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OpenToFu

OpenTofu is a compelling open-source Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tool that has emerged as an alternative to Terraform, especially in light of recent license changes by HashiCorp.

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OpenTofu is developed and maintained by a community of contributors and organizations. Learn more about OpenTofu on the official website.

  • Purpose and Background: OpenTofu was created as a response to HashiCorp's decision to change Terraform's license from the Mozilla Public License v2.0 (MPLv2) to a Business Source License (BSL). This move by HashiCorp prompted the creation of OpenTofu to ensure that a fully open-source version of Terraform remains available to the community.
  • Development and Support: The project is backed by notable organizations including Gruntwork, Spacelift, Harness, Env0, and Scalr. This backing is indicative of strong community support and the potential for rapid development and growth of the project.
  • Key Features: Like Terraform, OpenTofu allows you to define both cloud and on-premises resources in human-readable configuration files. These files can be versioned, reused, and shared, facilitating a consistent workflow for provisioning and managing infrastructure throughout its lifecycle. OpenTofu aims to be on par with Terraform in terms of functionality but also focuses on addressing community issues and requests more promptly.
  • Infrastructure Management: OpenTofu adopts an immutable approach to infrastructure, which simplifies the process of upgrading or modifying services and infrastructure components. It also generates plans and requires approval before making any changes to the infrastructure, thereby ensuring a controlled and predictable deployment process.
  • Open Source Commitment: One of OpenTofu's core objectives is to remain open-source, addressing concerns within the community about the sustainability of open-source projects in the face of changing licenses. This commitment is likely to attract users and contributors who prioritize open-source values in their projects and infrastructure management tools.

OpenTofu represents a significant development in the IaC space, especially for those in the community who have been looking for a Terraform alternative that aligns with open-source principles. Its emergence underscores the importance of community-driven initiatives in shaping the future of technology tools and platforms.