
100% 100
Other Infrastructure Tools
100 100%
Other Infrastructure Tools
0% 0

Questions and Answers

As answered by people managing Packer and Ansible Semaphore.

What makes your product unique?

Ansible Semaphore's answer:

Easy to install, easy to setup, easy to use.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

Ansible Semaphore's answer:

Easy to install, easy to setup, easy to use.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

Ansible Semaphore's answer:

Golang, Vue.js, BoltDB

User comments

Share your experience with using Packer and Ansible Semaphore. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Packer and Ansible Semaphore

Packer Reviews

Introduction to Top Open Source Virtualization Tools
Packer is notably light, high performing, and operates on every major operating system. It assembles and configures all the necessary components for a virtual machine then creates images that run on multiple platforms. Packer doesn’t replace configuration management tools like Puppet or Chef; as a matter of fact, when creating images, Packer can utilize tools like Puppet or...
Source: www.getfilecloud.com

Ansible Semaphore Reviews

  1. fiftin
    · Developer at Fastlix ·
    Lightweight alternative for AWX

    Use Semaphore 3+ years, very stable, useful and lightweight. No need Docker.

    🏁 Competitors: AWX, RunDeck

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Packer should be more popular than Ansible Semaphore. It has been mentiond 9 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Packer mentions (9)

  • Failed to connect to the host via SSH on Ubuntu 22.04
    If you have just upgraded to Ubuntu 22.04, and you suddenly experience either errors when trying to ssh into hosts, or when running ansible or again when running the ansible provisioner building a packer image, this is probably going to be useful for you. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Create a minimalist OS using Docker Containers and Hashicorp Packer
    I am already using Hashicorp Packer at work and for personal projects and I wanted to test This idea out by wrapping it a single Packer Template file. This reduces the level of maintaining a lot of small scripts, Dockerfiles and configurations and the user can simply trigger a couple of Commands to get a minimalist OS at the end of the process. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • After self-hosting my email for twenty-three years I have thrown in the towel. The oligopoly has won.
    And while it is a slight increase in complexity, it can be an overall net gain in functionality, configurability and reliability. Much like Packer is far more reliable and practical than manually making VM images sitting in front of a terminal, even though making the initial configuration takes some time. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Customized Ubuntu Images using Packer + QEMU + Cloud-Init & UEFI bootloading
    Hashicorp Packer provides a nice wrapper / abstraction over the QEMU in order to boot the image and use it to set it up on first-boot. Instead of writing really long commands in order to boot up the image using QEMU, Packer provided a nice Configuration Template in a more Readable fashion. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • The journey of sharing a wired USB printer over the network
    Packer seemed like the perfect tool for the job. I have never used it before and wanted to get familiar with the tool. It doesn't come with ARM support out of the box, but there are two community projects to fill that niche. - Source: dev.to / about 3 years ago
View more

Ansible Semaphore mentions (2)

  • Need User interface for managing and running the ansible playbooks.
    Once you have tower or awx you can throw away jenkins. No more silliness of groovy and java when you have python and ssh based actions For UI try Semaphore - https://github.com/ansible-semaphore/semaphore. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Automatic softwaredeployment & installation/updating Tool
    Googled and found this: https://github.com/ansible-semaphore/semaphore. Source: over 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Packer and Ansible Semaphore, you can also consider the following products

Terraform - Tool for building, changing, and versioning infrastructure safely and efficiently.

RunDeck - RunDeck is an open source automation service with a web console, command line tools and a WebAPI.

Puppet Enterprise - Get started with Puppet Enterprise, or upgrade or expand.

AWX - Centralize and control your IT infrastructure with a visual dashboard

Rancher - Open Source Platform for Running a Private Container Service

Foreman - Foreman is an open source project that helps system administrators manage servers throughout their...

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