If you are working with DevOps or other automation tools, you must be familiar with Terraform and Ansible. Both are super popular and powerful with different jobs and knowing what they do exactly will help save a lot of time and confusion. Both Ansible and Terraform can work in perfect harmony. For example, Terraform is great for setting up the basic infrastructure, like creating servers, networks, and databases in the cloud. On the other hand, Ansible is awesome for configuring those servers, like installing software, setting up users, or updating applications.
In this article, we shall discuss the key differences, use cases, and other important aspects between Ansible vs Terraform.
What Is Ansible?
Ansible is an open-source IT automation tool that is developed by Red Hat and is used for configuration management, application deployment, and task automation. Ansible used YAML playbooks that are used to define the desired system state.
Pros of Ansible
- Ansible is agentless, which means it communicates over SSH, therefore, you do not need to install agents on target machines.
- It uses simple YAML syntax, so it is easy to read and learn.
- Ansible is supported by different operating systems and cloud providers.
- It is ideal for maintaining consistent system states.
- Ansible includes many pre-built modules for managing system states.
Cons of Ansible
- You need to define what to do clearly and how to do it, not just what the end state will be.
- It does not track the current infrastructure state like Terraform.
- Sometimes the performance can lag for large-scale deployments because of the sequential execution.
Key Features of Ansible
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- Ansible connects to the system over SSH or WinRM, so you do not need any agents on the target machines.
- It uses easy-to-read YAML files so that you can define automation workflows in human-readable files for both developers and sysadmins.
- Ansible ensures that running the same playbooks multiple times will not result in unnecessary changes.
- It comes with native system configurations, cloud provisioning, networks, and application deployments.
- Ansible supports dynamic inventory scripts and integrations with cloud providers.
- Tasks can be grouped into reusable roles.
What Is Terraform?
Terraform is also an open-source Infrastructure as Code tool by HashiCorp. It is designed to support the provision, management, and control of version infrastructure across different providers using HCL; HashiCorp Configuration Language.
Pros of Terraform:
- Using the declarative syntax, you define what you want and Terraform will take it from there.
- It maintains an execution plan and tracks the infrastructure changes.
- It works with different providers, ranging from AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes, and others.
- It is an ideal solution for servers, databases, and networks.
- Since it supports reusable modules, it encourages clean and modular infrastructure code.
Cons of Terraform:
- It does not provide any tools to manage OS-level tasks.
- HCL is a hard language, which can be a challenge for new developers.
- Poor state file management can lead to downtime and inconsistent performance.
- Terraform license change has caused a stir in the open-source community.
Key Features of Terraform:
- Declarative configuration allows you to declare what the infrastructure wants and then it can handle how to do it itself.
- Due to multi-cloud support, it works with AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Kubernetes, and many other providers.
- State management allows you to track the state of your infrastructure in a state file, helping Terraform detect changes and manage drift.
- It generates a preview of the changes before actually making them.
- IaC helps with version control, collaborations, and CI/CD integrations.
- It encourages building modular and reusable infrastructure components.
- An active and helpful community.
Ansible Vs Terraform – Key Differences
| Category | Ansible | Terraform |
| Configuration vs Provisioning | Primarily used for configuration management and application deployment. | Designed for infrastructure provisioning across cloud platforms. |
| Declarative vs Procedural | Procedural: You define how tasks are executed step by step. | Declarative: You define what the desired infrastructure should look like. |
| Idempotency and State Management | Idempotent, but does not track state natively between runs. | Idempotent and tracks full state using a persistent state file. |
| Language and Syntax | Uses YAML playbooks—easy to read and write. | Uses HCL (HashiCorp Configuration Language)—declarative but has a learning curve. |
| Cloud and Tool Integration | Integrates well with multiple tools and cloud platforms, but is better suited for config tasks. | Designed for multi-cloud provisioning with strong provider support. |
Similarities Between Ansible Vs Terraform
There are some similarities between the two that can lead to using each other as an alternative.
- Both are powerful Infrastructure as Code tools that allow you to define and manage the infrastructure through versioned, human-readable code.
- Both are open source by default and offer features like policy enforcement, collaboration tools, and integrations.
- Ansible and Terraform work across multiple environments, including AWS, Azure, VMware, and more.
- Both tools can run multiple cycles without producing inconsistent results.
- Both tools can easily automate infrastructure tasks, reduce manual intervention, and support scalable deployments.
- Each tool is supported by a vibrant community and rich ecosystem of plugins, modules, and providers.
- Both tools can be easily integrated into the CI/CD pipelines.
When to Use Ansible vs Terraform
It is best to use Ansible when;
- You need to configure already provided servers, like installing software, updating packages, and managing services.
- Your team is more inclined towards procedural control over task execution.
- You need an agentless automation that works over SSH and WinRM.
- You need to make ongoing changes within the infrastructure.
Terraform should be your first choice when,
- You need a provisioning infrastructure like VMs, networks, load balancers, and cloud services.
- You need to manage cloud infrastructure across multiple providers, like AWS, Azure, GCP, and more.
- You need a more declarative approach where you can define the end state.
- You require state tracking, execution planning, and dependency management.
Can Ansible and Terraform Work Together?
Yes, Ansible and Terraform do bring their best capabilities forward and work together in perfect harmony when:
- Use Terraform first to provision cloud infrastructure (e.g., create EC2 instances, VPCs, databases).
- Then use Ansible to configure the servers (e.g., install Nginx, deploy applications, manage user access).
This separation of concerns aligns with best practices:
- Terraform manages what resources exist.
- Ansible manages what runs on those resources.
Related Article: Ansible With Terraform – A Beginner Guide To Automating Infrastructure
Conclusion – Ansible Vs Terraform
Both Ansible and Terraform are strong IaC contenders, but they both serve different purposes. This is why many environments require them to be used together and set up the infrastructure in a flexible and scriptable manner. Ultimately, the right choice depends on your team and their expertise.
FAQs
What is the main difference between Ansible and Terraform?
Ansible is primarily used for configuration management, while Terraform focuses on infrastructure provisioning. Both serve different stages of infrastructure automation.
Is Ansible declarative like Terraform?
Ansible is procedural, meaning it runs tasks in order. Terraform is declarative—it defines the desired end state and figures out how to reach it automatically.
Which is easier to learn: Ansible or Terraform?
Ansible uses YAML, which is generally considered beginner-friendly. Terraform has its own HCL language but offers a more structured approach for infrastructure planning.
