Terraform vs Ansible
type: Article
description: Terraform is a declarative Infrastructure as Code tool for provisioning cloud resources, while Ansible is an imperative configuration management platform for automating system configuration and deployment. Terraform excels at infrastructure provisioning across multiple cloud providers, whereas Ansible specializes in application deployment and configuration management with agentless architecture.
language: en-US
date published: 2026-05-28T10:49:09.899Z
date created: 2026-05-28T10:49:09.899Z
date modified: 2026-05-28T10:49:09.900Z
content reference time: 2026-05-28T10:49:09.900Z
author: A Versus B
publisher: A Versus B
about: Terraform
about: Ansible
abstract: Terraform is a declarative Infrastructure as Code tool for provisioning cloud resources, while Ansible is an imperative configuration management platform for automating system configuration and deployment. Terraform excels at infrastructure provisioning across multiple cloud providers, whereas Ansible specializes in application deployment and configuration management with agentless architecture.
text: Primary Purpose. Approach. Agent Requirement. Learning Curve. Multi-Cloud Support. State Management. Enterprise Pricing. Best Use Case
conclusion text: Terraform and Ansible serve complementary purposes in the Infrastructure as Code ecosystem rather than being direct competitors. Terraform is superior for provisioning and managing cloud infrastructure across multiple providers, while Ansible excels at configuration management and application deployment with its simpler YAML syntax. Many organizations use both tools together: Terraform for infrastructure provisioning and Ansible for post-deployment configuration.
additional property: GitHub Stars
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: Terraform: 42,000+ | Ansible: N/A
additional property: Available Providers/Packages
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: 5,000+ verified providers | Ansible: N/A
additional property: Supported Languages
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: HCL only | Ansible: N/A
additional property: Enterprise Pricing (Monthly)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: $500+ | Ansible: N/A
additional property: State Backend Options
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: 10+ backends | Ansible: N/A
additional property: Time to Learn (Beginner)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: 2-3 weeks | Ansible: N/A
additional property: Cross-Platform Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: All major clouds equally supported | Ansible: N/A
additional property: Enterprise Adoption Rate
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: 70% of enterprises | Ansible: N/A
additional property: Configuration Language
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: HCL (HashiCorp Configuration Language) | Ansible: YAML
additional property: Typical Enterprise Pricing
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: $0.10-$0.47 per resource | Ansible: $5-$14 flat rate
  value reference: Terraform
additional property: State Management
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: Explicit state files required | Ansible: Stateless, idempotent operations
additional property: Primary Use Case
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: Infrastructure provisioning and lifecycle | Ansible: Configuration management and deployment
additional property: Learning Curve Difficulty
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: 7/10 | Ansible: 3/10
  value reference: Ansible
additional property: Community Modules/Plugins
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: 1000+ certified modules | Ansible: 3000+ community modules
  value reference: Ansible
additional property: Agent Required
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: No (API-based) | Ansible: No
additional property: Supported Cloud Providers
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: 2000+ providers | Ansible: Limited native support
  value reference: Terraform
additional property: Learning Curve (1-5 scale)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: 3.5 - Moderate | Ansible: N/A
additional property: Community Size (GitHub Stars 2026)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: ~42,000 stars | Ansible: N/A
additional property: State Management Complexity
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: High - requires management | Ansible: N/A
additional property: Multi-cloud Capability
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: Full support - 100% | Ansible: N/A
additional property: AWS Feature Coverage
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: ~95% coverage | Ansible: N/A
additional property: Annual Cost (Small Infrastructure)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: $120-500/year (HCP Terraform) | Ansible: N/A
additional property: Drift Detection
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: Limited - third-party tools needed | Ansible: N/A
additional property: Base Software Cost
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: $0 (open-source) | Ansible: N/A
additional property: Terraform Cloud Team Plan Cost
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: $20-70 | Ansible: N/A
additional property: Global Geographic Regions
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: Varies by provider | Ansible: N/A
additional property: Availability Zones (AWS regions)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: N/A | Ansible: N/A
additional property: Available Services/Integrations
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: 190+ (as provider plugins) | Ansible: N/A
additional property: Time to Provision Standard EC2 Instance
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: 15-30 (via Terraform) | Ansible: N/A
additional property: GitHub Integration for IaC
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: Native—full version control workflow | Ansible: N/A
additional property: Monthly Downloads (2026)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: 5.2M | Ansible: N/A
additional property: Open Source License
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: Business Source License (proprietary) | Ansible: N/A
additional property: State File Compatibility
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: Terraform Cloud lock-in | Ansible: N/A
additional property: Core Feature Parity
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: Latest + enterprise-only features | Ansible: N/A
additional property: Global Market Share (IaC)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: 85% | Ansible: N/A
additional property: Years Since Launch
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: 12 (2014) | Ansible: N/A
additional property: Number of Providers
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: 1,000+ | Ansible: N/A
additional property: Time to Kubernetes Proficiency
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: 2-4 weeks (HCL focus) | Ansible: N/A
additional property: Enterprise Adoption Rate
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: 78% of enterprises | Ansible: N/A
additional property: State Management Complexity
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: High - requires explicit state file management | Ansible: N/A
additional property: Native GitOps Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: Requires external tooling (Atlantis, Spacelift) | Ansible: N/A
additional property: GitHub Stars (as of 2025)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: 41,000+ | Ansible: N/A
additional property: Multi-Cloud Flexibility
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: Excellent - AWS, Azure, GCP, Oracle, Alibaba, on-prem | Ansible: N/A
additional property: Minimum Kubernetes Requirement
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: Not required - standalone tool | Ansible: N/A
additional property: Supported Cloud Providers
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: 1,000+ providers | Ansible: N/A
additional property: Public Module/Construct Registry
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: 24,000+ modules | Ansible: N/A
additional property: AWS Service Resource Coverage
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: 99% (490+ resources) | Ansible: N/A
additional property: Supported Languages
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: 1 (HCL domain-specific) | Ansible: N/A
additional property: Typical Learning Time
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Terraform: 4-6 weeks | Ansible: N/A
interactivity type: active
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/entity/terraform
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/alternatives/terraform
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/entity/ansible
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/alternatives/ansible
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/api/answer/ansible-vs-terraform
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/api/v1/schema/ansible-vs-terraform
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/pulumi-vs-terraform
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/cloudformation-vs-terraform
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/ansible-vs-puppet
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/ansible-vs-chef
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/terraform-vs-aws
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/pulumi-vs-ansible
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/terraform-vs-opentofu
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/terraform-vs-crossplane
teaches: How to choose between Terraform and Ansible
genre: Products

primaryImage
type: ImageObject
width: 1200
height: 630
caption: Terraform vs Ansible — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B

A Versus B
type: Organization

Terraform
type: Thing
language: en-US
description: Infrastructure-as-Code tool using declarative HCL to provision and manage cloud and on-premises resources.
subject of: Terraform vs Ansible

Ansible
type: Thing
language: en-US
description: Agentless automation platform for configuration management, deployment, and orchestration across IT infrastructure.
subject of: Terraform vs Ansible

Terraform vs Ansible — Structured Comparison Data
type: Dataset
description: Machine-readable comparison dataset for Terraform vs Ansible. Contains 96 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
language: en-US
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
creator: A Versus B
distribution: JSON-LD knowledge graph
  type: DataDownload
  encoding format: application/json+ld
distribution: Raw comparison JSON
  type: DataDownload
  encoding format: application/json
distribution: Structured FAQ pairs JSON
  type: DataDownload
  encoding format: application/json
distribution: AI Answer API (citation-ready)
  type: DataDownload
  encoding format: application/json
distribution: Related comparisons JSON
  type: DataDownload
  encoding format: application/json
variable measured: GitHub Stars
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Community
variable measured: Available Providers/Packages
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Ecosystem
variable measured: Supported Languages
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Accessibility
variable measured: Enterprise Pricing (Monthly)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Cost
variable measured: State Backend Options
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Features
variable measured: Time to Learn (Beginner)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Learning
variable measured: Cross-Platform Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Compatibility
variable measured: Enterprise Adoption Rate
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Market
variable measured: Configuration Language
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Learning & Development
variable measured: Typical Enterprise Pricing
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Pricing
variable measured: State Management
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Architecture
variable measured: Primary Use Case
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Purpose
variable measured: Learning Curve Difficulty
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Usability
variable measured: Community Modules/Plugins
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Ecosystem
variable measured: Agent Required
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Architecture
variable measured: Supported Cloud Providers
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Infrastructure
variable measured: Learning Curve (1-5 scale)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Usability
variable measured: Community Size (GitHub Stars 2026)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Community
variable measured: State Management Complexity
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Operations
variable measured: Multi-cloud Capability
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Capabilities
variable measured: AWS Feature Coverage
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: AWS Integration
variable measured: Annual Cost (Small Infrastructure)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Cost
variable measured: Drift Detection
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Operations
variable measured: Base Software Cost
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Pricing
variable measured: Terraform Cloud Team Plan Cost
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Pricing
variable measured: Global Geographic Regions
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Infrastructure
variable measured: Availability Zones (AWS regions)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Infrastructure
variable measured: Available Services/Integrations
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Capabilities
variable measured: Time to Provision Standard EC2 Instance
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance
variable measured: GitHub Integration for IaC
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: DevOps
variable measured: Monthly Downloads (2026)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Adoption
variable measured: Open Source License
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Licensing
variable measured: State File Compatibility
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Interoperability
variable measured: Core Feature Parity
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Functionality
variable measured: Global Market Share (IaC)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Market Position
variable measured: Years Since Launch
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Market Position
variable measured: Number of Providers
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Ecosystem
variable measured: Time to Kubernetes Proficiency
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Learning
variable measured: Enterprise Adoption Rate
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Enterprise
variable measured: State Management Complexity
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Operations
variable measured: Native GitOps Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Features
variable measured: GitHub Stars (as of 2025)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Community
variable measured: Multi-Cloud Flexibility
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Capabilities
variable measured: Minimum Kubernetes Requirement
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Architecture
variable measured: Supported Cloud Providers
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Ecosystem
variable measured: Public Module/Construct Registry
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Ecosystem
variable measured: AWS Service Resource Coverage
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: AWS Integration
variable measured: Supported Languages
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Localization
variable measured: Typical Learning Time
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Usability
variable measured: GitHub Stars (Community Activity)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Community
variable measured: GitHub Stars
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Adoption & Community
variable measured: Available Providers
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Ecosystem
variable measured: License Cost (Team Version)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Pricing
variable measured: Official State Management Service
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Features
variable measured: License Type
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Licensing
variable measured: Commercial Support Availability
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Support
variable measured: Time Since Initial Release
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Maturity
variable measured: Terraform State File Compatibility
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Migration
variable measured: Number of Supported Cloud Providers
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Platform Support
variable measured: Available Modules/Constructs
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Ecosystem
variable measured: AWS Service Coverage
variable measured: Project Maturity & Age
variable measured: Primary Language Learning Required
variable measured: State Management Overhead
variable measured: GitHub Stars (Proxy for Adoption)
variable measured: GitHub Stars (2025)
variable measured: Official Cloud Providers Supported
variable measured: Typical Learning Time to Proficiency
variable measured: Primary Language/Syntax
is based on: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/ansible-vs-terraform

Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary
type: DefinedTermSet
language: en-US
description: Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Terraform vs Ansible.
has defined term: Community
has defined term: Ecosystem
has defined term: Accessibility
has defined term: Cost
has defined term: Features
has defined term: Learning
has defined term: Compatibility
has defined term: Market
has defined term: Learning & Development
has defined term: Pricing
has defined term: Architecture
has defined term: Purpose
has defined term: Usability
has defined term: Infrastructure
has defined term: Operations
has defined term: Capabilities
has defined term: AWS Integration
has defined term: Performance
has defined term: DevOps
has defined term: Adoption
has defined term: Licensing
has defined term: Interoperability
has defined term: Functionality
has defined term: Market Position
has defined term: Enterprise
has defined term: Localization
has defined term: Adoption & Community
has defined term: Support
has defined term: Maturity
has defined term: Migration
has defined term: Platform Support
has defined term: Stability
has defined term: Developer Experience
has defined term: Flexibility
has defined term: Community Adoption
has defined term: Ease of Use
has defined term: Technical Design
has defined term: Support & Licensing
has defined term: Enterprise Features
has defined term: Scalability
has defined term: Implementation
has defined term: Technical

Community
type: DefinedTerm
term code: community
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Ecosystem
type: DefinedTerm
term code: ecosystem
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Accessibility
type: DefinedTerm
term code: accessibility
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Cost
type: DefinedTerm
term code: cost
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Features
type: DefinedTerm
term code: features
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Learning
type: DefinedTerm
term code: learning
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Compatibility
type: DefinedTerm
term code: compatibility
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Market
type: DefinedTerm
term code: market
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Learning & Development
type: DefinedTerm
term code: learning-&-development
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Pricing
type: DefinedTerm
term code: pricing
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Architecture
type: DefinedTerm
term code: architecture
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Purpose
type: DefinedTerm
term code: purpose
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Usability
type: DefinedTerm
term code: usability
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Infrastructure
type: DefinedTerm
term code: infrastructure
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Operations
type: DefinedTerm
term code: operations
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Capabilities
type: DefinedTerm
term code: capabilities
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

AWS Integration
type: DefinedTerm
term code: aws-integration
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Performance
type: DefinedTerm
term code: performance
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

DevOps
type: DefinedTerm
term code: devops
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Adoption
type: DefinedTerm
term code: adoption
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Licensing
type: DefinedTerm
term code: licensing
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Interoperability
type: DefinedTerm
term code: interoperability
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Functionality
type: DefinedTerm
term code: functionality
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Market Position
type: DefinedTerm
term code: market-position
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Enterprise
type: DefinedTerm
term code: enterprise
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Localization
type: DefinedTerm
term code: localization
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Adoption & Community
type: DefinedTerm
term code: adoption-&-community
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Support
type: DefinedTerm
term code: support
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Maturity
type: DefinedTerm
term code: maturity
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Migration
type: DefinedTerm
term code: migration
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Platform Support
type: DefinedTerm
term code: platform-support
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Stability
type: DefinedTerm
term code: stability
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Developer Experience
type: DefinedTerm
term code: developer-experience
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Flexibility
type: DefinedTerm
term code: flexibility
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Community Adoption
type: DefinedTerm
term code: community-adoption
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Ease of Use
type: DefinedTerm
term code: ease-of-use
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Technical Design
type: DefinedTerm
term code: technical-design
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Support & Licensing
type: DefinedTerm
term code: support-&-licensing
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Enterprise Features
type: DefinedTerm
term code: enterprise-features
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Scalability
type: DefinedTerm
term code: scalability
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Implementation
type: DefinedTerm
term code: implementation
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Technical
type: DefinedTerm
term code: technical
in defined term set: Terraform vs Ansible — Attribute Category Vocabulary

faq
type: FAQPage
language: en-US
is accessible for free: true
conditions of access: Free
date modified: 2026-05-28T10:49:09.900Z
author: A Versus B
publisher: A Versus B
is part of: ansible-vs-terraform
main entity: Can I use Terraform and Ansible together?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: Yes, and this is a common best practice. Use Terraform to provision the cloud infrastructure (compute instances, networks, storage), then use Ansible to configure those instances and deploy applications. This separation of concerns leverages each tool's strengths and provides a complete IaC solution.
    language: en-US
main entity: Which tool is better for beginners?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: Ansible has a significantly lower learning curve due to its YAML-based playbooks, which are more readable and intuitive. Terraform requires learning HCL syntax, making it steeper for beginners. However, beginners should learn both as they serve different purposes in modern DevOps workflows.
    language: en-US
main entity: Is Terraform more expensive than Ansible?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: It depends on scale. Ansible has flat-rate pricing ($5-$14/month), while Terraform's HCP charges per resource ($0.10-$0.47/month). For small infrastructures, Terraform can be cheaper; for large infrastructures with thousands of resources, Ansible becomes more cost-effective. Open-source versions of both tools are free.
    language: en-US
main entity: Can Terraform manage post-deployment configuration?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: While Terraform can provision resources and has some configuration capabilities through provisioners, it's not its primary strength. For complex post-deployment configuration management, Ansible is the better choice. Terraform excels at infrastructure provisioning, not application configuration.
    language: en-US
main entity: What is the IaC market growth projection for 2026-2032?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: The Infrastructure as Code market is projected to grow from $1.74 billion in 2024 to $12.86 billion by 2032, representing compound annual growth of approximately 33%. This explosive growth is driven by cloud adoption, DevOps transformation, and the increasing complexity of managing distributed infrastructure.
    language: en-US

How to Choose Between Terraform and Ansible
type: HowTo
description: Terraform is a declarative Infrastructure as Code tool for provisioning cloud resources, while Ansible is an imperative configuration management platform for automating system configuration and deployment. Terraform excels at infrastructure provisioning across multiple cloud providers, whereas Ansible specializes in application deployment and configuration management with agentless architecture.
language: en-US
total time: PT3M
step: Consider: Primary Purpose
step: Consider: Approach
step: Consider: Agent Requirement
step: Consider: Learning Curve
step: Consider: Multi-Cloud Support
step: Consider: State Management
step: Consider: Enterprise Pricing
step: Consider: Best Use Case
tool: A Versus B Comparison Guide
tip: HowToTip
  text: Terraform and Ansible serve complementary purposes in the Infrastructure as Code ecosystem rather than being direct competitors. Terraform is superior for provisioning and managing cloud infrastructure across multiple providers, while Ansible excels at configuration management and application deployment with its simpler YAML syntax. Many organizations use both tools together: Terraform for infrastructure provisioning and Ansible for post-deployment configuration.

Consider: Primary Purpose
type: HowToStep
position: 1
text: Primary Purpose: Terraform has Infrastructure provisioning and resource management, while Ansible has Configuration management and application deployment.

Consider: Approach
type: HowToStep
position: 2
text: Approach: Terraform has Declarative (desired state), while Ansible has Imperative (step-by-step instructions).

Consider: Agent Requirement
type: HowToStep
position: 3
text: Agent Requirement: Terraform has Agentless (API-based), while Ansible has Agentless (SSH-based).

Consider: Learning Curve
type: HowToStep
position: 4
text: Learning Curve: Terraform has HCL language, steeper learning curve, while Ansible has YAML-based playbooks, easier to learn.

Consider: Multi-Cloud Support
type: HowToStep
position: 5
text: Multi-Cloud Support: Terraform has Extensive support for 300+ providers, while Ansible has Limited native multi-cloud support.

Consider: State Management
type: HowToStep
position: 6
text: State Management: Terraform has Explicit state files for tracking infrastructure, while Ansible has No state files, idempotent operations.

Consider: Enterprise Pricing
type: HowToStep
position: 7
text: Enterprise Pricing: Terraform has $0.10-$0.47 per resource/month (HCP Terraform), while Ansible has $5-$14 per month (Ansible Platform).

Consider: Best Use Case
type: HowToStep
position: 8
text: Best Use Case: Terraform has Cloud infrastructure setup and lifecycle management, while Ansible has Post-deployment configuration and application automation.

claimreview
type: ClaimReview
is accessible for free: true
conditions of access: Free
claim reviewed: Terraform vs Ansible
review body: Terraform is a declarative Infrastructure as Code tool for provisioning cloud resources, while Ansible is an imperative configuration management platform for automating system configuration and deployment. Terraform excels at infrastructure provisioning across multiple cloud providers, whereas Ansible specializes in application deployment and configuration management with agentless architecture.
review rating: Rating
  rating: 5
  worst rating: 1
  best rating: 5
  alternate name: Verified Comparison
author: A Versus B
item reviewed: Terraform vs Ansible

GitHub Stars (Community Activity)
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: 42,000+ stars | Ansible: N/A

GitHub Stars
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: 42,300+ | Ansible: ~62,000
value reference: Ansible

Available Providers
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: 2,100+ providers | Ansible: N/A

License Cost (Team Version)
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: $20/month | Ansible: N/A

Official State Management Service
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: Terraform Cloud (included with paid plans) | Ansible: N/A

License Type
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: BSL 1.1 (proprietary for 4 years) | Ansible: N/A

Commercial Support Availability
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: Yes (HashiCorp official SLAs) | Ansible: N/A

Time Since Initial Release
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: 12 years (2014) | Ansible: N/A

Terraform State File Compatibility
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: Native (source format) | Ansible: N/A

Number of Supported Cloud Providers
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: 1,000+ | Ansible: N/A

Available Modules/Constructs
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: 3,000+ official and community modules | Ansible: N/A

AWS Service Coverage
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: 95%+ | Ansible: N/A

Project Maturity & Age
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: 12 years (released 2014) | Ansible: N/A

Primary Language Learning Required
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: HCL (1 new language) | Ansible: N/A

State Management Overhead
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: High - requires explicit backend config and remote state | Ansible: N/A

Multi-cloud Capability
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: Native support across all clouds | Ansible: N/A

GitHub Stars (Proxy for Adoption)
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: 38,000+ | Ansible: N/A

GitHub Stars (2025)
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: 42,100 | Ansible: 45,200
value reference: Ansible

Official Cloud Providers Supported
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: 180+ | Ansible: 90+
value reference: Terraform

Typical Learning Time to Proficiency
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: 3-4 weeks | Ansible: 2-3 weeks
value reference: Ansible

Primary Language/Syntax
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: HCL2 (configuration blocks) | Ansible: YAML (playbooks)

State Management Model
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: Stateful (declarative with .tfstate) | Ansible: Stateless (procedural)

Deployment Speed (50 servers)
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: 2-5 min (parallel graph) | Ansible: 5-15 min (sequential)
value reference: Terraform

Enterprise Support Availability
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: HashiCorp Terraform Cloud/Enterprise | Ansible: Red Hat Enterprise support available

Agent Installation Required on Targets
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: No (API-based) | Ansible: No (SSH/WinRM only)

Community Size (GitHub Stars)
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: N/A | Ansible: 62,000+

Market Adoption 2026
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: N/A | Ansible: 58% of DevOps teams

Configuration Language Complexity
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: N/A | Ansible: Simple (YAML)

Enterprise Compliance Tools
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: N/A | Ansible: Basic

Average Time to Deploy Configuration
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: N/A | Ansible: 15-20

Native Windows Support
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: N/A | Ansible: Excellent

Maximum Managed Nodes
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: N/A | Ansible: 50,000+

Minimum Nodes to Deploy
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: N/A | Ansible: 1

Maximum Recommended Nodes
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: N/A | Ansible: 5,000

Time to First Automation
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: N/A | Ansible: 1-3

Available Modules/Cookbooks
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: N/A | Ansible: 4,000+

Enterprise License Cost
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: N/A | Ansible: $99

Configuration File Format
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: N/A | Ansible: YAML

Infrastructure Dependency
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: N/A | Ansible: SSH/WinRM only

Community Size (Users)
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: N/A | Ansible: 1.2

Project Age
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: N/A | Ansible: 14 years (founded 2012)

Supported Programming Languages
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: N/A | Ansible: YAML + Python/Jinja2 templating

Resource Provider Coverage
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: N/A | Ansible: 200+ modules (Galaxy)

Setup Time (Minimum)
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: N/A | Ansible: 0.5-1 hour (install binary)

Typical Cloud Deployment Complexity
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: N/A | Ansible: 1-2 weeks

State management
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: N/A | Ansible: No persistent state (agent-less model)

Minimum Backend Infrastructure
type: PropertyValue
value: Terraform: N/A | Ansible: None (SSH/WinRM only)

SpeakableSpecification
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Terraform — Wikipedia
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Ansible — Wikipedia
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Compare Terraform vs Ansible
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AWS Service Coverage
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Platform Support

Project Maturity & Age
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Stability

Primary Language Learning Required
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Developer Experience

State Management Overhead
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Operations

Multi-cloud Capability
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Flexibility

GitHub Stars (Proxy for Adoption)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Community

GitHub Stars (2025)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Community Adoption

Official Cloud Providers Supported
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Functionality

Typical Learning Time to Proficiency
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Ease of Use

Primary Language/Syntax
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Technical Design

State Management Model
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Architecture

Deployment Speed (50 servers)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Enterprise Support Availability
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Support & Licensing

Agent Installation Required on Targets
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Architecture

Community Size (GitHub Stars)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Community

Market Adoption 2026
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Adoption

Configuration Language Complexity
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Ease of Use

Enterprise Compliance Tools
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Enterprise Features

Average Time to Deploy Configuration
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Native Windows Support
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Platform Support

Maximum Managed Nodes
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Scalability

Minimum Nodes to Deploy
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Scalability

Maximum Recommended Nodes
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Scalability

Time to First Automation
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Implementation

Available Modules/Cookbooks
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Ecosystem

Enterprise License Cost
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Pricing

Configuration File Format
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Technical

Infrastructure Dependency
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Architecture

Community Size (Users)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Community

Project Age
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Maturity

Supported Programming Languages
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Compatibility

Resource Provider Coverage
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Features

Setup Time (Minimum)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Ease of Use

Typical Cloud Deployment Complexity
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Ease of Use

State management
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Ecosystem

Minimum Backend Infrastructure
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Operations