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Top Infrastructure as Code Tools Page (#13081)
* Add new page on the top Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools, covering popular tools like Pulumi, Terraform, and cloud-specific solutions, along with their features and evaluations. * Refactor IaC tools overview for clarity and completeness; updated criteria table and section descriptions, improved coherence between multi-cloud and cloud-specific tool discussions, and streamlined tool evaluations for better readability. * Refactor and update "Top Infrastructure as Code Tools" article for clarity and conciseness, enhancing descriptions of tools and their features, correcting typos, and improving formatting throughout. * Update top IaC tools article: refine descriptions, improve clarity on multi-cloud benefits, and enhance tool links. * Improve IaC tools documentation by enhancing integration descriptions and detailing support for cloud-native technologies. * Enhance AWS CloudFormation section with additional details on EKS support and common limitations. * Update top IaC tools doc to enhance integration details for Pulumi, Terraform, Azure Resource Manager, and Google Cloud Deployment Manager, emphasizing Kubernetes support and CI/CD workflows. * Improve description of Pulumi and add AWS CDK section to top IaC tools article. * Refine descriptions of IaC tools in the "top IaC tools" guide for clarity and added insights on Pulumi's advantages. * Refactor Pulumi section for clarity and consistency in IaC tools overview. Added detailed description and advantages of Pulumi while ensuring better structure and alignment with other tools like Terraform. --------- Co-authored-by: Adam Gordon Bell <[email protected]> Co-authored-by: Torian Crane <[email protected]>
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| title: Top Infrastructure as Code Tools | ||
| meta_desc: | | ||
| Explore top Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools for cloud resource management. Find the best fit for your DevOps needs. | ||
| type: what-is | ||
| page_title: "Top Infrastructure as Code Tools" | ||
| --- | ||
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| Infrastructure as Code tools (IaC tools) let you automate the setup of your cloud resources. Instead of manually configuring resources in your cloud web console, you can write a script that specifies what you need, and the cloud provider sets it up for you. It's a great way to make infrastructure setup consistent and repeatable. | ||
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| But which tool should you use choose? We all have our favorites (and biases 😉), but let's take a look at a combination of modern multi-cloud tools, vendor and cloud-specific solutions, and some lesser-known options to give you the lay of the land. | ||
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| We'll assess each tool based on the following criteria: | ||
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| | Criteria | Description | | ||
| |-------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | ||
| | Flexibility | Ability to abstract and create reusable components | | ||
| | Multi-cloud | Capability to manage resources across various cloud providers | | ||
| | State | How the tool handles state tracking and management | | ||
| | Integration | Compatibility with existing development workflows, CI/CD pipelines, and cloud-native technologies, including Kubernetes | | ||
| | Ecosystem | Community strength, documentation quality, and support resources | | ||
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| ## Multi-Cloud Infrastructure as Code Tools | ||
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| First up, IaC tools that manage infrastructure across multiple cloud providers. | ||
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| Multi-cloud solutions prevent vendor lock-in, maintain flexibility, and promote skill portability across different cloud environments. You should choose one of these tools if you are starting fresh with IaC and don't have migration costs associated with investment in a legacy tool. | ||
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| ### [Terraform](https://www.terraform.io/) | ||
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| Terraform is a multi-cloud Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tool that utilizes the HashiCorp Configuration Language (HCL). HCL is designed to be both human-readable and machine-friendly, striking a balance between simplicity and power. While it lacks some of the advanced programming constructs of general-purpose languages, HCL offers a declarative approach that many find intuitive for infrastructure definition. HCL lacks full programming constructs, which may necessitate workarounds for handling complex logic. | ||
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| For state management, Terraform uses a state file to track the current state of your infrastructure. While this approach requires manual configuration, including setting up remote backends and state locking, it does offer fine-grained control over state. | ||
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| Terraform integrates well with existing development workflows and CI/CD pipelines. A Kubernetes provider exists that supports the Kubernetes Core APIs and offers some support for Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs). Terraform is popular, with a large ecosystem and also has a wide range of plugins, integrations, and comprehensive documentation. | ||
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| - **Flexibility**: Utilizes HCL. Lacks full programming constructs. | ||
| - **Multi-cloud**: Offers support for AWS, Azure, GCP, Oracle cloud and many others. | ||
| - **State**: Provides fine-grained control over state management, but requires manual configuration including remote backends and state locking, which can add complexity to collaboration. | ||
| - **Integration**: Integrates well with existing development workflows and CI/CD pipelines. Provides a Kubernetes provider for basic cluster management. | ||
| - **Ecosystem**: A large and active community. A wide range of plugins and integrations. | ||
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| ### [Pulumi](https://www.pulumi.com/) | ||
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| Pulumi is another popular IaC tool that let's you define infrastructure in your programming lanaguage of choice and using real programming constructs, such as loops and functions. Pulumi excels in multi-cloud support, integrating with major cloud providers such as AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and many others. | ||
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| Pulumi's state management is easy to use as it automatically handles your infrastructure state and stores it in the Pulumi Cloud backend by default. With built-in state locking and encryption, this approach simplifies collaboration and reduces the risk of state corruption, ensuring secure and consistent state management. For those who prefer more control over their state, Pulumi also supports self-managed backends. | ||
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| Pulumi integrates with various CI/CD systems and offers extensive support for cloud-native technologies, particularly Kubernetes, with strongly-typed CustomResourceDefinitions (CRDs), and support for Helm charts. Pulumi's ecosystem is growing rapidly, with many resources and integrations available. Comprehensive documentation and support, including tutorials and an active community forum, further bolster its appeal. | ||
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| - **Flexibility**: Define infrastructure using your preferred programming language, which can simplify complex logic handling compared to some other IaC tools. | ||
| - **Multi-cloud**: Offers support for AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle cloud and many others. | ||
| - **State**: Automatically manages infrastructure state, storing it in the Pulumi Cloud with built-in state locking and encryption. | ||
| - **Integration**: Seamlessly integrates with existing development workflows, CI/CD pipelines, and cloud-native technologies like Kubernetes. | ||
| - **Ecosystem**: Growing community and ecosystem. Comprehensive documentation and support, including tutorials and an active community. | ||
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| ### [OpenTofu](https://opentofu.org/) | ||
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| OpenTofu is a recent fork of Terraform 1.6.x. It shares many core functionalities with Terraform, including using HCL to define infrastructure. | ||
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| While OpenTofu aims to maintain compatibility with Terraform, it's expected to develop its own unique features and community-driven improvements over time. The primary difference currently lies in the licensing model, with OpenTofu using the Mozilla Public License 2.0. | ||
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| For a more detailed comparison between OpenTofu and other IaC tools, including Terraform and Pulumi, please refer to our in-depth article: [Terraform vs.OpenTofu](/docs/iac/concepts/vs/terraform/opentofu/). | ||
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| - **Flexibility**: Utilizes HCL, offering similar capabilities to Terraform in terms of infrastructure definition. | ||
| - **Multi-cloud**: Supports multiple cloud providers, mirroring Terraform's broad compatibility. | ||
| - **State**: Employs a state file system similar to Terraform for tracking infrastructure. | ||
| - **Integration**: Compatible with existing Terraform workflows and integrations. | ||
| - **Ecosystem**: Building its community and ecosystem, leveraging its Terraform roots. | ||
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| ## Cloud-Specific IaC Tools | ||
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| While multi-cloud tools offer flexibility and prevent vendor lock-in, many organizations still opt for cloud-specific IaC tools. | ||
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| Cloud-specific tools can offer: | ||
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| 1. Potentially tighter integration with native services | ||
| 2. Potentially simpler setup for teams already familiar with a particular cloud ecosystem | ||
| 3. Access to platform-specific features that might not be available in multi-cloud tools | ||
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| Let's explore some of the most prominent cloud-specific IaC tools and how they compare to their multi-cloud counterparts in terms of flexibility, integration, and ecosystem support. All single provider tools covered here leverage platform native state tracking, eliminating the need for multi-cloud state management. | ||
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| ### [AWS CloudFormation](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSCloudFormation/latest/UserGuide/Welcome.html) | ||
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| AWS CloudFormation supports JSON or YAML. Like Pulumi and Terraform, it has a declarative, desired state approach. CloudFormation is supported by extensive documentation and supports cross-account and cross-region deployments. | ||
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| CloudFormation can be used to create and manage Amazon EKS (Elastic Kubernetes Service) clusters, although it has limited direct support for managing individual Kubernetes resources within a cluster. For more granular Kubernetes resource management, AWS offers AWS Controllers for Kubernetes (ACK), which allows managing AWS resources using Kubernetes custom resources. | ||
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| Managing complex templates can be challenging, and template size limitations and cryptic error messages are among the most common online complaints. Managing dependencies between resources can become complex past a certain scale, and testing capabilities for templates are limited. Despite its limitations, AWS CloudFormation is favored by those deeply invested in the AWS ecosystem who want a platform native tool. | ||
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| - **Flexibility**: Some support for abstraction and modularity through nested stacks and reusable templates. | ||
| - **Integration**: Integrates well with AWS-native CI/CD and supports Amazon EKS for Kubernetes cluster management, though it has limited direct support for managing individual Kubernetes resources. | ||
| - **Ecosystem**: Supported by extensive documentation, providing resources for learning and troubleshooting. | ||
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| ### [Azure Resource Manager](https://azure.microsoft.com/fr-fr/get-started/azure-portal/resource-manager) | ||
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| Azure Resource Manager (ARM) supports JSON-based configuration or using Bicep - a ARM-specific DSL. ARM integrates deeply with Azure services including Azure DevOps, and can be integrated with other CI/CD workflows using its `az` cli tool. ARM provides comprehensive support for Kubernetes features through Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Self-managed Kubernetes clusters on Azure are not included, however. Azure Resource Manager is preferred by those who want a native Azure tool and are deeply invested in the Azure ecosystem. | ||
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| - **Flexibility**: Uses JSON-based templates or Bicep - a DSL. Lacks some of the abstraction and modularity of other tools. | ||
| - **Integration**: Offers deep integration with Azure services, including Azure DevOps and Azure Kubernetes Service. Broader integration to non-Azure CI/CD is possible, while native Kubernetes cluster support is not. | ||
| - **Ecosystem**: Supported by documentation, tutorials and troubleshooting advice and by the greater Azure ecosystem. | ||
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| ### [Google Cloud Deployment Manager](https://cloud.google.com/deployment-manager/docs) | ||
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| Google Cloud Deployment Manager (CDM) focuses on managing Google Cloud Platform (GCP) resources using YAML and Python Jinja2 templates. It integrates deeply with Google Cloud, managing state internally like other native cloud tools. CDM supports Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) for deploying and managing Kubernetes clusters, offering native integration that streamlines cluster management. However, it has limited direct support for managing individual Kubernetes resources within clusters. | ||
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| Additionally, Google Cloud's Config Connector allows for managing Google Cloud resources using Kubernetes custom resources, providing an alternative for more granular Kubernetes management. Like other provider-specific solutions, CDM is ideal for teams with a strong focus on and investment in the Google Cloud ecosystem. | ||
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| - **Flexibility**: YAML or Jinja2 templating. | ||
| - **Integration**: Deeply integrates with Google Cloud services, supports GKE, and facilitates CI/CD pipeline integration. | ||
| - **Ecosystem**: Supported by documentation and a smaller GCP-focused community. | ||
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| ### [AWS Cloud Development Kit](https://aws.amazon.com/cdk/) | ||
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| AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK) brings some of the power of multi-cloud tools like Pulumi to AWS specific tools. CDK allows you to define cloud infrastructure using familiar programming languages such as TypeScript, Python, Java, or C#. This approach provides a more developer-friendly experience compared to traditional JSON or YAML-based templates. | ||
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| CDK supports unit testing of infrastructure code, allowing you to validate your configurations before deploymente. Because CDK code will be compiled down to CloudFormation JSON or YAML templates and deployed with CloudFormation, it shares many of the same benefits and limitations as CloudFormation. AWS CDK is an ideal choice for teams deeply invested in the AWS ecosystem who want the benefits of using familiar programming languages for infrastructure definition. | ||
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| - **Flexibility**: Define infrastructure using your preferred programming language. | ||
| - **Integration**: Integrates well with AWS-native CI/CD and supports Amazon EKS for Kubernetes cluster management. | ||
| - **Ecosystem**: Supported by AWS ecosystem, providing resources for learning and troubleshooting. | ||
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| ## Conclusion | ||
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| Choosing the right Infrastructure as Code tool is crucial in today's complex cloud landscape. We've explored options ranging from multi-cloud solutions to cloud-specific tools, each with unique strengths and weaknesses. The ideal choice depends on your needs, considering flexibility, multi-cloud support, state management, workflow integration, and ecosystem robustness. | ||
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| Each tool offers unique strengths and potential trade-offs: | ||
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| 1. Multi-cloud tools like Pulumi, Terraform, and OpenTofu provide flexibility across cloud providers. They offer portability and consistency in managing diverse cloud resources, as well as reducing the risk of vendor lock-in. However, these tools may lack some provider-specific features and might require more setup for cloud-specific optimizations. | ||
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| 2. Cloud-specific tools like AWS CloudFormation, Azure Resource Manager, and Google Cloud Deployment Manager offer deep integration with their respective platforms. They provide tight integration with native services. The trade-off is that they lock you into a single cloud ecosystem and limit the portability of your skills. | ||
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| We've shown you the options – now let us make our case for Pulumi. Pulumi's use of general-purpose programming languages for infrastructure definition provides familiar syntax, powerful abstractions, and seamless integration with existing development workflows. Its multi-cloud support allows you to manage resources across AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and many other providers using a single tool and consistent approach. Sure, the community is a little smaller than Terraform's, but the combination of language flexibility and multi-cloud capability offers a uniquely powerful and adaptable IaC solution. It's something you need to experience. Don't take our word for it – [try it yourself](https://www.pulumi.com/product/infrastructure-as-code/). | ||
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| But regardless of the tool you choose, the benefits of embracing Infrastructure as Code are clear. IaC brings consistency to deployments, enables version control for infrastructure, increases automation, and improves scalability. If you're new to IaC, the most important step is to start now. If you're already using it, focus on refining your approach. IaC continues to deliver value as your needs evolve. |