Exploring 3 Popular Infrastructure as Code Tools: Terraform, Ansible, and CloudFormation

John Abhilash

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is a popular approach to managing IT infrastructure. IaC tools allow you to define your infrastructure in code, which can then be used to provision, deploy, and manage your infrastructure resources.

There are many different IaC tools available, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. In this article, we will compare three of the most popular IaC tools: Terraform, Ansible, and CloudFormation.

What is Infrastructure as Code (IaC)?

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is the practice of managing and provisioning computer data centers through machine-readable definition files, rather than physical hardware configuration or interactive configuration tools.

IaC allows users to define their infrastructure as code, which can then be used to provision and manage their infrastructure resources. This can be done using a variety of different tools, such as Terraform, Ansible, and CloudFormation.

Benefits of Infrastructure as Code

There are many benefits to using IaC, including:

- Increased efficiency and accuracy: IaC can help you to provision and manage your infrastructure resources more efficiently and accurately. This is because you can define your infrastructure in code, which can then be used to automate the provisioning and management process.

- Reduced errors: IaC can help you to reduce errors in your infrastructure configuration. This is because you can define your infrastructure in a declarative manner, which means that you can specify the desired state of your infrastructure, and the IaC tool will take care of making the necessary changes to achieve that state.

- Improved visibility and control: IaC can help you to improve visibility and control over your infrastructure. This is because you can use IaC to store your infrastructure configuration in a central location, which can then be used to track and manage your infrastructure resources.

- Increased scalability: IaC can help you to scale your infrastructure more easily. This is because you can use IaC to define your infrastructure in a reusable way, which can then be used to quickly and easily provision new infrastructure resources.

Comparing Terraform, Ansible, and CloudFormation:

The following table compares the three IaC tools discussed in this article:

Feature	Terraform	Ansible	CloudFormation
Cloud compatibility	Cloud-agnostic	Cloud-agnostic	AWS only
Open source	Yes	Yes	No
Configuration management	Good	Excellent	Good
Infrastructure provisioning	Excellent	Good	Excellent
Learning curve	Steep	Moderate	Easy
Cost	Free	Free	Pay-as-you-go

Example code:

Terraform

provider "aws" {
  region = "us-east-1"
}

resource "aws_instance" "example" {
  ami = "ami-01234567890123456"
  instance_type = "t2.micro"
}

This code will create an EC2 instance on AWS in the us-east-1 region with the ami-01234567890123456 AMI and the t2.micro instance type.

Ansible

---
- hosts: all
  tasks:
  - name: Install the Apache web server
    yum:
      name: httpd
      state: present
  - name: Start the Apache web server
    service:
      name: httpd
      state: started

This code will install the Apache web server on all EC2 instances in the all group and start the Apache web server.

CloudFormation

YAML

AWSTemplateFormatVersion: '2010-09-09'

Resources:
  EC2Instance:
    Type: AWS::EC2::Instance
    Properties:
      ImageId: ami-01234567890123456
      InstanceType: t2.micro

This code will create an EC2 instance on AWS with the ami-01234567890123456 AMI and the t2.micro instance type.

Which IaC tool is right for you?

Terraform, Ansible, and CloudFormation are all popular IaC tools with their own strengths and weaknesses. The best IaC tool for you will depend on your specific needs and requirements.

If you need to manage infrastructure on multiple cloud providers, then you should choose a cloud-agnostic IaC tool such as Terraform or Ansible. This is because cloud-agnostic IaC tools allow you to define your infrastructure in a way that is independent of any particular cloud provider. This makes it easy to move your infrastructure from one cloud provider to another, or to manage a hybrid infrastructure that spans multiple cloud providers.

If you are looking for an open-source IaC tool, then you should choose Terraform. Terraform is an open-source tool, which means that you can download and use it for free. This can be a significant advantage for organizations with limited budgets. Additionally, Terraform has a large and active community, which means that there are many resources available to help you learn and use Terraform.

If you are using AWS infrastructure, then CloudFormation is a good choice. CloudFormation is a proprietary IaC tool from AWS, which means that it is only compatible with AWS infrastructure. However, CloudFormation is tightly integrated with AWS services, which can make it easier to provision and manage your AWS infrastructure.

Ultimately, the best way to choose the right IaC tool for you is to evaluate your specific needs and requirements. Consider the following factors when making your decision:

Cloud compatibility: Do you need to manage infrastructure on multiple cloud providers? If so, then you should choose a cloud-agnostic IaC tool.
Open source: Do you want to use an open-source IaC tool? If so, then Terraform is a good choice.
Community and support: How important is community and support to you? If you are new to IaC, then you may want to choose a tool with a large and active community.
Features: What features are important to you? Consider the features that each IaC tool offers and choose the tool that best meets your needs.

If you are still unsure which IaC tool is right for you, then I recommend that you try out a few different tools and see which one works best for you. Most IaC tools offer free trials, so you can try them out before you commit to a paid plan.

To read more informative and engaging blogs about Terraform, AWS and other content ; please do follow the link below

https://www.sailorcloud.io/blog/