HashiCorp Terraform Reviews

We use HashiCorp Terraform for Infrastructure as Code. It automates the deployment of infrastructure within the Azure platform. Terraform can manage almost all aspects of infrastructure provisioning. If there are tasks that Terraform cannot perform directly, you can use the Azure CLI or other tools and call them from within Terraform scripts.

Terraform has extensive integrations across various platforms. It includes modules that enhance functionality and support for secure practices, such as Terraform Sentinel, which offers code analysis capabilities. Security logging and backend security are crucial, particularly regarding protecting sensitive information stored in the backend. Ensuring private endpoint usage is pivotal to safeguarding against potential vulnerabilities.

Terraform's strength lies in its modularity and the ability to use variables. You can organize your code within local and remote repositories, making it highly modular. This modularity allows you to call specific components as needed. Additionally, Terraform can toggle certain functionalities on or off through feature flags, a unique and powerful feature.

Terraform should monitor the backend storage more closely. You can handle it within Azure, but HashiCorp should release a dedicated tool to protect those secrets and ensure they're fully encrypted but this functionality is on its way for Terraform. They do have functionality that encrypts secrets and rotates which is great just like what Microsoft have and should be used in the wider community to safeguard public cloud systems

I have been using HashiCorp Terraform for five years.

The product is quite stable. You may not notice the updates, but you do see frequent changes in revisions because they've stabilized the platform. They've also introduced significant new versions and providers that work hand in hand with it. I don't encounter many errors that I can't fix straightforwardly. As an engineer, you receive error messages if you misconfigure things, and it informs you about that.

I rate the solution’s stability an eight out of ten.

The solution can scale to any size. It is suitable for SMEs.

I rate the solution’s scalability an eight out of ten.

Arm templates where difficult to managed initially and took a while to manage in nested calls and nested templates

The integration is straightforward. Simply download the binary, test it accordingly, and authenticate via Azure CLI. I've used the standard binary because it's free and widely adopted for technical infrastructure as code.

The initial setup is very straightforward. I set up a Python environment, brought in Terraform, and utilized it with YAML. Everything has to be securely done. You have to set up some pieces on the backend. It's straightforward to deploy: get the binary, set it up on the build agent, and configure the settings the way you need.

Inhouse Initially but I have learnt form other teams and vendors as all teams structure their code differently with best practices

We are using the free version of the solution.

Arm Templates and PowerShell Azure initially Pulumi (early days)

I've been working with HashiCorp Terraform recently and have deployed environments with it.OpenAI has released GPT Terraform, which Microsoft is heavily investing in. Generic modules are available for deployment. Azure AI Portal and AI Studio are useful tools for creating models. It's straightforward to perform service training and update models for input-output data.

HashiCorp Terraform has made handling modules and variables more secure. They've integrated key vaults to ensure secrets and backend storage are protected. Accessing the backend storage could potentially leak sensitive information if not properly encrypted.

I'm using GitHub Actions and Azure DevOps. Additionally, I'm exploring an older system within the team that will be set up to support.

If the setup is built on old infrastructure, the backend of Terraform works and stores. Vagrant works differently where it doesn't need to check with the infrastructure to see what's there or updated. You get an API call for deployment.

Overall, I rate the solution as eight out of ten.

We use Terraform to create infrastructure. We get the name of the resource provider, and the Terraform script is returned in HashiCorp Configuration Language (HCL). 

We can find readily available code from the HashiCorp community to create a virtual machine or Kubernetes service cluster. We take that code, provide the resource provider name, and run the script using Terraform commands to create the infrastructure

We currently use Terraform in our Azure pipelines in the cloud. Our team has 10 developers, and we will increase our usage as the team grows. 

We frequently need to create and replicate infrastructure from various environments like dev and QA. The QA resources need to be identical to those in the dev environment. With a Terraform script, we can replicate the same 50 in the dev environment to the testing environment. This is tedious to do manually, and Terraform speeds up the process. 

Infrastructure replication is Terraform's most valuable feature. 

Terraform should also support YAML language, which is more user-friendly than HCL. They should also add a GUI, so you don't need to memorize all the commands. A GUI would enable us to do everything with a click of a button. 

I have been using Terraform for the last three years.

I rate Terraform seven out of 10 for stability.

I rate Terraform eight out of 10 for scalability.`

I rate HashiCorp seven out of 10 for technical support.

Neutral

I rate Terraform eight out of 10 for ease of setup. 

Terraform is an open-source solution.

I rate HashiCorp Terraform seven out of 10. It's interesting to see how the infrastructure is created rather than creating it manually.

I am using the solution on AWS to scale our operations using Infrastructure as Code.

Terraform is the most useful product for creating Infrastructure as Code. It has a lot of consistency, and we can control it in code. It provides a self-service infrastructure.

The solution helps us save a lot of costs. The product’s integrations help us a lot.

The product must improve DevOps features.

I have been using the solution for about two years.

I never had any stability issues. I rate the stability a ten out of ten.

It is easy to scale the product. I rate the scalability a ten out of ten.

We use other solutions for security in DevOps.

The solution is deployed on the cloud. It is easy to deploy the solution. The documentation helps us a lot.

The tool has a lot of value. It pays for itself. We save a lot of time using the automation.

The solution is fairly priced.

We're still learning how to use DevOps with our SOC. We need to improve our use cases. The tool is helpful for us to keep the same standards throughout the cloud. Currently, I'm only using AWS. I'm planning to use Azure in a few months. I would advise people to start using the solution. It is a cheap tool and saves us a lot of work. Overall, I rate the product a ten out of ten.

We use the solution for provisioning.

The most valuable feature is the solution does not need installation.

The solution is missing a lot of properties for specific resources.

I have been using the solution for almost three years.

The solution is very stable.

We just need to download the installer from HashiCorp. We don't need to install the solution; we just need to place the file on our system, point it to the enrollment variables, and then we can run Terraform. There are three or four commands that must be executed before we can start using the solution.

The solution is open-source.

I give the solution eight out of ten.

The solution is the most popular for provision in the cloud, not only in Azure.

It enables us to create our cloud implementations without a technician needing to sign on to the cloud.

We are able to do multiple hybrid cloud implementations for clients that need to support Azure and AWS. 

It allows for the abstraction of the work away from the developer into automated processes. 

The reuse simplification is very good. 

It can enforce DevOps. 

It is stable. 

Technical support has been fine. 

The workflow and automation could be better.

The user interface could be easier for non-technical people. 

There's a learning curve involved with the setup; however, it is low to medium. 

I've used the solution for a long time. I've used it for 12 years at least. 

The stability is excellent. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. 

It's not a customer-facing solution. We've never had an issue with it. However, it is not a primary concern of ours in terms of the ability to expand. 

Most business analysts and sometimes architects use the solution. We have 1700 people in our organization, and we are doing 100 projects at a time. Almost all of the projects require the use of the product. Half of the people are engaged in the solution in one way or another. We have about 750 people using it. 

Technical support is very good. 

The initial setup is very simple for the most part. 

The pricing is expensive. It's more for enterprise implementations. The cost is above average in general. 

We're a consulting company. 

I'd advise other users to automate to the greatest extent possible to get the best ROI.

I'd rate the solution nine out of ten, even though the workflow is not the strongest on the market. 

HashiCorp Terraform is a system solution that allows for infrastructure to be managed as code. allows for the efficient creation and management of infrastructure by packaging everything together in one package. This includes the networking, security, and encryption for Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) deployment.

By using HashiCorp Terraform, the infrastructure is all in one place and can be easily tested and checked for security vulnerabilities before deployment.

The valuable features of HashiCorp Terraform are the infrastructure can be written, shared, and collaborated on using code, which speeds up deployment. Additionally, bugs and issues can be fixed in the code and redeployed, making it less risky. It is a more efficient method compared to the traditional approach of writing scripts to set up infrastructure.

The infrastructure is transparent, as it is stored in a source control system, such as Bitbucket, making it easy for all team members to access and review. Furthermore, Terraform enables the creation of a deployment pipeline using tools, such as Atlantis, which automates the process of scanning and deploying the code. This streamlines the deployment process and adds features, such as auditing, risk management, and security scanning to the deployment process. Terraform provides a more organized and secure way of managing infrastructure, compared to the traditional ad-hoc method.

HashiCorp Terraform is an open-source tool that relies on external developers to create plugins to expand its capabilities. However, this approach can be problematic as not all plugins are created by professionals and some may have security vulnerabilities. In the case of GKE, Google has created a solid plugin, but for other services, one must search for plugins on the HashiCorp Terraform registry, which can be hit or miss, as many plugins are created by students or hobbyists, who may not continue to maintain or update them. This model of open-sourced plugins may not be the most reliable or secure way of expanding the tool's capabilities. 

It is possible that when using a plugin with HashiCorp Terraform, there may be security issues or the plugin may become outdated in the future. HashiCorp Terraform only takes responsibility for the infrastructure and code of the program itself, not the plugin. This is a point of concern as it is the responsibility of the user to police and manage the plugins, which can be a significant overhead. Additionally, the solution requires plugins for modules, so without them, Terraform cannot communicate with certain resources.

To improve this, it would be beneficial if HashiCorp Terraform had a system in place where they certify and test the plugins. This would take the burden off of users and reduce the cost of using the solution. The current system relies heavily on open-source plugins which may not be fully developed, lack features, or may not be secure. It is not uncommon for users to have to fork or manage these plugins themselves, which can be a significant undertaking.

The module system in the solution is not the best, as it forces users to rely on third-party developers who may not be qualified from a security or engineering standpoint. This can create a problem for users as they may not have access to all the features they need, and may have to fork or manage the plugins themselves. HashiCorp Terraform, as the creators of this system, should take more responsibility for the management and security of these third-party plugins.

The use of open-source code, such as that used in this solution, can present issues as it may not always be fully supported or maintained by its creators. This publicly traded, multi-billion dollar company, may not want to take full responsibility for the plugins and modules that are created by third parties. This can be problematic for users, as they may have to police the plugins themselves to ensure they are secure and functional. Furthermore, while some companies such as Google may have the resources to create their own Terraform plugin and take responsibility for it, many other companies and developers do not have the same resources and may not take responsibility for maintaining their own plugins. This can lead to a broken system where users may have to pay extra to have broken plugins fixed. Overall, this highlights the need for a better system of support and maintenance for open-source code and plugins.

I have been using HashiCorp Terraform for approximately four years.

The solution is scalable. It is well suited to managing complex cloud environments, such as Google Kubernetes Engine, that require various services and configurations.

HashiCorp Terraform is a cost-effective solution.

HashiCorp Terraform has issues with testing and the modules. Overall, the concept is great. What they did works well. However, the extension to it is not the greatest.

I rate HashiCorp Terraform a seven out of ten.

We have about 50 users.

With Terraform, you don't need to understand the console of your cloud providers. You only need to understand how Terraform works, and you manage your infrastructure tools in Terraform.

In Terraform, there's a file called main.tf, where everything starts. In the main.tf, you need to specify the provider you're using. For example, maybe you want to use GCP, but you don't want to work on GCP. That's where you will list everything you need. It's like a key for you to access GCP. 

Sometimes, it can be challenging to undo. Let's say I'm using the provider here, and you want to use it on your site over there. You have to delete the provider you are using before switching providers. It doesn't sync well. The providers don't sync well. And also the documentation sometimes, they need to work on the documentation of Terraform. They're not concise.

The error logging could be better. Sometimes, when you try to set something on Terraform, it gives you an error, but you don't understand how the error has been logged. 

I started using Terraform two years ago.

Terraform is one of the most stable products HashiCorp provides

Terraform is scalable.

Terraform is an open-source product, so we rely on documentation. I rate the Terraform documentation five out of 10. It should provide more examples about the way you should write some resources or models.

Setting up Terraform is straightforward. You only need to deploy the binary. I rate it 10 out of 10 for ease of setup. 

I rate Terraform seven out of 10. There aren't many products that do what Terraform does. It's easy to use and set up.

HashiCorp Terraform is a binary executable file, that you can download to your PC and manage any cloud solution in the world, such as Google Cloud Platform, Amazon AWS, OpenStack, CloudStack, or VMware. When you use DevOps in your company, it's a useful tool for it.

The most valuable features of HashiCorp Terraform are automation and management capabilities.

HashiCorp Terraform could improve the integration with the VCloud Director. When we manage the VCloud Director we end up wasting our time when creating virtual machines. HashiCorp Terraform knows about these issues and I think there might be a workaround but they should incorporate the fix in an upcoming release.

I have been using HashiCorp Terraform for approximately one year.

HashiCorp Terraform is a stable solution. We did not have any problems.

The scalability of HashiCorp Terraform is good.

I have not used the technical support from HashiCorp Terraform.

HashiCorp Terraform tool is pre-installed on our DevOps engineer's laptops, and in our GitLab Servers. We assign it to a selection of virtual machines. We just run it, and then we perform some functions, such as creating systems or modifying CPUs or RAM.

We did the implementation of HashiCorp Terraform in-house. We have a good team of three programmers and DevOps engineers with experience.

We used one engineer for the implementation of HashiCorp Terraform. 

HashiCorp Terraform is a free solution.

I rate HashiCorp Terraform a nine out of ten.