Which tool uses recipes as its configuration format?

Chef utilizes "recipes" as its configuration format, which are written in Ruby. In Chef, recipes define specific configurations and resources that need to be applied to nodes. They encapsulate both the desired state of the infrastructure and the actions required to achieve and maintain that state. Recipes allow users to automate the configuration of servers and applications, managing dependencies, and maintaining consistency across environments.

This choice aligns with Chef's philosophy of treating infrastructure as code, where configurations can be versioned, shared, and tested similarly to application code. The use of recipes makes it straightforward to define how software packages should be installed, services configured, and files managed on target machines.

The other tools mentioned have different approaches: Puppet uses manifests to describe configurations, Ansible relies on playbooks, and SaltStack uses states. Each tool has its own configuration style, but in the context of this question, Chef clearly stands out for its use of recipes.