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Terraform, Pulumi, and SST all help teams define and deploy cloud infrastructure, but they are not interchangeable tools. Terraform centers on HCL and broad infrastructure provisioning; Pulumi adds general-purpose programming languages and its own infrastructure engine; SST focuses on application delivery, with higher-level components and a workflow that connects infrastructure to application code.
Choose based on your team’s skills, the resources and providers you need, how you want to manage state, and whether infrastructure work should be closely integrated with application development. AWS likewise advises matching an IaC tool to organizational goals and developer skills rather than assuming there is one best choice: AWS’s IaC selection guidance.
Terraform vs Pulumi vs SST at a glance
| Decision area | Terraform | Pulumi | SST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Authoring | HCL, Terraform’s configuration language. | TypeScript, JavaScript, Python, Go, .NET, Java, YAML, and HCL. | Application-oriented configuration and abstractions; its documentation uses TypeScript examples. |
| Primary scope | Broad infrastructure provisioning through providers, the CLI, and HCP Terraform workflows. | Broad infrastructure provisioning with language-native authoring, its own engine, optional hosted workflows, and an Automation API. | Application delivery using higher-level components, infrastructure-to-code linking, and local development features. |
| State and operations | Local state by default, with remote backends available. | Pulumi Cloud-managed state or self-managed backends. | Console is optional; SST documents deployment, preview-environment, and monitoring features. |
| Often a strong fit when… | Your team already uses HCL, the HashiCorp ecosystem, or established Terraform workflows. | Your team wants general-purpose language authoring, language-native abstractions or testing, embedded automation, or Pulumi’s state and security features. | Your developers want an application-oriented deployment workflow and SST components. |
| Check before adopting | Provider coverage, team workflow, and state protection or service requirements. | Language runtime, provider details, state backend, and managed-service needs. | Whether SST components and provider coverage fit your application and deployment target. |
For detailed feature descriptions, see Pulumi’s Terraform comparison and SST’s documentation. Provider coverage and product details can change, so check the current documentation for the resources and deployment targets you intend to use.
How do Terraform, Pulumi, and SST differ?
Terraform: HCL and broad infrastructure provisioning
Terraform describes infrastructure in HCL and provisions it through providers listed in the Terraform Registry. Teams can use the Terraform CLI or HCP Terraform workflows. It is a natural choice when existing configurations, team expertise, or organizational processes already center on Terraform.
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Terraform stores state locally by default, but supports remote backends. The right backend depends on how your team needs to protect, share, and operate state; remote state is an available option, not an automatic consequence of choosing Terraform.
Pulumi: infrastructure code in multiple languages
Pulumi supports TypeScript, JavaScript, Python, Go, .NET, Java, YAML, and HCL. Its language options can suit teams that want to use familiar programming languages for abstractions, testing, or automation. Pulumi has its own deployment engine and provider ecosystem, and offers both the Pulumi CLI and optional hosted workflows.
That flexibility brings runtime and provider decisions: choose a supported language your team can maintain, then verify that the Pulumi provider or Terraform provider bridge covers the resources you need. Pulumi’s Registry and Terraform’s Registry are useful starting points, but a listing alone does not establish that every resource feature or maturity level matches your requirements.
SST: application-oriented infrastructure and development
SST is built around application development rather than being simply another general-purpose Terraform-style configuration tool. Its documentation emphasizes higher-level components, linking infrastructure resources to application code, and a development mode that brings together infrastructure watching, live functions, VPC tunnels, and application services.
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SST uses Pulumi behind the scenes for providers and its deployment engine; Terraform providers are bridged through Pulumi. That relationship matters when you evaluate it: SST gives developers an application-focused layer and workflow, while Pulumi supplies underlying infrastructure machinery. It does not mean SST and Pulumi offer the same authoring experience or scope.
Which tool should you use?
- Choose Terraform when HCL, existing Terraform code, Registry providers, or established Terraform operations are central to your environment.
- Choose Pulumi when your team wants infrastructure authored in a general-purpose language, needs Pulumi’s automation capabilities, or values its state and backend options.
- Consider SST when you are building an application and want infrastructure components, application resource linking, and local development features in a more integrated workflow.
Before committing, inventory the actual cloud resources, services, and deployment targets your project needs. Then compare their provider coverage, assess who will maintain the code, and decide how state and hosted operations should work. A familiar language is useful only if the tool also supports the resources and operational controls your project requires.
How do state and hosted operations compare?
Infrastructure state and hosted deployment services are separate decisions. Terraform can keep state locally or use a remote backend. Pulumi supports Pulumi Cloud-managed state and self-managed backends; SST documents an optional Console for deployments, preview environments, and monitoring. SST Console is not required to use SST.
These choices affect collaboration and operations, so identify who can access state, how it is stored, and which hosted features your team actually needs. Pulumi also describes Pulumi Cloud as a remote-state backend for Terraform and OpenTofu. Check current product terms and plan details directly before selecting a hosted service; the tools’ core licensing does not establish the price or terms of those services.
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Do not assume that provider coverage is identical across the three tools. Terraform has the Terraform Registry; Pulumi has its own Registry and can use Terraform providers; SST says Terraform providers are bridged through Pulumi. Confirm support for each resource your configuration will manage, including whether the specific features and level of maturity are acceptable.
Licensing is another distinct consideration. Pulumi describes its CLI and SDKs as Apache 2.0, Terraform CLI as BSL 1.1, and SST describes its core as open source and free to use. These statements concern the respective core tools; they should not be read as prices or licensing terms for hosted services. Review the current license and service terms for your intended use.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Can you move from Terraform to Pulumi or use both?
Yes. Pulumi documents several ways to introduce it alongside Terraform, but these approaches do not make migration automatic or risk-free. They can help teams move incrementally or reuse existing Terraform work:
- Read Terraform state or import existing resources.
- Keep HCL and run it through Pulumi’s engine using Pulumi HCL.
- Convert HCL configurations to Pulumi code.
- Use Terraform providers and modules.
- Use Pulumi Cloud as a Terraform or OpenTofu remote-state backend.
Validate each resource and its ownership as you transition. In particular, establish which tool is responsible for changing each resource and state before applying changes; overlapping management can create operational risk. Pulumi’s documented options are described in its Terraform comparison.
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SST uses Pulumi behind the scenes for its providers and deployment engine, including a bridge for Terraform providers. That explains part of its infrastructure foundation, but SST’s distinguishing features are its application-focused components and integrated development workflow.
Whether it replaces Terraform depends on what you need. SST may fit an application team that wants its documented application-oriented workflow; it is not simply a drop-in substitute for every Terraform use case. Compare your existing infrastructure, required resources, and operating model against SST’s current documentation before deciding.
Frequently asked decision: which IaC tool is best for a TypeScript team?
Both Pulumi and SST may be relevant, but they solve different workflow needs. Pulumi lets a team author infrastructure in TypeScript as part of its broader multi-language platform. SST is more specifically oriented toward application delivery, with higher-level components, resource linking, and local development features. Choose Pulumi for language-native general infrastructure authoring; consider SST if the application-integrated workflow is the priority. Verify provider coverage and operational requirements for either option.
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