Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Terraform VS Hashicorp Terraform

Compare Terraform VS Hashicorp Terraform and see what are their differences

Terraform logo Terraform

Tool for building, changing, and versioning infrastructure safely and efficiently.

Hashicorp Terraform logo Hashicorp Terraform

Hashicorp Terraform is a tool that collaborate on infrastructure changes to reduce errors and simplify recovery.
  • Terraform Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-24
  • Hashicorp Terraform Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-02

Terraform features and specs

  • Infrastructure as Code
    Terraform allows you to define your infrastructure in configuration files that can be versioned and stored in a version control system. This makes it easy to track changes, roll back if necessary, and collaborate with team members.
  • Multi-Cloud Support
    Terraform supports various cloud providers such as AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and others. This allows you to manage your entire infrastructure using a single tool, regardless of the underlying provider.
  • Immutability
    Terraform promotes immutable infrastructure, meaning once a component is created, it is not modified in place but replaced if changes are needed. This leads to more predictable and stable deployments.
  • State Management
    Terraform maintains the state of your infrastructure, which helps in tracking resource changes over time and making incremental updates. This is crucial for applying changes in a controlled manner.
  • Community and Ecosystem
    Terraform has a large and active community, along with a rich ecosystem of providers and modules. This makes it easier to find support, share solutions, and leverage pre-built components.

Possible disadvantages of Terraform

  • Complex State Management
    While state management is a significant feature, managing state files can become complex and risky. Issues like state file corruption or sharing between team members can lead to challenges.
  • Learning Curve
    Terraform has a steep learning curve for beginners, especially those who are not familiar with infrastructure as code concepts or the HashiCorp Configuration Language (HCL).
  • Partial Updates
    Terraform's plan and apply operations are not atomic, meaning that partial updates can sometimes leave your infrastructure in an inconsistent state if an error occurs during execution.
  • Dependency Management
    Managing dependencies between resources can be challenging in Terraform. Misconfigured dependencies can lead to issues during resource creation, deletion, or updates.
  • Cost Management
    While Terraform is excellent for provisioning resources, it does not have built-in cost management or optimization features. Users need to rely on third-party tools to manage and optimize costs.

Hashicorp Terraform features and specs

  • Infrastructure as Code
    Terraform allows users to define infrastructure in a high-level configuration language, making infrastructure management more consistent and less error-prone.
  • Multi-Cloud Support
    Terraform supports multiple cloud providers such as AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and others, enabling users to manage a hybrid cloud environment efficiently.
  • State Management
    Terraform maintains a state file that helps in tracking the state of the infrastructure, making it easier to detect changes and apply updates.
  • Modular and Reusable Configuration
    Terraform configurations can be broken down into reusable modules, promoting a DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) approach and making complex infrastructure easier to manage.
  • Strong Community and Ecosystem
    Terraform has a large and active community, providing extensive documentation, sample code, and third-party modules through the Terraform Registry.
  • Plan Before Apply
    Terraform provides a 'terraform plan' command that allows users to preview changes before applying them, reducing the risk of unexpected modifications.
  • Declarative Language
    Terraform uses a declarative language (HCL - HashiCorp Configuration Language) that enables users to specify the desired end state of the infrastructure without having to define the exact steps to achieve it.

Possible disadvantages of Hashicorp Terraform

  • State File Management
    Managing state files can be challenging, especially in team environments. Locking mechanisms and remote backends need to be properly configured to avoid conflicts.
  • Learning Curve
    New users may find Terraform's learning curve steep, particularly if they are not familiar with infrastructure as code concepts and the specific syntax of HCL.
  • Limited Support for Certain Providers
    While Terraform supports a wide range of providers, the depth and quality of support may vary. Some less common providers may have incomplete or less reliable implementations.
  • Debugging Complexity
    Debugging Terraform configurations and state-related issues can be complex and time-consuming, requiring a good understanding of how Terraform works under the hood.
  • Versioning and Compatibility Issues
    Upgrading Terraform or its providers can sometimes lead to breaking changes. Keeping track of compatible versions and managing upgrades requires careful attention.
  • Performance
    Terraform can sometimes be slower than other infrastructure management tools, particularly when dealing with very large infrastructures or numerous resources.
  • Lack of Granular Control
    While Terraform's declarative approach simplifies many tasks, it may not provide the granular control needed for very complex or highly customized infrastructure scenarios.

Analysis of Terraform

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Terraform is considered a robust and effective tool for infrastructure automation. Itโ€™s ideal for organizations seeking to streamline their deployment processes, ensure consistency across environments, and automate the lifecycle of their resources. Its flexibility and provider ecosystem make it a valuable asset for teams working in multi-cloud or hybrid environments.

Why this product is good

  • Terraform, developed by HashiCorp, is widely regarded as an excellent tool for infrastructure as code (IaC) due to its ability to provision and manage infrastructure across multiple cloud providers. It offers a consistent CLI workflow, and its HCL (HashiCorp Configuration Language) is powerful yet simple, allowing users to define complex infrastructure configurations in a human-readable format. Terraformโ€™s state management, modules, and community support further contribute to its strengths, enabling efficient resource management and scalability.

Recommended for

    Terraform is particularly recommended for DevOps teams, infrastructure engineers, and IT professionals looking to implement infrastructure as code practices. It's also suitable for organizations aiming to adopt DevOps methodologies, enhance their cloud infrastructure management, or manage complex infrastructure at scale. Additionally, teams operating in multi-cloud environments or those looking to automate infrastructure changes can greatly benefit from using Terraform.

Analysis of Hashicorp Terraform

Overall verdict

  • Yes, HashiCorp Terraform is considered a highly effective tool for managing infrastructure as code, especially in multi-cloud environments. It is praised for its flexibility, scalability, and active open-source community which consistently contributes to its development and support ecosystem.

Why this product is good

  • HashiCorp Terraform is widely regarded as a robust Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tool, helping organizations automate and manage their infrastructure efficiently. It offers several advantages, such as a declarative configuration language, a vast ecosystem of providers, state management, and the ability to manage resources across multiple cloud providers and on-premises environments. It supports a variety of use cases from provisioning and managing compute instances to automating complex multi-cloud environments.

Recommended for

  • Organizations adopting or operating in multi-cloud environments.
  • Development and operations teams looking for a programmable and scalable infrastructure management solution.
  • Teams aiming to improve their DevOps practices with automated provisioning and management.
  • Consultants and specialists involved in cloud architecture or IT infrastructure projects.

Terraform videos

Wampler Terraform | Reverb Tone Report Demo

More videos:

  • Review - MOD PEDAL POWERHOUSE! Wampler TERRAFORM
  • Demo - IT'S FINALLY HERE! | Wampler Terraform Demo | It's as good as you hoped!!!

Hashicorp Terraform videos

Best Practices of Infrastructure as Code with HashiCorp Terraform

More videos:

  • Review - HashiCorp Terraform Adoption Stages

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Terraform and Hashicorp Terraform)
DevOps Tools
95 95%
5% 5
Project Management
0 0%
100% 100
Developer Tools
89 89%
11% 11
IT Management
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Terraform and Hashicorp Terraform. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Terraform and Hashicorp Terraform

Terraform Reviews

Do not use AWS CloudFormation
Terraform, on the other hand, will occupy your shell until the directly-involved AWS service coughs up an error. No additional tooling is required. Terraform will just relay the error message from the affected service indicating what youโ€™ve done wrong.
Top 5 Ansible Alternatives in 2022: Server Automation Solutions by Alexander Fashakin on the 19th Aug 2021 facebook Linked In Twitter
Although Terraform and Ansible are both server automation tools, there are still a few significant differences between the two. For example, Terraform is declarative while Ansible allows for both procedural configurations and declarative configurations. Also, Ansible works best as a configuration management tool while Terraform leans towards cloud orchestration.
35+ Of The Best CI/CD Tools: Organized By Category
Terraform is compatible with a wide range of Cloud providers, including Azure, VMWare, and AWS. If youโ€™re subscribed to multiple cloud providers, Terraform is a great way to ensure that they have consistent configurations.
Why we use Terraform and not Chef, Puppet, Ansible, SaltStack, or CloudFormation
Example: Terraform and Ansible. You use Terraform to deploy all the underlying infrastructure, including the network topology (i.e., VPCs, subnets, route tables), data stores (e.g., MySQL, Redis), load balancers, and servers. You then use Ansible to deploy your apps on top of those servers.This is an easy approach to start with, as there is no extra infrastructure to run...
Ansible overtakes Chef and Puppet as the top cloud configuration management tool
Breaking these results down year-over-year, use of Ansible grew from 36% in 2018 to 41% in 2019--surpassing Chef, which grew from 36% to 37%, as well as Puppet, which grew from 34% to 37%. Rounding out the list is Terraform, which experienced a jump from 20% to 31%, and Salt, which increased in usage from 13% to 18%.

Hashicorp Terraform Reviews

5 Best DevSecOps Tools in 2023
There are multiple providers for Infrastructure as Code such as AWS CloudFormation, RedHat Ansible, HashiCorp Terraform, Puppet, Chef, and others. It is advised to research each to determine what is best for any given situation since each has pros and cons. Some of these also are not completely free while others are. There are also some that are specific to a particular...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Terraform seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 32 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Terraform mentions (32)

  • Scaffolding Serverless Web Application on AWS
    Terraform is an infrastructure as code tool that lets you build, change, and version infrastructure safely and efficiently. Terraform code is in the terraform directory. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Integrating Terraform with CI/CD Pipelines
    In recent years, there has been a significant shift towards automation of infrastructure deployment processes. One popular tool that has emerged as a key player in this space is Terraform, an open-source infrastructure as code (IaC) software tool developed by HashiCorp. This article will explore how Terraform can be integrated into continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) pipelines using GitHub Actions as an... - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Deploying Your Outdoor Activities Map with Terraform
    Terraform is an open-source infrastructure-as-code software tool created by HashiCorp. It allows you to define and manage your infrastructure as code, making it easy to provision and manage resources across multiple cloud providers. With Terraform, you can ensure consistent and repeatable deployments, making it an ideal choice for automating your cloud infrastructure. - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • Trigger CI using Terraform Cloud
    Continuous Integration(CI) pipelines needs a target infrastructure to which the CI artifacts are deployed. The deployments are handled by CI or we can leverage Continuous Deployment pipelines. Modern day architecture uses automation tools like terraform, ansible to provision the target infrastructure, this type of provisioning is called IaaC. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Using Let's Encrypt with the Puppet Enterprise console
    Had an itch I've been meaning to scratch for a while. I build my Puppet environment using Terraform, which makes it nice and easy to tear things down and rebuild them. That is great, but it does leave me with an issue when it comes to the console SSL certificates. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
View more

Hashicorp Terraform mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Hashicorp Terraform yet. Tracking of Hashicorp Terraform recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Terraform and Hashicorp Terraform, you can also consider the following products

Puppet Enterprise - Get started with Puppet Enterprise, or upgrade or expand.

Setapp - Your shortcut to prime apps on Mac, an App Store alternative

Rancher - Open Source Platform for Running a Private Container Service

Metavine Platform - Metavine Platform is a comprehensive Platform-as-a-Service that help businesses build agility and compete effectively in the digital world by enabling them to iterate and create apps quickly.

Packer - Packer is an open-source software for creating identical machine images from a single source configuration.

Konfigure - APARTMENTS | VILLA | WORKSPACE | RETAIL