Terraform
The default declarative IaC tool for provisioning cloud infrastructure across any provider.
Free (CLI). HCP Terraform from $0.0014/resource-hour.
Terraform is the tool most teams reach for first when provisioning cloud infrastructure declaratively. Write HCL describing the end state, run terraform apply, and Terraform figures out the diff against what’s actually deployed.
Key features
- Largest provider ecosystem of any IaC tool
- HCL is readable in pull request review
- Remote state + locking for team workflows
- Plan/apply workflow with a dry-run diff before every change
Self-hosted vs. cloud
Terraform itself is a CLI you run anywhere — self-hosted by nature. HCP Terraform (formerly Terraform Cloud) is HashiCorp’s managed layer on top for remote state, run history, and policy-as-code, priced per resource under management.
Quick start
terraform init
terraform plan
terraform apply
Alternatives
If the BSL license is a blocker, OpenTofu is a drop-in, fully open-source fork. If you’d rather write infrastructure in a general-purpose language, see Pulumi.