Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

pyinfra VS Python Fabric

Compare pyinfra VS Python Fabric and see what are their differences

pyinfra logo pyinfra

pyinfra automates infrastructure super fast at massive scale.

Python Fabric logo Python Fabric

Fabric is a Python library and command-line tool for streamlining the use of SSH for application...
  • pyinfra Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-25

pyinfra turns Python code into shell commands and runs them on your servers. Execute ad-hoc commands and write declarative operations. Target SSH servers, local machine and Docker containers. Fast and scales from one server to thousands.

  • 🚀 Super fast execution over thousands of hosts with predictable performance.
  • 🚨 Instant debugging with stdout & stderr output on error or as required (-v|-vv|-vvv).
  • 📦 Extendable with any Python package as configured & written in standard Python.
  • 💻 Agentless execution against SSH/Docker/subprocess/winrm hosts.
  • ❗️ Two stage process that enables --dry runs before executing any changes.
  • 🔌 Integrated with Docker, Vagrant/Mech & Ansible out of the box.
  • Python Fabric Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-02-05

pyinfra

$ Details
free
Platforms
Mac OSX Linux Windows Python
Release Date
2016 August

Python Fabric

$ Details
Platforms
-
Release Date
-

pyinfra features and specs

  • Idempotent Operations
    Pyinfra automates infrastructure by using idempotent operations, ensuring that the same execution results in the same state, which prevents unintended side effects.
  • Agentless Architecture
    Pyinfra doesn't require any agents to be installed on the target machines. It operates over SSH, simplifying deployment and reducing overhead.
  • Python Ecosystem Integration
    Since pyinfra is written in Python, it integrates well with the Python ecosystem, allowing users to leverage existing libraries and write reusable Python components.
  • Customizability
    Users can easily extend pyinfra with custom operations and modules, providing flexibility to accommodate unique infrastructure requirements.
  • Declarative and Procedural
    Pyinfra supports both declarative and procedural approaches, offering flexible infrastructure automation to suit different workflows and preferences.

Python Fabric features and specs

  • Easy to Use
    Fabric provides a simple API that makes it easy to execute remote commands over SSH. Its syntax is clear and straightforward, which simplifies the onboarding process for new users.
  • Python-based
    Being a Python library, Fabric allows leveraging Python's extensive ecosystem, making it easy to integrate with other Python tools and libraries for more complex automation tasks.
  • Task Automation
    Fabric excels at automating deployment tasks, making it easier to manage repetitive tasks like code deployment, system updates, and configuration changes.
  • Strong Community Support
    Fabric has a robust community and extensive documentation, which means you can find a wealth of resources, tutorials, and third-party tools to extend its functionality.
  • SSH-based
    Fabric uses SSH to connect to remote servers, providing a secure and reliable method for executing remote commands.

Possible disadvantages of Python Fabric

  • Limited Windows Support
    Fabric is primarily designed for Unix-based systems, and its support for Windows can be limited and less straightforward to set up.
  • Not as Feature-rich
    Compared to more comprehensive orchestration tools like Ansible, Fabric may lack some advanced features and built-in functionalities, requiring additional scripting for complex tasks.
  • Scalability Issues
    Fabric is more suited for smaller-scale deployments. For larger-scale systems, performance can become an issue, and other tools may be more efficient.
  • Concurrency Constraints
    While Fabric supports parallel execution, its concurrency model can be limiting compared to more advanced systems designed for high concurrency and orchestration.
  • Dependency Management
    Managing dependencies can become cumbersome, especially when working with various environments or configurations, requiring diligent setup and maintenance.

Analysis of Python Fabric

Overall verdict

  • Fabric is a robust tool that is highly regarded for its simplicity and the power it brings to deploying and managing systems. It is maintained well, has a strong community of users, and is suitable for a variety of deployment and automation scenarios. However, depending on your specific needs, there might be other tools that could better suit certain environments, such as Ansible or SaltStack for more complex configuration management.

Why this product is good

  • Python Fabric, accessible via fabfile.org, is a high-level Python library designed to streamline the execution of shell commands remotely over SSH. It's particularly useful for streamlining application deployment and system administration tasks. Fabric simplifies complex repetitive tasks by allowing you to write Python scripts ('fabfiles') that define these workflows in a more human-readable form. It supports parallel execution, role-based task execution, and integrates well with other tools in the Python ecosystem, making it highly versatile for automation purposes.

Recommended for

  • Developers looking for a simple and effective way to automate remote server tasks.
  • Teams deploying Python-based applications who can benefit from Fabric’s native syncing with the language.
  • Administrators who need a lightweight tool for automating routine tasks or managing server farms.
  • Users interested in extending its functionality through Python's rich library ecosystem.

pyinfra videos

Pure Python Configuration Management With PyInfra

More videos:

  • Review - A full Ubuntu PXE server in a Pi, auto-configured with pyinfra.com.
  • Review - Auto-install Ubuntu with Ubiquiti ERX, Synology DS418, and pyinfra

Python Fabric videos

No Python Fabric videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to pyinfra and Python Fabric)
DevOps Tools
38 38%
62% 62
Developer Tools
17 17%
83% 83
IT Automation
100 100%
0% 0
IDE
0 0%
100% 100

Questions and Answers

As answered by people managing pyinfra and Python Fabric.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

pyinfra's answer

Python not YAML. Faster. Executing shell commands give clear errors.

What makes your product unique?

pyinfra's answer

pyinfra works like a human by running regular shell commands to configure servers.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

pyinfra's answer

Python (local only, no agent). SSH/Docker/subprocess.

User comments

Share your experience with using pyinfra and Python Fabric. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, pyinfra should be more popular than Python Fabric. It has been mentiond 8 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.

pyinfra mentions (8)

  • Show HN: A new open-source automation tool as an alternative to Ansible/Salt
    There is https://pyinfra.com/ As a sidenote, I also made a small experiment a while ago : https://github.com/linkdd/tricorder/ But it's a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem. Without users, I don't know how it should be used, without features I won't get any users. So for now, it's in a state of "I'll address bug reports and feature requests, but I won't actively... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • How to manage multiple Wagtail sites from central point
    Pyinfra - https://pyinfra.com/ - Pyinfra is simpler for me than Ansible. I completed the entire deployment in one afternoon, from installing and configuring the VPS server from scratch to deploying the application and automatically restoring the database from a backup. Source: over 1 year ago
  • How do you guys handle server automation?
    I’ve replaced Ansible with PyInfra where ever possible. https://pyinfra.com/ is very clean, and fast but lacks the shear amount of automation that can be found with Ansible. Source: over 2 years ago
  • What Ansible is capable to do that Python doesn't?
    Some folks don't like YAML all that well, and I can understand where they are coming from. I wish Ansible provided a good Python API so that playbooks could be written in Python easier. But there is a project called PyInfra that is trying to do something similiar to Ansible, using Python as the configuration language. https://pyinfra.com/ It is still pretty new so not got nearly as many modules written for it... Source: over 2 years ago
  • SSHScript: Integrate subprocess and Paramiko to Automate in Python
    My ‘go to’ tool for automating infrastructure is pyinfra It’s fast, is versioning control friendly aka git and best of all, it relies on python files and modules for its storage of executable commands. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

Python Fabric mentions (2)

  • What scripts have you built to stand up a new server?
    Thanks, will take a look at that curl thing. We are still using this and been working for us for ~15 years (python 2, ported to python 3) and this is just an example of how to take https://fabfile.org to the extreme but still is not the best way to do it. We only ~50 servers so it is not a massive fleet. The convenience of typing `fab ` to do things under control is still better than nothing :). - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
  • Good tool for automatic setup and deployment of Django projects
    I've used Rake and Fabric for somewhat similar (but less ambitious) stuff in the past and I'm thinking that Fabric might be a pretty good fit for this task as well, but I'd still like your input. Are there other tools I should look into? I've heard goodthings about Puppet but just looking at their site (it contains the word Enterprise ) gives me the feeling that it might be overkill for a one man operation. Source: about 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing pyinfra and Python Fabric, you can also consider the following products

Ansible - Radically simple configuration-management, application deployment, task-execution, and multi-node orchestration engine

Android Studio - Android development environment based on IntelliJ IDEA

Chef - Automation for all of your technology. Overcome the complexity and rapidly ship your infrastructure and apps anywhere with automation.

Xcode - Xcode is Apple’s powerful integrated development environment for creating great apps for Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Xcode 4 includes the Xcode IDE, instruments, iOS Simulator, and the latest Mac OS X and iOS SDKs.

Salt - Fast, scalable and flexible software for data center automation

Firebase - Firebase is a cloud service designed to power real-time, collaborative applications for mobile and web.