CDK vs Terraform: A Detailed Comparison For Infrastructure Automation

The Amazon Web Services Cloud Development Kit and Terraform are two of the most popular and commonly used Infrastructure as Code tools, but their approach to infrastructure automation is completely different, which can result in different strengths and weaknesses. 

This guide is a showdown between CDK vs Terraform that will help you determine which approach is the best possible path for your team! 

What Is AWS CDK (Cloud Development Kit)?

The AWS Cloud Development Kit is an open source Infrastructure as Code (IaC) framework developed by AWS. It allows developers to define the cloud infrastructure using many familiar languages, such as TypeScript, Python, Java, C#, and Go. Instead of writing JSON or YAML codes (as with CloudFormation), you can write reusable and testable codes to define AWS resources in an imperative style. 

Under the hood, CDK synthesises your code into CloudFormation templates, which are then deployed to AWS. 

Key Features:

• CDK supports modern OOP features like classes, inheritance, and interfaces. 
• It also uses high level constructors to make complex infrastructure plans simple. 
• Tighter integration with the AWS services. 

Pros and Cons of AWS CDK

Pros:

• Using CDK, you can write infrastructure in general human-readable languages like Python or TypeScript. 
• Easily create or reuse constructus like infrastructure components. 
• Allows deep integration with AWS services and CloudFormation. 
• Autocompletion and debugging support in modern IDEs. 

Cons:

• CDK is primarily designed for AWS, which is why it lacks support for other providers. 
• Requires programming knowledge, which makes it unsuitable for some teams. 

Related Article: Ansible Vs Terraform – Choosing the Right Tool for Your Teams

What Is Terraform?

Terraform is an open source infrastructure tool by HashiCorp. It allows the users to define and provision infrastructure using a declarative configuration language; HCL. Unlike AWS CDK, Terraform supports mini-cloud and on-premises environments, making it an excellent choice for hybrid and cross-cloud strategies. 

Terraform works by reading .tf files, comparing them to the current state, and then applying only the changes needed.

Key Features:

• Provider-agnostic: Supports AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes, and more
• Maintains state for tracking infrastructure
• Modules for reusable infrastructure code

Pros and Cons of Terraform

Pros:

• Easily manageable across multiple cloud providers. 
• Simple and easy to read .tf files. 
• Strong community with a wide range of providers and modules. 
• Rich ecosystem with a Terraform Cloud. 

Cons:

• Lacks loops, conditionals, and abstractions found in general-purpose languages. 
• Requires careful handling of the state file among teams. 
• Errors can sometimes be cryptic due to HCL limitations. 

Core Differences – AWS CDK Vs Terraform

Feature	AWS CDK	Terraform
Language Support	General-purpose languages: TypeScript, Python, Java, C#, Go	Domain-specific language (HCL) only
State Management	Relies on AWS CloudFormation for state tracking	Maintains its own state via local or remote backends
Style	Imperative: define how to build resources	Declarative: define what infrastructure should exist
Resource Abstraction	High-level constructs abstract AWS resources and patterns	Lower-level, more explicit resource definitions
Community & Ecosystem	Growing, AWS-focused community; strong AWS library support	Large, multi-cloud community with mature ecosystem and registry of modules/providers

CDK vs Terraform: Use Case Comparison

Use Case	Better with CDK	Better with Terraform	Notes
AWS-Only Projects	✅	✅	Both work well, but CDK is more tightly integrated with AWS.
Multi-Cloud Infrastructure	❌	✅	Terraform supports many providers like GCP, Azure, Cloudflare, etc.
Dev-Focused Teams (App Devs Managing Infra)	✅	❌	CDK uses familiar programming languages, reducing the learning curve.
Declarative Infrastructure for Ops Teams	❌	✅	Terraform’s HCL is readable, standardized, and easy to review.
Reusable Infrastructure Patterns with Logic	✅	⚠️ (limited)	CDK supports OOP principles for building reusable components.
CI/CD Integration for Large Teams	⚠️ (possible via CDK Pipelines)	✅	Terraform has mature ecosystem support for CI/CD and policy enforcement.
Third-Party SaaS Provisioning (e.g., Datadog, GitHub)	❌	✅	Terraform has wide provider support beyond cloud platforms.
State Management with Full Control	❌	✅	Terraform gives full control over remote/local state backends.
Abstraction of Complex AWS Services (e.g., Step Functions)	✅	⚠️ (more manual)	CDK offers high-level constructs for AWS-native workflows.

When to Use AWS CDK vs Terraform

Choosing between CDK vs Terraform depends entirely on the project’s requirements, team’s expertise, cloud strategy, and workflow preferences. Here is a comparison to help you decide. 

Use AWS CDK When:

• Your main infrastructure is on AWS. 
• You prefer working with TypeScript or Python. 
• Your team has more developers than DevOps engineers. 
• You need to reuse logic and build complex plans. 

Use Terraform When:

• You are more inclined towards multi cloud or hybrid environments. 
• You need a more declarative and readable syntax that is easy for both DevOps and other team members. 
• Your team prefers a provider agnostic approach. 
• You want a larger ecosystem with modules and community contributions. 
• You are working on automated pipelines. 

Can CDK Vs Terraform Be Used Together?

Yes, both of these infrastructure tools can be used together, even though they are not natively designed to integrate. Combining the two lets you leverage both of the tools strengths. For example, using CDK to manage AWS-native resources and Terraform to orchestrate multi-cloud infrastructure. This approach is sometimes called a hybrid IaC strategy.

When Would You Combine CDK vs Terraform?

• You are building AWS inclined apps with CDK but you need resources to manage external modules. 
• Your DevOps team requires Terraform, but the developers need CDK. 
• You need to wrap your Terraform modules in higher level DCK constructs.

How to Use CDK Vs Terraform Together

Here are a few options to make the most of both infrastructure tools. 

Option 1: Run Terraform from CDK Using Constructs

You can use Terraform modules from the CDK code using different tools like cdktf, which is Cloud Development Kit for Terraform), this helps bring CDK-style programming principles to Terraform. CDKTF supports familiar languages, such as TypeScript or Python to define infrastructure but deploy using Terraform providers and engines. 

Example:

npm install –save cdktf-cli

cdktf init –template=typescript

This lets you:

• Write code like CDK
• Use Terraform providers and modules
• Deploy via cdktf deploy

Option 2: Run Each Tool Independently with Clear Boundaries

You can distribute responsibilities on both the tools: 

• Use CDK to deploy application-specific AWS resources. 
• Use Terraform to deploy shared infrastructure, such as VPCs, DNS, third-party SaaS providers)

Ensure proper integration by:

• Sharing outputs, such as Lambda ARN from CDK and passing it on to Terraform. 
• Managing state resources separately. 
• Using filters, such as tags and naming conventions to track resources. 

Option 3: Use CDK for Bootstrapping, Terraform for Main Infra

You can write a CDK stack that:

• Bootstraps foundational AWS services (e.g., IAM roles, S3 buckets for Terraform state)
• Then passes control to Terraform to manage the broader infrastructure

Wrapping Up – AWS CDK Vs Terraform

The infrastructure tool that you prefer to use depends entirely on you and your team. However, if your team wants, then you can also employ a hybrid combination of the two and leverage their capabilities to the fullest.