In what manner does Puppet manage systems?

Puppet manages systems in a declarative manner. This means that users specify the desired end state of the system rather than detailing the specific steps needed to achieve that state. With Puppet, you define what you want your system to look like, and Puppet takes care of implementing the changes necessary to reach that desired state. This approach abstracts the implementation details from the user and focuses on the outcomes, which allows for easier management of system configurations and greater clarity in expressing the desired system state.

In a declarative framework, the user expresses intentions or goals without having to explicitly program the sequence of actions to reach that goal. This leads to more resilient and maintainable configurations, as Puppet inherently understands how to reconcile the current state of a system with the desired state defined by the user.

The other options do not accurately describe Puppet's methodology; imperative approaches require explicit instructions on how to get to the end state by detailing each step in order, while functional and procedural involve different paradigms that do not align with Puppet’s design philosophy.