Infrastructure as Code: Terraform vs Pulumi vs Ansible
KU
Kiril Urbonas
February 10, 2024 • 4 min read•Updated 4 hours ago•4 views
Compare Terraform, Pulumi, and Ansible for Infrastructure as Code. Learn when to use each tool and how they complement each other in modern DevOps workflows.
Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is essential for modern DevOps. This guide compares three popular tools: Terraform, Pulumi, and Ansible, helping you choose the right one for your needs.
| Feature | Terraform | Pulumi | Ansible |
|---|---|---|---|
| Language | HCL | General-purpose | YAML/Python |
| State Management | Built-in | Built-in | Stateless |
| Cloud Support | Excellent | Excellent | Good |
| Learning Curve | Medium | Medium-High | Low |
| Best For | Cloud provisioning | Multi-cloud, complex logic | Configuration management |
Terraform uses HashiCorp Configuration Language (HCL) and is the most popular IaC tool.
# main.tf
terraform {
required_providers {
aws = {
source = "hashicorp/aws"
version = "~> 5.0"
}
}
}
provider "aws" {
region = "us-east-1"
}
resource "aws_instance" "web" {
ami = "ami-0c55b159cbfafe1f0"
instance_type = "t3.micro"
tags = {
Name = "WebServer"
Environment = "Production"
}
}
output "instance_ip" {
value = aws_instance.web.public_ip
}
Pros:
Cons:
Pulumi allows you to write IaC in familiar programming languages.
import * as aws from "@pulumi/aws";
const instance = new aws.ec2.Instance("web", {
ami: "ami-0c55b159cbfafe1f0",
instanceType: "t3.micro",
tags: {
Name: "WebServer",
Environment: "Production",
},
});
export const instanceIp = instance.publicIp;
import pulumi
import pulumi_aws as aws
instance = aws.ec2.Instance("web",
ami="ami-0c55b159cbfafe1f0",
instance_type="t3.micro",
tags={
"Name": "WebServer",
"Environment": "Production",
}
)
pulumi.export("instance_ip", instance.public_ip)
Pros:
Cons:
Ansible is primarily a configuration management tool but can also provision infrastructure.
# playbook.yml
---
- name: Create EC2 instance
hosts: localhost
gather_facts: no
tasks:
- name: Launch instance
ec2_instance:
name: webserver
image_id: ami-0c55b159cbfafe1f0
instance_type: t3.micro
tags:
Name: WebServer
Environment: Production
register: ec2
- name: Display instance IP
debug:
msg: "Instance IP: {{ ec2.instances[0].public_ip_address }}"
Pros:
Cons:
Many teams use multiple tools together:
┌─────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐
│ Terraform │────▶│ Infrastructure│────▶│ Ansible │
│ (Provision) │ │ (Created) │ │ (Configure)│
└─────────────┘ └──────────────┘ └─────────────┘
# Use terraform-bridge to convert
pulumi import --from terraform main.tf
There's no one-size-fits-all solution. Choose based on:
Many successful teams use Terraform for provisioning and Ansible for configuration, while Pulumi is gaining traction for teams with strong programming backgrounds.
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