# cobbler/cobbler

Cobbler is a versatile Linux deployment server

Repository: https://github.com/cobbler/cobbler
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/cobbler
Homepage: https://cobbler.github.io
Language: Python
License: GPL-2.0
License Family: copyleft
Topics: pxe, cobbler, python, deployment, dhcp, tftp, hacktoberfest
Last push: 2026-08-26T21:55:29+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 79/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 40, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 5412, "days_push": 7, "days_rel": 654, "gap_med": 0, "n_releases_24m": 2}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2768, forks 659 (observed 2026-08-28T04:07:18.827478+00:00)

## What it is
Cobbler is a Linux installation and provisioning server that automates network-based OS deployment via PXE, DHCP, TFTP, and templated kickstart/preseed files. It also manages DNS, DHCP configuration, package updates, power management, and configuration management orchestration from a single tool.

## Use cases
- provision bare-metal servers over the network with PXE boot
- automate mass installation of Linux across a datacenter
- manage DHCP and DNS configuration for a fleet of machines
- template kickstart and preseed files for repeatable installs
- deploy virtual machines onto hypervisors automatically
- set up a network installation environment for new systems
- integrate provisioning with configuration management tools like Chef

## When to choose
- you need rapid, repeatable bare-metal or VM provisioning of Linux systems
- you want one tool to glue together PXE, DHCP, DNS, and installer templates
- you manage infrastructure from a few servers to thousands and need automation
- you prefer templated kickstart/preseed workflows with snippet reuse

## When to avoid
- you only deploy cloud instances where images and cloud-init suffice
- you need container orchestration rather than OS installation
- your environment is non-Linux or relies on Windows/macOS deployment
- you want a modern UI-first provisioning platform rather than a CLI/API server

## Facets
- artifact type: service
- maturity: active
- function: deployment, configuration-management, cli, web-framework, templating
- domain: infrastructure-as-code, self-hosted, networking
- platform: python, self-hosted, cli
- tags: pxe-boot, provisioning, bare-metal, kickstart, preseed, dhcp, tftp, dns-management, network-install, system-administration, devops, automation, linux, web-server

## Member repositories
- cobbler/cobbler (main) score 79

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:18.827478+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T08:16:42.125273+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/cobbler/cobbler (fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:18.827478+00:00, sha a6449e3e8bf8)
  - homepage: https://cobbler.github.io (fetched 2026-08-29T09:56:14.017217+00:00, sha 336265a774d3)
  - registry_pypi: https://pypi.org/pypi/cobbler/json (fetched 2026-08-29T09:56:14.019690+00:00, sha 9af0c9febb81)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.