Exploring Crossplane for Infrastructure as Code: Is It Worth It?

Honestly, it really depends on your project's needs. For simpler apps, deploying a plain NextJS app on Vercel might be easier without the hassle of DevOps. However, if you have a more complex infrastructure, using managed services could get costly, especially when considering regulations like GDPR. If your team is not fully on board with the shift to Crossplane, finding a balance with tools that fit your current workflows might be best.

From what I've seen, Crossplane can be really effective when working deeply with Kubernetes, especially for managing both infrastructure and application config in a single environment. However, the steep learning curve and lesser community support compared to Terraform and Pulumi might be a hurdle. Many teams stick to Terraform or Pulumi because they offer more flexibility across different setups, making them easier to adopt, especially if the teams are already familiar with code-based workflows. Crossplane works well for platform engineering but can be overkill if your infrastructure isn't Kubernetes-native. Some folks I know experimented with it in tandem with Terraform rather than as a total replacement.

For anyone considering Crossplane, there's a tool called Upjet developed by its creators that auto-generates a Crossplane provider based on any existing Terraform provider, which could help in transitioning. I've personally been using Crossplane for about four years and found the latest version significantly improved many of its earlier issues.