Picking up the Right Infrastructure as Code Tool: Terraform, Pulumi, or Crossplane

What is Infrastructure as Code and Why Does it Matter?

The days of clicking around in cloud consoles are over. Modern organizations manage hundreds or even thousands of resources across multiple environments. Trying to set these up manually is like trying to build a skyscraper with just a hammer and nails - technically possible, but impractical and risky.

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) has become essential for modern tech teams. Instead of setting up servers and cloud resources by hand, IaC lets you write code that does this automatically. This means your setups are:

• Consistent every time
• Tracked in version control (like Git)
• Easily repeated across environments
• Less prone to human error

As companies grow their cloud footprint, manual setup just doesn't work anymore. IaC bridges the gap between development and operations teams by turning infrastructure setup into something that can be automated and tested like regular software.

In 2025, three tools stand out: Terraform, Pulumi, and Crossplane. Each has its own approach to solving the same problem. Let's look at what makes each one special.

Terraform: The Popular, Straightforward Option

Terraform, made by HashiCorp , is the most widely used IaC tool. It uses its own language (HCL) to describe what your infrastructure should look like.

What's Good About It:

• Proven and reliable: Used by thousands of companies with support for all major cloud providers
• Reusable components: Create modules you can use again and again
• Keeps track of changes: Uses a "state file" to know what's already been set up and what needs to change

What to Consider:

• Limited flexibility: Its language isn't as powerful as full programming languages when you need complex logic
• Managing state files: Keeping track of state files in large teams can be tricky (though Terraform Cloud helps with this)

Best for: Teams who want a stable, widely-supported tool with straightforward setup processes.

Real-world example: A retail company using Terraform manages their entire AWS infrastructure including networks, databases, and serverless functions across development, staging, and production environments. When they need to launch in a new region, they simply update a few variables and run the same code again.

Pulumi: When You Want to Use Regular Programming Languages

Pulumi takes a different approach. Instead of learning a new language, you can write infrastructure code using languages you already know, like Python, TypeScript, Go, or C#.

What's Good About It:

• Use real programming features: Loops, if-statements, functions, and libraries make complex setups easier
• Same tools as regular code: Developers can use familiar languages and tools
• Works with all major clouds: Good support for multi-cloud setups

What to Consider:

• Might be unfamiliar to ops teams: If your team is used to Terraform, this approach feels different
• Smaller community: Fewer examples and resources compared to Terraform
• Some parts are commercial: Not everything is open source

Best for: Teams with strong software development skills who want more flexibility than declarative tools offer.

Real-world example: A fintech startup uses Pulumi with TypeScript to manage their infrastructure. They created a library of custom components that automatically implement their security requirements and compliance standards. New microservices inherit these standards automatically, saving weeks of security review for each deployment.

Crossplane: For Teams All-In on Kubernetes

Crossplane is newer and designed specifically for teams using Kubernetes. It extends Kubernetes to manage cloud resources using the same tools and approaches.

What's Good About It:

• Works like Kubernetes: If you're already using Kubernetes, the concepts will feel familiar
• Create custom resources: Platform teams can make simplified interfaces for developers
• Clear separation of roles: Developers request resources while platform teams handle the details

What to Consider:

• Complex if you're new to Kubernetes: Requires understanding Kubernetes concepts
• Still growing: Fewer providers and examples than Terraform
• Kubernetes-dependent: Only makes sense if you're already committed to Kubernetes

Best for: Teams building developer platforms on Kubernetes who want to offer self-service infrastructure to their developers.

Real-world example: A large SaaS company uses Crossplane to let their development teams spin up databases and message queues without knowing the underlying cloud details. Developers submit simple requests like "I need a Postgres database" while the platform team handles all the security, backup, and compliance requirements behind the scenes.

Getting Started: Quick Implementation Tips

The best tool depends on your team and goals:

• Choose Terraform if you want something stable and widely used with good community support
• Choose Pulumi if you prefer using regular programming languages and need more flexibility
• Choose Crossplane if you're building on Kubernetes and want to create a self-service platform

Remember that the right tool should match your team's skills, your infrastructure needs, and your long-term goals. Infrastructure tools aren't just about setting things up—they're about helping your team deliver better software more quickly and safely.

Looking Beyond the Tools

Implementing IaC is as much about changing your team's culture as it is about technology:

• Breaking down silos: Developers and operations teams need to collaborate on infrastructure code
• Learning new skills: Teams must invest time to learn these new approaches
• Embracing automation: Trust in automated processes over manual intervention
• Thinking in code: View infrastructure as malleable code rather than fixed hardware

Organizations that successfully adopt IaC don't just change their tools—they change how they think about infrastructure. The most successful teams treat their infrastructure with the same care and engineering practices as their application code.

What IaC tool does your company use? Discuss them in the comments!