Cloudify vs Terraform: What are the differences?

Introduction

Cloudify and Terraform are both powerful tools that are commonly used for infrastructure as code. While they serve similar purposes, there are key differences between the two that set them apart. In this article, we will explore the main differences between Cloudify and Terraform.

1. Provider Support: One of the notable differences between Cloudify and Terraform is the range of supported providers. Cloudify has a broader range of built-in provider support, allowing users to work with a variety of clouds, platforms, and tools. On the other hand, Terraform has a narrower focus on infrastructure provisioning and primarily supports industry-leading cloud providers like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.

2. Language and Syntax: Another key difference lies in the language and syntax used by Cloudify and Terraform. Cloudify uses a declarative programming language called YAML, which is simple to understand and allows users to define the desired state of their infrastructure. Terraform, on the other hand, uses a domain-specific language (DSL) called HashiCorp Configuration Language (HCL), which is designed specifically for infrastructure provisioning.

3. Maturity and Ecosystem: Cloudify has been in the market for a longer period of time, making it a more mature and established tool. It has a larger ecosystem with a wide range of plugins and extensions developed by the community. Terraform, on the other hand, has gained significant popularity in recent years, but it is considered to be a younger tool compared to Cloudify. However, Terraform benefits from being developed by HashiCorp, a well-known company in the DevOps and infrastructure automation space.

4. Orchestration Capabilities: Cloudify stands out with its advanced orchestration capabilities. It provides a rich set of features for orchestrating complex workflows, managing dependencies, and handling the coordination of different components in a distributed environment. While Terraform does support basic dependency management, it is primarily focused on provisioning infrastructure resources rather than orchestration.

5. Community and Support: Cloudify has a dedicated and active community that contributes to its development, provides support, and shares knowledge through forums, blogs, and other resources. Terraform also has a strong and vibrant community, benefiting from HashiCorp's reputation and the popularity of other tools in its ecosystem, such as Vagrant and Consul.

6. Integration with Other Tools: Both Cloudify and Terraform can integrate with other tools and frameworks to enhance their capabilities. However, Cloudify offers more out-of-the-box integrations with popular tools like Ansible, Puppet, and Kubernetes, allowing users to leverage existing investments and build comprehensive automation workflows. While Terraform does have some integrations, it is more focused on its core provisioning functionality.

In Summary, Cloudify offers broader provider support, advanced orchestration capabilities, and a more mature ecosystem. Terraform, on the other hand, has a narrower focus, a simpler language syntax, and benefits from being developed by HashiCorp. The choice between the two largely depends on the specific requirements, preferences, and existing infrastructure stack of the user.