Hey everyone! I'm trying to figure out the best Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools to manage AWS infrastructure, including both managed and serverless services. I know about AWS's native options like CloudFormation, SAM, and CDK, as well as vendor-agnostic tools like Terraform. Having worked with Terraform in Azure and GCP, I found it beneficial, but I'm aware that many job listings for AWS DevOps roles prefer AWS tools. I'm curious about your experiences managing IaC in AWS. What have you found to be the most effective tools?
5 Answers
I like Terraform because it’s super popular and has a provider for almost everything. However, if you're dealing with serverless stuff, I recommend using CDK or SAM. They work great for those specific cases.
I've been using Terraform for over 10 years, and I think it's the best choice for AWS. Even Google Cloud recommended it over their own deployment tools. It’s popular because it works with many different vendors, so you can manage everything in one place. If you're just starting out, you might also want to check out OpenTofu, which is an open-source fork of Terraform.
OpenTofu is an interesting choice! It’s nice that it’s backed by the Linux Foundation.
It really depends on your use case. For simple setups, Terraform is amazing, but it can become complicated at scale. Pulumi is also a solid option, especially for integrating IaC into your workflow. Just remember to keep an eye on workspace size to avoid slow operations!
Each tool has its strengths! For complex serverless applications, I usually go with SAM, while Terraform shines for overall infrastructure. But if your organization is managing many AWS accounts, CloudFormation might be the better fit. Ultimately, it’s all about what you’re trying to accomplish.
There's no one-size-fits-all option. Terraform is the most popular, but if you prefer consistency and don’t mind waiting, CloudFormation is just fine too. It really comes down to personal preference.
Totally agree! I've been in AWS for 11 years and Terraform has proven to be the best option.