The best infrastructure as code tool depends on your cloud and your team's skills: a provider's own tool suits single-cloud teams, a multi-cloud language suits teams spread across providers, and a configuration tool suits fleets of servers. Eleven options follow in no particular order.
Infrastructure as code means describing servers, networks and cloud services in text files instead of clicking through a console. The files live in version control, so every change is reviewed, repeatable and easy to roll back.
The eleven tools below are listed alphabetically and in no particular order, from community-run open source projects to platforms that govern a whole cloud estate. Every description comes from the vendor's own site, read this week. If you're new to the cloud side, my explainer on what cloud hosting is and why it helps is a gentle start.
IaC tools compared
In the free plan column, Yes means the tool's own site names a free plan, a free version, a free tool or an open source edition. Trial only means a time-limited trial. Not stated means the pages I read named neither, even where there's a button inviting you to try it.
| Tool | Type | Good for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ansible | Open source IT automation engine | Configuration and app deployment | Yes |
| AWS CloudFormation | Native infrastructure as code for AWS | Teams committed to AWS | Not stated |
| Bicep | Azure language for infrastructure | Azure-only deployments | Yes |
| Crossplane | Kubernetes-based control planes | Platform engineering on Kubernetes | Yes |
| env zero | Cloud governance and IaC automation | Governing infrastructure changes at speed | Not stated |
| OpenTofu | Community-run open source IaC | Staying fully open source | Yes |
| Pulumi | Infrastructure as software | Using TypeScript, Python or Go | Yes |
| Puppet | Configuration management | Keeping large server fleets consistent | Not stated |
| Spacelift | IaC orchestration platform | Running IaC with GitOps pipelines | Trial only |
| Terraform | Infrastructure as code tool | Multi-cloud provisioning | Not stated |
| Terragrunt | Open source IaC orchestrator | Keeping many environments organised | Yes |
Eleven infrastructure as code tools to look at
Ansible
Best for: IT and operations teams who want an open source engine for provisioning, configuration management and application deployment.
AWS CloudFormation
Best for: Companies all-in on Amazon Web Services that want templates managed by the same provider as their cloud resources.
Bicep
Best for: Azure users who want a simpler language than raw templates, free and open source from Microsoft.
Crossplane
Best for: Platform engineering teams on Kubernetes that want to build their own control planes with an open source CNCF project.
env zero
Best for: Larger cloud teams that want governance, drift detection and policy checks over infrastructure written by people and AI.
OpenTofu
Best for: Teams that want a community-run, open source infrastructure as code tool backed by several vendors and the wider community.
Pulumi
Best for: Developers who'd rather write infrastructure in TypeScript, Python, Go or .NET than learn a separate config language.
Puppet
Best for: Enterprises with big server estates that want configuration management and automation backed by Perforce.
Spacelift
Best for: Platform teams that want infrastructure code run through GitOps pipelines with guardrails and a free trial.
Terraform
Best for: Multi-cloud teams that want one widely used language for building, changing and versioning infrastructure.
Terragrunt
Best for: Anyone juggling many environments of the same infrastructure who wants an open source layer to keep that code organised.
Provisioning, configuration or orchestration?
Provisioning tools create the cloud resources themselves: networks, databases, clusters. Configuration tools set up what runs on servers once they exist. Orchestration platforms sit on top, running your IaC through pipelines with approvals, policy checks and drift detection.
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Small teams usually need one provisioning tool and maybe one configuration tool. Orchestration starts to earn its place once several teams are changing the same cloud accounts and you'll want approvals, policy checks and one place to see what changed.
Why the repository becomes the keys to your cloud
The NCSC tells teams to technically enforce a model of least privilege for who can make changes to a code repository, and to make sure all activity is attributable.
With infrastructure as code, whoever can merge to the repository can change production. Limit who can merge, require reviews for infrastructure changes and keep pipeline credentials out of the code itself.
Questions to ask before you choose
- Which clouds do we use now, and which might we add?
- Would our team rather write a config language or a general programming language?
- How will we store and lock state files?
- Can we preview changes before they're applied?
- How will we spot drift when someone changes things by hand?
- Is the licence one we're comfortable building on?
Signs you've outgrown clicking in the console
- Nobody knows how production was built. Rebuilding it would be guesswork.
- Test and live don't match. Bugs appear only in production.
- Changes have no history. You can't see who changed what.
- New environments take days. Code makes them repeatable.
Do you make an infrastructure as code tool? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My plain advice on starting with IaC
Pick one tool and put one small, real thing under it first, such as a test environment. Get the review and deploy flow working before you migrate everything. Hand-built resources can be imported gradually.
Treat the repository as production. Protect the main branch, require reviews and keep secrets in a secrets manager rather than in the files. My notes on keeping team software secure and updated cover patching once the servers exist.
Frequently asked questions
What is infrastructure as code?
It's managing servers, networks and cloud services through text files kept in version control, rather than by hand in a console.
Is infrastructure as code only for big companies?
No. Even a small team gains from being able to rebuild an environment from files after a mistake.
What is state in IaC?
It's the record a tool keeps of what it has created, so it knows what to change next time. It needs to be stored safely and locked during changes.
What is configuration drift?
It's when live infrastructure no longer matches the code, usually because someone changed something by hand.
Are there open source IaC tools?
Yes. Many tools in the table name an open source edition on their own site. Check the free plan column.
Can I use more than one IaC tool?
Yes. It's common to use one tool to create cloud resources and another to configure what runs on servers.
Do I need to know how to code to use IaC?
Not deeply. Many tools use a simple configuration language, though some let developers write infrastructure in languages they already know.
What's the difference between IaC and configuration management?
IaC usually means creating the infrastructure itself. Configuration management keeps the software and settings on existing servers consistent. Some tools do both.
