Infrastructure as Code (IaC) for Enterprise Applications: A Comparative Study of Terraform and CloudFormation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58425/ajt.v4i1.351Keywords:
Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Terraform, AWS CloudFormation, multi-cloud deployment, CI/CD integration, state management, security and compliance, DevOps automationAbstract
Aim: The objective of this study was to evaluate two tools within this category, namely Terraform and AWS CloudFormation and compare their suitability for managing enterprise cloud infrastructure under Infrastructure as Code (IaC) principles.
Methods: Using a comparative evaluation method based on feature analysis, use case modeling, and expert interpretation. The research evaluates these criteria through syntactic usability, state management, modularity, CI/CD integration, security practices, policy enforcement, and deployment performance.
Results: HashiCorp product Terraform is a new entry to the IaC world. It is a provider‑agnostic tool famous for its flexible template structure and support of multi‑cloud environments such as AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. It provides strong flexibility, very reusable modules, and has a robust open-source ecosystem. Conversely, AWS CloudFormation is tightly integrated with AWS services and supports compliance, orchestration, and automation of AWS-centric environments through JSON/YAML templates, StackSets, and IAM policy integration. The analysis points to Terraform as an option for enterprises moving towards hybrid or multi-cloud strategies, given its high mark in modularity, ecosystem breadth, and cross-platform deployment. However, CloudFormation is superior in aligning compliance, safety in operations, and governance, particularly for AWS exclusive infrastructures.
Conclusion: The study concludes that with the right IaC tool, enterprises can scale their infrastructure appropriately, comply with requirements, and quickly deploy infrastructures in an automated and rapid manner.
Recommendations: If organizations want to have the most portable and flexible configuration across platforms, they should choose Terraform. In contrast, if they desire the simplest integration with AWS services in a regulated environment, they should instead pick CloudFormation.
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