Both However, it isn’t easy to choose between Pulumi and Terraform without a detailed comparison.
Below is an examination of the main differences between Pulumi and Terraform. The article analyzes which tool performs better in real-life use cases and offers more value to an efficient software development life cycle.
Key Differences Between Pulumi and Terraform
Pulumi does not have a domain-specific software language. Pul Terraform, on the other hand, uses its Hashicorp Configuration Language.
- Terraform follows a strict code guideline. Pulumi is more flexible in that regard.
- Terraform is well documented and has a vibrant community. Pulumi has a smaller community and is not as documented.
- Terraform is easier for state file troubleshooting.
- Pulumi provides superior built-in testing support due to not using a domain-specific language.
What is Pulumi?
Pulumi is used to create traditional infrastructure elements such as virtual machines, networks, and databases. The tool is also used for designing modern cloud components, including containers, clusters, and serverless functions.
While Pulumi features imperative programming languages, use the tool for declarative IaC. The user defines the desired state of the infrastructure, and Pulumi builds up the requested resources.
What is Terraform?
Terraform is a popular open-source IaC tool for building, modifying, and versioning virtual infrastructure.
The tool is used with all major cloud providers. Terra Terra Users can also manage multi-cloud or multi offering environments with this tool.
Terraform is a declarative IaC tool. Terra Terra If the user agrees with the outline, Terraform executes the configuration and builds the desired infrastructure.
Pulumi vs Terraform Comparison
While both tools serve the same purpose, Pulumi and Terraform differ in several ways. Here Pul H Language Pul Pul Different Types of State Management
With Terraform, state files are by default stored on the local hard drive in the terraform.tfstate file. Users Users These These features enable efficient managing, viewing, and monitoring activities.
State files help IaC tools map out the configuration requirements to real-world resources.
To enjoy similar benefits with Terraform, you must move away from the default local hard drive setup. Terra Terra Pul This The team account also enables state locking mechanisms.
Pulumi Offers More Code Versatility
Once the infrastructure is defined, Terraform guides users to the desired declarative configuration. Code Problems arise when you try to implement certain conditional situations as HCL is limited in that regard.Pulumi allows users to write code with a standard programming language, so numerous methods are available for reaching the desired parameters.
4. Terraform is Better at Structuring Large Projects
Terraform allows users to split projects into multiple files and modules to create reusable components. Terraform also enables developers to reuse code files for different environments and purposes.
Pulumi structures the infrastructure as either a monolithic project or micro-projects. Different stacks act as different environments. There Terraform Provides Better State File Troubleshooting
When using an IaC tool, running into a corrupt or inconsistent state is inevitable. A crash usually causes an inconsistent state during an update, a bug, or a drift caused by a bad manual change.
Terraform provides several commands for dealing with a corrupt or inconsistent state: refresh handles drift by adjusting the known state with the real infrastructure state. state {rm,mv} is used to modify the state file manually.
import finds an existing cloud resource and imports it into your state. taint/untaint marks individual resources as requiring recreation.
Pulumi also offers several CLI commands in the case of a corrupt or inconsistent state:
refreshworks in the same way as Terraform’s refresh.state deleteremoves the resource from the state file.Pulumi has no equivalent oftaint/untaint. A Pul Pul To test an IaC environment, users must rely on third-party libraries likeTerratest
and
Kitchen-Terraform.
Terraform Has Better Documentation and a Bigger Community When compared to Terraform, the official Pulumi documentation is still limited. The Terra Pul De By default, Terraform requires the use of its SaaS platform to deploy components to the cloud.
If a user wishes to deploy from a local device with Terraform, AWS_ACCESS_KEY and
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY
variables need to be added to the Terraform Cloud environment. This This This option, however, comes at the expense of other Terraform Cloud features.
IaC approach
DeclarativeDeclarativePriceFree for one user, three paid packages for teamsFree for up to five users, two paid packages for larger teams
| Typescript, Python, Go | Go | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Open | Open | Domain-Specific Language (DSL) |
| No | Yes (Hashicorp Configuration Language) | Main advantage |
| Code in a familiar programming language, great out-of-the-box GUI | Pure declarative IaC tool, works with all major cloud providers, lets you create infrastructure building blocks | Main disadvantage |
| Still unpolished, documentation lacking in places | HCL limits coding freedom and needs to be mastered to use advanced features | State files management |
| State files are stored via a free account | State files are by default stored on a local hard drive | Community |
| Mid-size | Large | Ease of use |
| The use of JavaScript, TypeScript, .Net, Python, and Go keeps IaC familiar | HCL is a complex language, albeit with a clean syntax | Modularity |
| Problematic with higher-level Pulumi extensions | Ideal due to reusable components | Documentation |
| Limited, with best resources found on Pulumi Slack and GitHub | Excellent official documentation | Code versatility |
| As users write code in different languages, there are multiple ways to reach the desired state | HCL leaves little room for versatility | Deploying to the cloud |
| Can be done from a local device | Must be done through the SaaS platform | Testing |
| Test with any framework that supports the used programming language | Must be performed via third-party tools | Using Pulumi and Terraform Together |
| It is possible to run IaC by using both Pulumi and Terraform at the same time. Using both tools requires some workarounds, though. | Pulumi supports consuming local or remote Terraform state from Pulumi programs. This support helps with the gradual adoption of Pulumi if you decide to continue managing a subset of your virtual infrastructure with Terraform. | For example, you might decide to keep your VPC and low-level network definitions written in Terraform to avoid disrupting the infrastructure. With the state-reference support, you can use Pulumi to design high-level architecture and consume Terraform-powered VPC data. In that case, the co-existence of Pulumi and Terraform is easy to manage and automate. |
| Conclusion: Both are Great Infrastructure as Code Tools | Both Terraform and Pulumi offer similar functionalities. Pulumi has a more flexible tool that focuses on functionality. Terraform is more mature, better documented, and has strong community support. | However, what sets Pulumi apart is its fit with the DevOps culture. |
| By expressing infrastructure with popular programming languages, Pulumi bridges the gap between Dev and Ops. It creates a common language for development and operations teams. In contrast, Terraform reinforces silos across departments, pushing development and operations teams further apart with its domain-specific language. | From that point of view, Pulumi is a better fit for standardizing the DevOps pipeline across the development life cycle. The tool promotes uniformity, which leads to faster software development and less room for errors. |
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