A single Go binary that runs your Ansible playbooks. No Python runtime, no pip dependencies, no remote agent requirements.
Why Parallax?
Everything you love about Ansible, reimagined as a single compiled binary.
Single Binary
One executable. No runtime dependencies. Download and run.
No Python
No Python on controller or targets. No pip, no virtualenvs.
134 Modules
Built-in modules across builtin, posix, and community.general collections.
Drop-in Replacement
Same playbooks, same inventory, same vault. Most playbooks run unchanged.
Built for Performance
Faster module caching
Compiled Go binaries vs Python module transfer
Template rendering
Compiled template engine with intelligent caching
Connection pooling
Reuse SSH connections across tasks
Ansible vs Parallax
Side-by-side comparison of key differences.
| Feature | Ansible | Parallax |
|---|---|---|
| Runtime | Python 3.x | Single Go binary |
| Install | pip install + dependencies | Download binary |
| Remote dependencies | Python required on targets | None (ships compiled modules) |
| Module execution | Python scripts via SSH | Compiled Go binaries |
| Module caching | No | Yes (persistent binary cache) |
| Connection pooling | Limited (pipelining) | Full SSH connection pool |
| Templating | Jinja2 (Python) | gonja (Jinja2-compatible) |
| Concurrency | Python multiprocessing | Goroutines (lock-free) |
| Playbook syntax | YAML | Same YAML (compatible) |
| Vault | AES256 (1.1 & 1.2) | AES256 (1.1 & 1.2, compatible) |
| Plugin system | Python plugins | Go plugins (go-plugin RPC) |
Get Started in 3 Steps
$ go install go.digitalxero.dev/parallax/cmd/parallax@latest2
Write a playbook
---
- name: Configure servers
hosts: webservers
tasks:
- name: Install nginx
package:
name: nginx
state: present$ parallax play -i inventory.ini site.yml