Terraform Cloud vs. Spacelift: Choosing Your IaC Management Platform
Selecting the right management platform for your Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is crucial for efficiency, governance, and scalability. Terraform has become a dominant force in this space, and several platforms have emerged to help teams manage its complexities. This post offers a matter-of-fact comparison of three key players: Terraform Cloud, Spacelift, and Scalr, focusing on their key differentiators and unique selling points to help you make an informed decision.
Feature | Terraform Cloud | Spacelift | Scalr |
|---|---|---|---|
Primary IaC Focus | Terraform | Terraform, OpenTofu, Pulumi, CloudFormation, K8s, Ansible | Terraform, OpenTofu |
Policy Engine | Sentinel (OPA also supported) | OPA (highly flexible, platform-wide) | OPA (pre & post-plan, impact analysis) |
GitOps Workflow | Basic VCS integration | Strong GitOps focus, Atlantis-style PR workflow, context-sharing | Best-in-class GitOps for Terraform/OpenTofu, detailed PR comments, apply-from-PR, AI plan enrichment |
Module Registry | Established private registry | Private registry | Global module registry, sharing across hierarchy |
State Management | Terraform Cloud managed | Spacelift managed | Scalr-managed or Customer-managed (flexible backends) |
Organizational Model | Workspaces within Projects | Stacks, Blueprints | Hierarchical: Account > Environments > Workspaces |
Workflow Customization | Run Tasks | Extensive: Hooks, custom runner images, Stack Dependencies, Trigger Policies | Focused on Terraform/OpenTofu workflows, Slack/Teams approvals |
Pricing Model | Resource-based (RUM - can be complex) | Concurrency-based (predictable) | Run-based (transparent, many operational runs free) |
Self-Hosting | No (SaaS only for Cloud, Enterprise for on-prem) | Yes (including air-gapped) | No (SaaS only) |
OpenTofu Support | Limited/None | Supported | Strong, dedicated support |
Developer Enablement | Standard Terraform CLI integration | Blueprints for self-service | AI-enriched plan output, detailed PR comments, CLI remote backend, reduced platform engineer toil |
Platform Hygiene | Basic run history | Inventory management | Analytics on workspace size, run duration, module usage; proactive improvement |
Unique Selling Points | Native HashiCorp product, simple entry | Multi-IaC support, extreme workflow flexibility, self-hosting options | Superior GitOps for TF/Tofu, developer enablement, platform hygiene, flexible state, hierarchical model |
Terraform Cloud: The Native Choice
As the official offering from HashiCorp, Terraform Cloud provides a natural entry point for teams already invested in the Terraform ecosystem.
Key Differentiators & Unique Selling Points:
- Native HashiCorp Product: Offers the tightest integration with the Terraform CLI and a familiar experience for Terraform users.
- Simple Entry Point: Generally considered straightforward for teams beginning their journey with managed Terraform.
- Established Private Module Registry: A mature solution for sharing and managing private Terraform modules within an organization.
- Policy as Code: Historically known for its Sentinel policy language, it now also supports Open Policy Agent (OPA) for governance.
- Organization with Projects: Allows structuring of workspaces into projects for better management.
- Run Tasks: Enables integration of external services and tools directly into the Terraform run lifecycle.
Best Suited For: Teams deeply committed to the HashiCorp stack, those new to managed Terraform seeking a simple onboarding experience, and organizations valuing a native, tightly integrated module registry.
Spacelift: The Flexible Multi-IaC Orchestrator
Spacelift positions itself as a versatile CI/CD platform for IaC, extending beyond just Terraform.
Key Differentiators & Unique Selling Points:
- Multi-IaC Tool Support: Natively supports Terraform, OpenTofu, Pulumi, CloudFormation, Kubernetes, and Ansible. This can be a significant advantage for organizations using multiple IaC tools, though less so for those standardizing purely on Terraform or OpenTofu.
- Powerful OPA-Based Policy Engine: Offers a highly flexible and potent OPA implementation that applies across all aspects of the platform, similar to Scalr's approach, for granular control.
- Extensive Workflow Customization: Provides significant flexibility with hooks and the ability to use custom runner images, allowing for tailored CI/CD pipelines.
- Strong GitOps Focus: Designed with GitOps principles at its core, facilitating context-sharing and automated workflows triggered by Git events.
- Predictable Pricing: Features a concurrency-based pricing model, making costs easier to predict.
- Flexible Hosting: Offers self-hosting options, including air-gapped environments for organizations with strict security or regulatory requirements.
- Advanced Workflow Orchestration: Includes features like Stack Dependencies and Trigger Policies for managing complex infrastructure relationships and deployment sequences.
- Self-Service Infrastructure: Blueprints enable platform teams to define templates for developers, promoting self-service.
- Atlantis-Style PR Workflow: Supports planning and applying directly from pull request comments, a popular developer-centric workflow.
- Full Inventory Management: Provides a comprehensive view of all managed resources.
Best Suited For: Organizations utilizing a diverse set of IaC tools, those requiring deep OPA-based policy enforcement across the entire platform, and teams looking for extensive workflow customization and robust GitOps capabilities.
Scalr: GitOps-Focused Terraform/OpenTofu Management with an Emphasis on Developer Enablement and Platform Hygiene
Scalr focuses on providing a best-in-class GitOps experience specifically for Terraform and OpenTofu, with a strong emphasis on reducing platform engineer toil and improving platform hygiene.
Key Differentiators & Unique Selling Points:
- Flexible Backend and State Storage: Users can opt for Scalr-managed state or bring their own customer-managed backend (e.g., S3, Azure Blob Storage).
- Hierarchical Organizational Model: Enables scalable governance and efficient sharing of modules, provider credentials, and policies across different levels (account, environments, workspaces).
- Granular RBAC: Offers custom roles and fine-grained permissions for precise access control.
- Proactive OPA Checks with Impact Analysis: Implements OPA policies both before (pre-plan) and after the plan phase, with the ability to preview the impact of policy changes.
- Detailed PR Comments & Apply-from-PR: Provides rich, contextual information within pull requests and supports an Atlantis-style workflow for applying changes directly from the PR.
- Slack/Teams Approvals: Allows for run approvals or denials directly from chat applications, streamlining workflows.
- Transparent Run-Based Pricing: Offers a clear pricing model based on the number of runs, with many operational runs (like state refreshes) often being free.
- Strong OpenTofu Focus: Provides robust and dedicated support for OpenTofu, positioning itself as a leading platform for OpenTofu users.
- Global Module Registry & Credential Sharing: Facilitates easy sharing and discovery of modules and provider credentials across the organization.
- SCIM Protocol Support: Enables automated user provisioning and de-provisioning through integration with identity providers.
- Native CLI Support via Remote Backend: Allows developers to use the Terraform and OpenTofu CLI locally while leveraging Scalr for state, runs, and governance.
- AI-Enriched Plan Output: Can be configured to use AI to analyze Terraform plan outputs, providing actionable recommendations and helping developers understand and resolve issues faster.
- Best-in-Class GitOps for Terraform/OpenTofu: Delivers a streamlined and powerful GitOps experience tailored to Terraform and OpenTofu workflows.
- Reduced Platform Engineer Toil: Features like AI-enriched plan outputs and self-service capabilities empower developers to resolve their own issues, freeing up platform engineers.
- Continuous Platform Hygiene Improvement: Provides analytics and reports on aspects like large workspaces, long-running plans (indicating overly complex workspaces), and module usage, helping platform teams proactively maintain a healthy and efficient IaC environment.
Best Suited For: Organizations standardizing on Terraform and/or OpenTofu that prioritize a best-in-class GitOps workflow, seek to empower developers and reduce platform engineering bottlenecks, and aim for continuous improvement of their IaC practices and platform hygiene. Scalr's flexible backend options and hierarchical model also appeal to enterprises looking for scalable governance.
Making the Choice
- Terraform Cloud is a solid starting point for HashiCorp-centric teams needing core managed Terraform features.
- Spacelift excels for organizations juggling multiple IaC tools or those needing extreme workflow customization and its specific OPA implementation across many platform functions.
- Scalr shines for teams focused on Terraform and OpenTofu who want a superior GitOps experience, robust and scalable governance, tools to reduce platform engineer toil, and actionable insights to continuously improve their IaC platform's health and efficiency.
Feature | Terraform Cloud | Spacelift | Scalr |
|---|---|---|---|
Primary IaC Focus | Terraform | Terraform, OpenTofu, Pulumi, CloudFormation, K8s, Ansible | Terraform, OpenTofu |
Policy Engine | Sentinel (OPA also supported) | OPA (highly flexible, platform-wide) | OPA (pre & post-plan, impact analysis) |
GitOps Workflow | Basic VCS integration | Strong GitOps focus, Atlantis-style PR workflow, context-sharing | Best-in-class GitOps for Terraform/OpenTofu, detailed PR comments, apply-from-PR, AI plan enrichment |
Module Registry | Established private registry | Private registry | Global module registry, sharing across hierarchy |
State Management | Terraform Cloud managed | Spacelift managed | Scalr-managed or Customer-managed (flexible backends) |
Organizational Model | Workspaces within Projects | Stacks, Blueprints | Hierarchical: Account > Environments > Workspaces |
Workflow Customization | Run Tasks | Extensive: Hooks, custom runner images, Stack Dependencies, Trigger Policies | Focused on Terraform/OpenTofu workflows, Slack/Teams approvals |
Pricing Model | Resource-based (RUM - can be complex) | Concurrency-based (predictable) | Run-based (transparent, many operational runs free) |
Self-Hosting | No (SaaS only for Cloud, Enterprise for on-prem) | Yes (including air-gapped) | No (SaaS only) |
OpenTofu Support | Limited/None | Supported | Strong, dedicated support |
Developer Enablement | Standard Terraform CLI integration | Blueprints for self-service | AI-enriched plan output, detailed PR comments, CLI remote backend, reduced platform engineer toil |
Platform Hygiene | Basic run history | Inventory management | Analytics on workspace size, run duration, module usage; proactive improvement |
Unique Selling Points | Native HashiCorp product, simple entry | Multi-IaC support, extreme workflow flexibility, self-hosting options | Superior GitOps for TF/Tofu, developer enablement, platform hygiene, flexible state, hierarchical model |
Ultimately, the best platform depends on your organization's specific IaC strategy, existing toolchain, operational priorities, and governance requirements. Consider trialing the platforms that align most closely with your needs to make the most informed decision.