Among the tools similar to Ansible, several can be self-hosted on a DigitalOcean droplet. This includes open-source tools that you can install and manage yourself. Here are some options:
1. Terraform by HashiCorp
- While Terraform mainly focuses on infrastructure provisioning rather than configuration management, it can be a powerful tool in your automation toolkit.
- Terraform can be installed on a DigitalOcean droplet to manage infrastructure across various cloud providers, including DigitalOcean itself.
2. Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform
- You can install the Ansible Control Node on a DigitalOcean droplet. This would allow you to manage and run your Ansible playbooks from this centralized location.
- Note that while Ansible itself is open-source and free, Red Hat’s enterprise solutions might require a subscription.
3. Chef Automate
- Chef Infra Server can be installed and run on a DigitalOcean droplet. It acts as the central store for all your infrastructure’s configuration data.
- Chef offers both open-source and commercial versions, so you can choose based on your needs and scale.
4. Puppet Enterprise
- Puppet Server can be installed on a DigitalOcean droplet. It acts as a centralized platform for managing configurations across your nodes.
- Puppet also has an open-source version that you can use freely.
5. Rundeck
- Rundeck is an open-source job scheduler and runbook automation tool. It’s not exactly like Ansible, but it’s excellent for automating routine operational procedures and can be integrated with Ansible.
- Rundeck can be installed on a DigitalOcean droplet and used for managing tasks across multiple nodes.
6. Jenkins
- While Jenkins is primarily known as a Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) tool, it can be used for automation tasks similar to what you might do with Ansible, especially in terms of orchestrating complex workflows.
- Jenkins can be easily installed on a DigitalOcean droplet.
7. GitLab CI/CD
- GitLab offers a complete CI/CD toolset and can be used for automation tasks. Though it’s not a direct alternative to Ansible, it can be part of a larger automation and DevOps strategy.
- You can install GitLab on a DigitalOcean droplet and use its CI/CD features for various automation tasks.
When choosing a tool to host on a DigitalOcean droplet, consider your specific needs in automation, the complexity of your infrastructure, and your familiarity with these tools. Each has its strengths and can be part of a broader toolset to manage and automate your infrastructure effectively.