Comparison between AWS CloudFormation and Terraform

A short comparison between the two tools

AWS CloudFormation and Terraform are both tools for managing infrastructure as code. This means that instead of manually creating and configuring resources, such as virtual machines, databases, and network settings, you can use these tools to automatically provision and manage your infrastructure using configuration files.

The main difference between the two is that AWS CloudFormation is a proprietary tool developed by Amazon Web Services (AWS) for managing infrastructure on the AWS platform, while Terraform is an open-source tool that can be used to manage infrastructure on a variety of platforms, including AWS, GCP, and Azure.

Another key difference is the way in which these tools are used. AWS CloudFormation uses a template written in JSON or YAML to define the desired state of the infrastructure. The CloudFormation service then manages the process of creating and configuring the resources to match the specified template.

In contrast, Terraform uses a declarative configuration language called HashiCorp Configuration Language (HCL) to define the infrastructure. This configuration is then used to create an execution plan, which outlines the steps that Terraform will take to create and manage the infrastructure.

It is not necessarily true that using JSON or YAML is a bad idea compared to using HCL. Each of these formats has its strengths and weaknesses, and the best choice for your project will depend on your specific needs and preferences.

One advantage of using JSON or YAML is that these formats are widely supported and familiar to many developers. JSON and YAML are both human-readable formats that are commonly used for data interchange, and many programming languages include built-in support for parsing and generating these formats. This makes it easy to integrate JSON and YAML into your workflow and share configuration files with other team members.

On the other hand, HCL is a domain-specific language (DSL) that was specifically designed for use with Terraform. HCL has several features that make it well-suited for defining infrastructure, such as support for defining variables, conditionals, and loops. It also has a more concise syntax than JSON or YAML, which can make it easier to read and write.

In the end, the choice between JSON/YAML and HCL will depend on your specific needs and preferences. If you are already familiar with JSON or YAML and don’t need the additional features provided by HCL, then using one of these formats may be a good choice. However, if you are using Terraform and want to take advantage of its features, then using HCL may be a better option.

Overall, both AWS CloudFormation and Terraform are powerful tools for managing infrastructure as code, but they differ in terms of their proprietary versus open-source nature and the way in which they are used.