In the world of cloud computing and DevOps, Terraform has emerged as a powerful tool for managing infrastructure as code (IaC). With its ability to automate resource provisioning across diverse platforms, Terraform has become a favorite among developers and sysadmins alike. At the core of its versatility are Terraform providers, the plugins that enable interaction with various services and resources. In this blog post, we’ll explore the top 20 Terraform providers, highlighting their unique offerings and functionalities.
For a visual walkthrough of the concepts covered in this article, check out my YouTube Video:-
1. AWS Provider
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is one of the most popular cloud platforms, and its Terraform provider enables seamless management of AWS resources, including EC2, S3, RDS, Lambda, and more. With extensive features, it empowers users to automate their cloud infrastructure effortlessly.
provider "aws" {
region = "us-west-2"
}
resource "aws_s3_bucket" "example" {
bucket = "my-unique-bucket-name"
}
2. Azure Provider
Microsoft Azure, another significant player in the cloud space, offers its Terraform provider for efficient resource management. Users can provision services like Azure Virtual Machines, App Services, and Azure Functions, facilitating smooth transitions between on-premises and cloud environments.
provider "azurerm" {
features {}
}
resource "azurerm_resource_group" "example" {
name = "example-resources"
location = "West Europe"
}
3. Google Cloud Provider
The Google Cloud Platform (GCP) provider allows Terraform users to manage resources like Compute Engine, Cloud Storage, BigQuery, and Kubernetes Engine. It’s perfect for organizations leveraging GCP’s powerful tools for data analysis and machine learning.
provider "google" {
project = "my-gcp-project"
region = "us-central1"
}
resource "google_compute_instance" "vm_instance" {
name = "vm-instance"
machine_type = "f1-micro"
zone = "us-central1-a"
boot_disk {
initialize_params {
image = "debian-cloud/debian-9"
}
}
network_interface {
network = "default"
access_config {}
}
}
4. Kubernetes Provider
Kubernetes has transformed container orchestration, and Terraform’s Kubernetes provider allows teams to define and manage their cluster resources as code. From pods to services to persistent storage, users can maintain a declarative style for their Kubernetes configuration.
provider "kubernetes" {
config_path = "~/.kube/config"
}
resource "kubernetes_deployment" "nginx" {
metadata {
name = "nginx"
}
spec {
replicas = 3
selector {
match_labels = {
app = "nginx"
}
}
template {
metadata {
labels = {
app = "nginx"
}
}
spec {
container {
name = "nginx"
image = "nginx:1.14.2"
}
}
}
}
}
5. VMware vSphere Provider
For organizations using VMware’s virtualization technology, the vSphere provider enables seamless management of virtual machines, networks, and data centers. This provider integrates with existing on-premises infrastructure, allowing for a hybrid cloud approach.
provider "vsphere" {
user = "user@example.com"
password = "password"
vsphere_server = "vcenter.example.com"
allow_unverified_ssl = true
}
resource "vsphere_virtual_machine" "vm" {
name = "example-vm"
resource_pool_id = data.vsphere_resource_pool.pool.id
datastore_id = data.vsphere_datastore.datastore.id
num_cpus = 2
memory = 1024
guest_id = "otherGuest"
network_interface {
network_id = data.vsphere_network.network.id
adapter_type = "vmxnet3"
}
disk {
label = "disk0"
size = 20
eagerly_scrub = false
thin_provisioned = true
}
}
6. GitHub Provider
The GitHub provider facilitates the management of repositories, teams, and issues directly from Terraform. It’s an excellent option for teams looking to integrate their source control into the infrastructure provisioning process.
provider "github" {
token = "your_github_token"
}
resource "github_repository" "example" {
name = "example-repo"
description = "This is an example repository"
private = false
}
7. DigitalOcean Provider
DigitalOcean has become a favorite among developers due to its simplicity and affordability. Its Terraform provider allows users to manage droplets, load balancers, databases, and other resources with ease, enabling rapid application deployment.
provider "digitalocean" {
token = "your_digitalocean_token"
}
resource "digitalocean_droplet" "web" {
image = "ubuntu-20-04-x64"
name = "web"
region = "nyc1"
size = "s-1vcpu-1gb"
}
8. Heroku Provider
For developers focusing on platform-as-a-service (PaaS), the Heroku provider offers a way to manage applications, add-ons, and configurations. This integration helps developers streamline deployment processes without worrying about underlying infrastructure.
provider "heroku" {
api_key = "your_heroku_api_key"
}
resource "heroku_app" "example" {
name = "my-app"
region = "us"
}
9. Alibaba Cloud Provider
As one of the largest cloud service providers in Asia, Alibaba Cloud’s Terraform provider offers access to a wide array of resources, including Elastic Compute Service (ECS) and Object Storage Service (OSS), ideal for businesses operating in or expanding to Asia.
provider "alicloud" {
region = "cn-hangzhou"
access_key = "your_access_key"
secret_key = "your_secret_key"
}
resource "alicloud_vpc" "example" {
name = "example-vpc"
cidr_block = "192.168.0.0/16"
}
10. OpenStack Provider
For organizations running private clouds, the OpenStack provider enables the management of various OpenStack resources, such as instances and volumes, making it easy to automate and version control cloud configurations.
provider "openstack" {
user_name = "your_username"
tenant_name = "your_tenant"
password = "your_password"
auth_url = "https://openstack.example.com:5000/v3"
}
resource "openstack_compute_instance_v2" "example" {
name = "example-instance"
image_id = "image_id"
flavor_id = "flavor_id"
security_groups = ["default"]
}
11. Azure DevOps Provider
With the rise of DevOps practices, the Azure DevOps provider allows Terraform users to manage projects, pipelines, and repositories directly within Azure DevOps. This integration fosters collaboration and accelerates delivery times.
provider "azuredevops" {
org_service_url = "https://dev.azure.com/your_organization"
personal_access_token = "your_pat"
}
resource "azuredevops_project" "example" {
name = "example-project"
visibility = "public"
}
12. Terraform Cloud / Enterprise Provider
For teams using HashiCorp’s Terraform Cloud or Terraform Enterprise, this provider allows for the management of workspaces, variables, and access controls, streamlining collaboration and facilitating team governance.
terraform {
required_providers {
terraform_cloud = {
source = "hashicorp/terraform-cloud"
version = "~> 1.0"
}
}
}
provider "terraform_cloud" {
hostname = "app.terraform.io"
}
resource "terraform_cloud_workspace" "example" {
name = "example-workspace"
}
13. Cloudflare Provider
Managing network infrastructure is crucial for performance, and the Cloudflare provider allows users to configure DNS records, SSL settings, and firewall rules seamlessly, ensuring security and speed for web applications.
provider "cloudflare" {
email = "your_email@example.com"
api_key = "your_api_key"
}
resource "cloudflare_record" "example" {
zone_id = "your_zone_id"
name = "example"
value = "192.0.2.1"
type = "A"
ttl = 3600
}
14. Consul Provider
HashiCorp’s Consul provider lets users manage service discovery and configuration for applications. By automating the registration and deregistration of services, it simplifies microservices architecture.
provider "consul" {
address = "consul.service.consul"
}
resource "consul_key_value" "example" {
key = "example/key"
value = "example_value"
}
15. Datadog Provider
Monitoring is vital for maintaining application performance, and the Datadog provider allows users to define dashboards, alerts, and integrations, helping teams stay proactive about system health.
provider "datadog" {
api_key = "your_datadog_api_key"
app_key = "your_datadog_app_key"
}
resource "datadog_monitor" "example" {
name = "Example Monitor"
type = "metric alert"
query = "avg(last_1h):avg:system.cpu.idle{host:host0} < 20"
message = "CPU usage is high."
tags = ["env:prod"]
}
16. New Relic Provider
Similar to Datadog, the New Relic provider enables users to manage application performance monitoring and analytics, helping teams track system performance and user experiences.
provider "newrelic" {
api_key = "your_newrelic_api_key"
}
resource "newrelic_alert_policy" "example" {
name = "Example Policy"
}
17. PagerDuty Provider
Incident management is a critical part of maintaining uptime, and the PagerDuty provider allows users to manage services, schedules, and escalation policies, ensuring that teams can quickly respond to critical issues.
provider "pagerduty" {
token = "your_pagerduty_token"
}
resource "pagerduty_service" "example" {
name = "Example Service"
escalation_policy = "example-escalation-policy"
}
18. Slack Provider
Team communication is vital for collaboration, and the Slack provider enables users to manage channels, messages, and integrations, streamlining communication between teams and stakeholders.
provider "slack" {
token = "your_slack_token"
}
resource "slack_channel" "example" {
name = "example-channel"
is_private = false
}
19. Sentry Provider
For developers prioritizing application error tracking, the Sentry provider allows users to manage projects, DSNs, and teams, ensuring that they can quickly identify and resolve issues in their applications.
provider "sentry" {
auth_token = "your_sentry_auth_token"
}
resource "sentry_project" "example" {
name = "example-project"
organization = "your_org_slug"
}
20. Random Provider
Sometimes, you need a little randomness in your infrastructure, and the Random provider allows users to generate unique strings, integers, and pet names directly within their Terraform configurations. This is particularly useful for creating unique resource names or passwords.
provider "random" {}
resource "random_string" "example" {
length = 8
special = false
}
Conclusion
The diverse range of Terraform providers elevates the platform’s capabilities, enabling users to manage and provision infrastructure across multiple services and platforms seamlessly. By leveraging these top 20 Terraform providers, teams can enhance automation, collaboration, and efficiency, ultimately driving their infrastructure management towards a more modern and Agile approach. Whether you’re an experienced Terraform user or just beginning your IaC journey, these providers are key to unlocking the full potential of your cloud and infrastructure management workflows. Happy provisioning!
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Top comments (8)
Azure, DigitalOcean, and random are some of my most frequently-utilized. Also a big fan of the native TLS provider, which can be a HUGE help for dependency-free automation of key pairs, secrets, and other secure resources:
registry.terraform.io/providers/ha...
Also don't forget about the generic http provider, which allows you to interact with any kind of service which supports http:
registry.terraform.io/providers/ha...
Thanks for sharing this list! It’s really helpful to see the top Terraform providers for 2024 in one place. I’ve been working with AWS and Azure, but it’s great to learn more about other providers like Scaleway and GitLab. This will definitely help expand my infrastructure management options!
I had no idea most of these even existed. Thanks so much for sharing this great list!
You're very welcome! I'm so glad you found the list helpful. It's always exciting to discover new tools and resources. If you have any questions or need more info, feel free to reach out! 😊
Thanks for sharing this list!
Wow, I didn't even know they existed. Thanks for the post!
Good post!