Ansible vs Terraform

Struggling to choose between Ansible and Terraform? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Ansible is a Network & Admin solution with tags like automation, configuration-management, deployment.

It boasts features such as Agentless architecture, Uses YAML playbooks to define automation tasks, Idempotent execution of tasks, Large library of modules for interacting with different systems, Push-based model for deploying configuration changes, Supports parallel execution of tasks and pros including Very simple to set up and use, Powerful automation capabilities, Agentless model reduces resource usage, Playbooks provide infrastructure as code, Active open source community.

On the other hand, Terraform is a Development product tagged with hashicorp, infrastructure, provisioning, automation, cloud.

Its standout features include Infrastructure as Code - Manage infrastructure through configuration files, Execution Plans - Preview changes before applying to avoid unexpected changes, State Management - Track metadata to map real resources to configurations, Resource Graph - Visualize dependencies to understand relationships, Modular Architecture - Reuse configurations and integrate with other tools, Provider Ecosystem - Support for many infrastructure providers like AWS, Azure, GCP, and it shines with pros like Declarative language is easy to understand, Promotes infrastructure consistency and stability, Built-in graphing and planning features, Open source with large community support, Supports many major cloud providers.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

Ansible

Ansible

Ansible, an open-source automation tool for configuration management, application deployment, and task orchestration. Using a simple, human-readable language, Ansible enables efficient automation of IT infrastructure. It streamlines complex tasks, promotes consistency, and empowers teams to manage infrastructure as code.

Categories:
automation configuration-management deployment

Ansible Features

  1. Agentless architecture
  2. Uses YAML playbooks to define automation tasks
  3. Idempotent execution of tasks
  4. Large library of modules for interacting with different systems
  5. Push-based model for deploying configuration changes
  6. Supports parallel execution of tasks

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Very simple to set up and use

Powerful automation capabilities

Agentless model reduces resource usage

Playbooks provide infrastructure as code

Active open source community

Cons

Limited Windows support compared to Linux

Steeper learning curve than some other tools

Not ideal for large, complex environments without additional orchestration

Upgrades can sometimes break playbooks


Terraform

Terraform

Terraform, an Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tool by HashiCorp. Streamline and automate the provisioning of infrastructure across cloud providers. With a declarative configuration language, Terraform enables users to define, manage, and version infrastructure as code, promoting consistency and scalability.

Categories:
hashicorp infrastructure provisioning automation cloud

Terraform Features

  1. Infrastructure as Code - Manage infrastructure through configuration files
  2. Execution Plans - Preview changes before applying to avoid unexpected changes
  3. State Management - Track metadata to map real resources to configurations
  4. Resource Graph - Visualize dependencies to understand relationships
  5. Modular Architecture - Reuse configurations and integrate with other tools
  6. Provider Ecosystem - Support for many infrastructure providers like AWS, Azure, GCP

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Declarative language is easy to understand

Promotes infrastructure consistency and stability

Built-in graphing and planning features

Open source with large community support

Supports many major cloud providers

Cons

State files can be difficult to manage in a team

No built-in rollback functionality

Limited support for deleting/changing existing resources

Third-party providers can lag behind new cloud features