Side by side
Grendel vs Serva
Both stand on bare metal provisioning software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Paid APILinuxSelf-hosted+1
Grendel brings network boot, host discovery, and hardware management into one provisioning system. Plan for database persistence and a separate stub resolver in production deployments.
Visit Grendel Free plan Windows
Choose Serva for Windows-based network booting and operating-system deployment across BIOS and UEFI targets. Professional is the fit for commercial use or deployments that need the Task Sequence Manager and unlimited service time; Community is restricted to personal use and brief sessions.
Visit ServaThe facts
| Grendel | Serva | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Not published | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | API, Linux, Self-hosted, Web | Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Not published | Professional: $92 a year |
| Plans published | None | 2 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | grendel.readthedocs.io | vercot.com |
| On bare metal provisioning software | #22 of 28 | #18 of 28 |
Grendel: what it does well
- Supports diskful and stateless live-image provisioning.
- Discovers hosts through several methods, including switch queries.
- Controls BMC and iDRAC through RedFish and IPMI.
- Offers a built-in Web UI and command-line client.
- Provides token authentication and role-based access controls.
What to know first
- Database changes are lost on restart unless persistence is configured.
- It is not a recursive DNS resolver.
- HTTPS is recommended for remote API access.
Serva: what it does well
- Bundles nine server services and a TFTP client.
- Supports BIOS, UEFI and ARM 32/64-bit UEFI targets.
- ProxyDHCP works without changing existing DHCP settings.
- Portable use requires no installation or registry keys.
- Professional includes unlimited PXE/BINL service time.
What to know first
- Community is limited to personal, non-commercial use.
- Community limits PXE/BINL service to 50 minutes and two clients.
- Community does not support WinPE booting or Task Sequence Manager.
- Available for Windows only.
Alternatives to Grendel Alternatives to Serva The whole list