Quick Comparison
| Terraform | Pulumi | |
|---|---|---|
| Language | HCL (custom DSL) | TypeScript, Python, Go, C# |
| State | Remote state (S3, etc.) | Pulumi Cloud or self-managed |
| Ecosystem | Massive (providers) | Growing (uses Terraform providers) |
| Learning curve | Learn HCL | Use languages you know |
| Testing | Limited | Unit tests in your language |
When to Use Terraform
- Industry standard — most teams know it
- Largest provider ecosystem
- You want a declarative DSL
- Hiring is easier (more Terraform engineers)
When to Use Pulumi
- You want to use TypeScript/Python/Go for infra
- You need loops, conditionals, and abstractions
- You want to unit test your infrastructure
- Your team doesn’t want to learn HCL
Verdict
Terraform is the safe default — it’s the industry standard. Pulumi if your team prefers real programming languages and wants better testability. Both get the job done.