OpenTofu

OpenTofu was born in 2023, created by the community in reaction to HashiCorp's Terraform license change. Now maintained by the Linux Foundation, it offers 99% compatibility with Terraform (same commands, same providers, same .tf files) while guaranteeing a perennial open source license (MPL 2.0). For SMBs that want Infrastructure as Code without future vendor lock-in risk, it has become a defensible and increasingly adopted choice.

• →TerraformIf you already have a stable Terraform project: migration isn't urgentView page
• →PulumiIf you prefer describing infra with a real programming language (TypeScript, Python, Go)
• →AWS CDK / GCP CDKIf you're 100% on one cloud and want the native approach
• →AnsibleComplementary: provisioning with OpenTofu, configuration with AnsibleView page

1. 01

   Terraform to OpenTofu migration: binary swap, state verification, that's it for 95% of projects

2. 02

   Remote and locked state (S3 + DynamoDB or OpenTofu native backend): never local state in a team

3. 03

   State encryption enabled: native OpenTofu feature, simpler than in Terraform

4. 04

   Community providers tested before adoption: divergence with Terraform remains limited but exists

5. 05

   CI/CD with tofu plan in pull request, tofu apply only on main with approval

• Terraform or OpenTofu?

  OpenTofu for new projects: no reason to take the Terraform BSL license risk. For existing Terraform projects, migration can wait but will be easier now than after several more years of divergence. The .tf files remain 99% compatible, providers almost all work, the ecosystem is now aligned with the Linux Foundation.
• What does it cost to migrate from Terraform to OpenTofu?

  For a standard Terraform infra (up to 50 resources, common AWS/GCP/Azure providers), expect 1-2 days of migration: binary substitution, state verification, CI/CD adjustment. For more complex cases (custom modules, exotic providers), plan 3-6 days. No loss of functionality in the vast majority of cases.
• Will OpenTofu last?

  Probably yes. Maintained by the Linux Foundation, supported by varied sponsors (Spacelift, Scalr, Harness, Oracle), adopted in production by companies of all sizes. Neutral governance guarantees that no single actor can unilaterally change the license or project direction, which is precisely what Terraform lacked after IBM's acquisition.
• Do Terraform providers work with OpenTofu?

  Yes in the vast majority of cases. OpenTofu uses the same provider protocol as Terraform and accesses the same registry (with an aligned OpenTofu Registry fork). A few recent proprietary HashiCorp providers have restrictions, but that's marginal in practice. All major cloud providers (AWS, GCP, Azure, DigitalOcean, OVH) work identically.
• Does OpenTofu offer anything beyond Terraform?

  Yes, and it's increasingly visible. Native state encryption (no extension), improved for_each loops, resource exclusion during plan, accelerated community providers. The roadmap is public and the release velocity is now higher than Terraform's on non-cloud novelties.