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terraform cloud alternatives

terraform cloud alternatives — Compare features, pricing, and real use cases

·9 min read·By DeployStack Team

Terraform Cloud Alternatives: Choosing the Right IaC Management Platform

Terraform Cloud has become a popular choice for managing infrastructure as code (IaC) using Terraform. However, it's not always the perfect fit for every team or project. Many developers, solo founders, and small teams seek Terraform Cloud alternatives to better suit their specific needs, budgets, or integration preferences. This post explores the best SaaS-based alternatives available, helping you make an informed decision about the ideal platform for your infrastructure management.

Why Look for Terraform Cloud Alternatives?

While Terraform Cloud offers a centralized platform for state management, collaboration, and automation, several factors might drive the need for alternatives:

  • Cost: Terraform Cloud's pricing can become expensive as your team and infrastructure grow.
  • Feature Requirements: Some teams require specific features not offered in Terraform Cloud, such as more granular access control, advanced policy enforcement, or deeper integration with specific CI/CD tools.
  • Integration Preferences: You might prefer a tool that integrates seamlessly with your existing GitOps workflow or CI/CD pipeline.
  • Compliance: Certain industries have stringent compliance requirements that necessitate specific security features or audit trails not readily available in Terraform Cloud.
  • Vendor Lock-in: Some organizations prefer to avoid vendor lock-in by opting for open-source solutions or platforms that offer greater flexibility.

Key Considerations When Evaluating Terraform Cloud Alternatives

Before diving into specific alternatives, consider these crucial factors:

  • Collaboration & Team Management:
    • Does the tool support multiple users and role-based access control (RBAC)?
    • How does it facilitate collaboration on Terraform code and infrastructure changes?
  • State Management:
    • How does the tool handle Terraform state storage, locking, and versioning?
    • Is the state storage reliable, secure, and scalable?
  • Version Control Integration:
    • Does it integrate seamlessly with popular Git providers like GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket?
    • Does it support pull request-based workflows for infrastructure changes?
  • Automation & CI/CD:
    • How easily can the tool be integrated into CI/CD pipelines for automated deployments?
    • Does it offer features like automated plan and apply operations?
  • Policy as Code:
    • Does the tool support policy enforcement using tools like Open Policy Agent (OPA) or similar mechanisms?
    • Can you define policies to ensure compliance, security, and cost optimization?
  • Cost & Pricing:
    • What is the pricing model (e.g., per-user, per-resource, usage-based)?
    • Is the pricing transparent and predictable? Does it scale well with your usage?
  • User Interface (UI) & User Experience (UX):
    • Is the interface intuitive and easy to use for both developers and operations teams?
    • Does it provide clear visualizations and dashboards for monitoring infrastructure?
  • Security:
    • What security features are in place, such as encryption, access controls, and audit logs?
    • Does it offer secrets management capabilities to protect sensitive data?
  • Reporting & Auditing:
    • Does the tool provide detailed reports and audit trails for tracking infrastructure changes and identifying potential issues?
  • Support & Documentation:
    • Is the documentation comprehensive, well-maintained, and easy to understand?
    • What level of support is offered (e.g., community, email, phone)?

Top Terraform Cloud Alternatives (SaaS & Self-Hosted)

Here's a breakdown of some of the most popular Terraform Cloud alternatives, focusing on both SaaS and self-hosted options:

1. Spacelift

  • Description: Spacelift is a collaborative infrastructure-as-code platform that focuses on GitOps workflows, policy as code, and sophisticated context propagation. It's designed for teams that want a high degree of control and automation.
  • Key Features & Benefits:
    • GitOps-centric workflow: Manages infrastructure changes through Git pull requests.
    • Policy as code: Enforces policies using Open Policy Agent (OPA) to ensure compliance and security.
    • Context propagation: Allows you to pass data and configurations between different parts of your infrastructure.
    • Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Provides granular control over user permissions.
    • Support for multiple IaC tools: Works with Terraform, Pulumi, CloudFormation, and Kubernetes.
  • Pricing: Usage-based pricing, with a free tier for small teams. Contact sales for enterprise pricing.
  • Pros:
    • Powerful policy enforcement capabilities.
    • Excellent GitOps integration.
    • Support for multiple IaC tools.
    • Good for complex infrastructure setups.
  • Cons:
    • Can be complex to set up and configure initially.
    • Pricing can be unpredictable for large-scale deployments.
  • Target User Profile: Teams with complex infrastructure requirements, a strong focus on GitOps, and a need for robust policy enforcement.
  • Links:

2. Env0

  • Description: Env0 simplifies Terraform management with self-service infrastructure provisioning. It allows developers to easily deploy and manage environments without requiring extensive DevOps knowledge.
  • Key Features & Benefits:
    • Self-service infrastructure provisioning: Enables developers to create and manage their own environments on demand.
    • Cost management: Provides visibility into cloud costs and allows you to set budgets and limits.
    • Policy as code: Enforces policies to ensure compliance and security.
    • Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Controls user access to environments and resources.
    • Integration with popular CI/CD tools.
  • Pricing: Usage-based pricing, with a free tier for small teams.
  • Pros:
    • Easy to use and set up.
    • Excellent for self-service infrastructure provisioning.
    • Good cost management features.
  • Cons:
    • May lack some of the advanced features of other platforms.
    • Policy as code functionality is less mature than Spacelift.
  • Target User Profile: Teams that want to empower developers with self-service infrastructure provisioning and need cost management capabilities.
  • Links:

3. Scalr

  • Description: Scalr is an enterprise-focused platform with advanced governance and cost management features for Terraform. It's designed for large organizations with complex infrastructure and stringent compliance requirements.
  • Key Features & Benefits:
    • Advanced governance: Provides granular control over infrastructure deployments and configurations.
    • Cost management: Offers detailed cost analysis and optimization recommendations.
    • Policy as code: Enforces policies using Open Policy Agent (OPA) to ensure compliance and security.
    • Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Manages user access to resources and environments.
    • Integration with enterprise systems: Integrates with various enterprise systems, such as ServiceNow and Splunk.
  • Pricing: Contact sales for pricing information.
  • Pros:
    • Comprehensive governance and cost management features.
    • Excellent for large organizations with complex infrastructure.
    • Strong integration with enterprise systems.
  • Cons:
    • Can be expensive for smaller teams.
    • Complex to set up and configure.
  • Target User Profile: Large enterprises with complex infrastructure, stringent compliance requirements, and a need for advanced governance and cost management.
  • Links:

4. Atlantis

  • Description: Atlantis is an open-source tool that automates Terraform pull requests. It listens for Terraform plan changes in pull requests and automatically applies them when approved.
  • Key Features & Benefits:
    • Automated Terraform pull requests: Automates the process of planning and applying Terraform changes.
    • Integration with Git providers: Integrates with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and other Git providers.
    • Customizable workflows: Allows you to define custom workflows for Terraform deployments.
    • Open-source and free to use.
  • Pricing: Open-source and free to use.
  • Pros:
    • Free and open-source.
    • Automates Terraform pull requests.
    • Highly customizable.
  • Cons:
    • Requires more manual configuration than SaaS platforms.
    • Lacks some of the advanced features of commercial alternatives.
  • Target User Profile: Teams that prefer open-source solutions and want to automate Terraform pull requests.
  • Links:

5. Terrateam

  • Description: Terrateam is another open-source Terraform automation tool that focuses on pull request automation. It emphasizes simplicity and ease of use.
  • Key Features & Benefits:
    • Automated Terraform pull requests: Automates the process of planning and applying Terraform changes based on pull requests.
    • Simple configuration: Easy to set up and configure.
    • Integration with Git providers: Integrates with GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket.
  • Pricing: Open-source and free to use.
  • Pros:
    • Free and open-source.
    • Easy to set up and use.
    • Good for simple Terraform automation.
  • Cons:
    • Lacks some of the advanced features of commercial alternatives.
    • May not be suitable for complex infrastructure setups.
  • Target User Profile: Teams that prefer open-source solutions and want a simple and easy-to-use Terraform automation tool.
  • Links:

6. GitHub Actions (with Terraform)

  • Description: Leveraging GitHub Actions to create custom Terraform workflows. This approach involves defining CI/CD pipelines within GitHub to automate Terraform plan and apply operations.
  • Key Features & Benefits:
    • Flexibility: Allows you to create highly customized Terraform workflows.
    • Integration with GitHub: Seamless integration with GitHub repositories and pull requests.
    • Cost-effective: Free for public repositories and offers generous free usage for private repositories.
  • Pricing: Free for public repositories and offers free usage for private repositories. Paid plans available for increased usage.
  • Pros:
    • Highly flexible and customizable.
    • Seamless integration with GitHub.
    • Cost-effective for many teams.
  • Cons:
    • Requires more manual configuration and scripting.
    • Lacks some of the advanced features of dedicated Terraform management platforms.
  • Target User Profile: Teams that are already using GitHub and want a flexible and cost-effective way to automate Terraform deployments.
  • Links:

7. GitLab CI/CD (with Terraform)

  • Description: Similar to GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD can be used to create custom Terraform workflows. This approach involves defining CI/CD pipelines within GitLab to automate Terraform plan and apply operations.
  • Key Features & Benefits:
    • Flexibility: Allows you to create highly customized Terraform workflows.
    • Integration with GitLab: Seamless integration with GitLab repositories and merge requests.
    • Built-in CI/CD: GitLab provides a comprehensive CI/CD platform.
  • Pricing: Free for public projects and offers free usage for private projects. Paid plans available for increased usage.
  • Pros:
    • Highly flexible and customizable.
    • Seamless integration with GitLab.
    • Comprehensive CI/CD platform.
  • Cons:
    • Requires more manual configuration and scripting.
    • Lacks some of the advanced features of dedicated Terraform management platforms.
  • Target User Profile: Teams that are already using GitLab and want a flexible way to automate Terraform deployments.
  • Links:

8. Pulumi Cloud

  • Description: While Pulumi competes with Terraform as an Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tool, Pulumi Cloud offers state management, collaboration, and policy enforcement features similar to Terraform Cloud.
  • Key Features & Benefits:
    • State Management: Securely stores and manages Pulumi state files.

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