Open Policy Agent
Open Policy Agent: A broad, programmable policy engine for teams building policy platforms. Ranked #3 of 25 in Infrastructure Policy as Code Tools by our editors (9.1/10); pricing: Open source; best for teams building policy platforms.
At a glance
- Editor score9.1 / 10
- PricingOpen source
- Best forTeams building policy platforms
- Paid fromFree
- Policy testingYes
- Facts checked20 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Rego supports declarative policy authoring and reusable rules
- Covers Kubernetes, Terraform, CI/CD, APIs, and Go integrations
- Includes testing, decision logging, and policy/data bundle loading
Where it doesn't
- Requires teams to author policies in the Rego language
- The supplied platform coverage is primarily API-based
- Open-source delivery does not include paid hosted plans
Our verdict on Open Policy Agent
Open Policy Agent (OPA) is an open-source, general-purpose policy engine that separates policy decisions from application logic. It is designed for teams building policy platforms across microservices, Kubernetes, CI/CD pipelines, API gateways, and infrastructure workflows. Policies are written declaratively in Rego, while applications can query decisions through an HTTP API or embed OPA with Go. The result is a flexible foundation for teams that need policy enforcement across several technical environments rather than a narrowly focused infrastructure checker.
OPA’s strongest advantage is its breadth of enforcement and validation options. It supports Kubernetes admission control, Terraform plan validation, runtime enforcement, policy unit testing, CI/CD checks, policy reporting, decision logging, and policy or data bundle loading. Its listed integrations include Kubernetes, Terraform, GitHub Actions, Envoy, and Go. That combination makes OPA suitable for organizations that want a common policy approach across deployment workflows and runtime systems. Teams choosing it should be prepared to define how policies are organized, tested, delivered, and queried across their own platform.
The project is open source rather than a hosted commercial SaaS product, so its value comes from programmability and integration breadth instead of packaged paid tiers. The supplied platform coverage is primarily API-based, which may require additional platform work for teams seeking a ready-made administrative experience. OPA is a strong fit for engineering teams building or extending a policy platform, especially when Kubernetes, Terraform, CI/CD, and application-level decisions need to share policy concepts. Teams looking for a managed service or a specialized interface with minimal policy-engineering work should consider a more focused alternative.
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Open Policy Agent pricing
Open Policy Agent fact sheet
| Free plan | Not verified |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Free |
| Policy language | Rego |
| IaC formats | Terraform plan JSON, JSON, YAML |
| Policy testing | Yes |
| Admission control | Yes |
| Runtime enforcement | Yes |
| CI/CD integration | Yes |
| Policy reporting | Yes |
| Deployment | Self-hosted |
| Support | Community, Docs |
| Built for | Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 5 integrations: Kubernetes, Terraform, GitHub Actions, Envoy, Go See all → |
| Pricing | Open source |
| Website | openpolicyagent.org |
| Facts checked | 20 Sep 2026 |
Open Policy Agent integrations
Open Policy Agent lists 5 integrations on its own site.
- Kubernetes
- Terraform
- GitHub Actions
- Envoy
- Go
See all Open Policy Agent integrations →
Alternatives to Open Policy Agent
- TerraformA broad Terraform workflow for multi-cloud teams that need policy and state controls.9.4
- Azure PolicyA free Azure-native policy service with broad enforcement, remediation, and CI/CD coverage.9.3
- Cloud CustodianA broad, open-source policy engine for teams managing cloud compliance and remediation.9.0
See all Open Policy Agent alternatives →
Open Policy Agent vs the competition
- Open Policy Agent vs Terraform
- Open Policy Agent vs Azure Policy
- Open Policy Agent vs Cloud Custodian
- Open Policy Agent vs Checkov
- Open Policy Agent vs AWS CloudFormation Guard
- Open Policy Agent vs Firefly
Compare Open Policy Agent with any tool side by side →
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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