Top 10 Most Popular Terraform Modules [May 2025]

This piece unpacks the most heavily utilized Terraform modules across AWS, Azure, and GCP as of May 2025, revealing key trends and what they mean for your IaC strategy.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: Beyond the Hype - Real Module Usage
2. The Big Three Clouds: Module Dominance
   • AWS: The Reign of terraform-aws-modules
   • Azure: The Strategic Rise of Azure Verified Modules (AVM)
   • GCP: terraform-google-modules and the Power of Opinion
3. Code in Action: Popular Module Snippets
   • AWS VPC Example
   • Azure Storage Account (AVM) Example
   • GCP Project Factory Example
4. The Broader Ecosystem: HashiCorp, Community, and Orchestration
5. Why These Modules? Trust, Quality, and the Management Challenge
6. Summary: Top Terraform Modules at a Glance (May 2025)
7. The Future of Modules: Standardization, AI, and Smarter IaC
8. Conclusion: From Usage to Effective Management

1. Introduction: Beyond the Hype - Real Module Usage

Terraform has undeniably become a cornerstone of modern Infrastructure as Code (IaC). But beyond the buzzwords, what are engineering teams actually using to build and manage their cloud infrastructure? The answer, overwhelmingly, lies in Terraform modules. These reusable, shareable packages of Terraform configurations are the building blocks for everything from simple S3 buckets to complex Kubernetes clusters.

As of May 2025, the landscape of Terraform module usage is dominated by a few key players and patterns. Provider-specific, officially endorsed, or heavily community-backed module collections are seeing the lion's share of downloads. This isn't just about convenience; it's about trust, reliability, and the drive for standardization. But as module usage grows, so does the complexity of managing them effectively across an organization. Knowing what's popular is one thing; ensuring those modules are used consistently, securely, and efficiently is another challenge altogether – one that platforms designed for IaC governance are increasingly built to address.

2. The Big Three Clouds: Module Dominance

Unsurprisingly, the most used Terraform modules are tightly coupled with the major cloud providers: AWS, Azure, and GCP. Each has its own ecosystem and approach.

AWS: The Reign of terraform-aws-modules

For Amazon Web Services, the terraform-aws-modules collection remains the undisputed champion. These modules are practically the de facto standard for provisioning AWS resources.

• terraform-aws-iam: With a staggering 235.9 million all-time downloads, this module for managing Identity and Access Management is foundational.
• terraform-aws-vpc: Clocking in at 126.0 million all-time downloads, it’s the go-to for setting up network infrastructure.
• terraform-aws-s3-bucket: Essential for storage, with 117.8 million all-time downloads.
• terraform-aws-eks: For Kubernetes on AWS, this module has 96.3 million all-time downloads.
• terraform-aws-lambda: Powering serverless applications, it boasts 78.9 million all-time downloads.

The maturity and comprehensive nature of these modules, covering a vast array of AWS services with detailed configurations, explain their enduring popularity. They've been battle-tested by a massive community.

Azure: The Strategic Rise of Azure Verified Modules (AVM)

Microsoft Azure is taking a more curated approach with its Azure Verified Modules (AVM) initiative. This is a strategic push by Microsoft to provide officially supported, high-quality, and consistently designed modules. The goal is to offer a benchmark for deploying Azure resources with Terraform.

While the underlying azurerm provider is nearing a billion downloads (showing massive Terraform adoption on Azure), AVMs themselves are steadily gaining traction.

• Azure/avm-res-compute-virtualmachine/azurerm: A key module for VMs, showing around 20,000 monthly downloads.
• Azure/avm-res-storage-storageaccount/azurerm: For fundamental storage needs.
• Azure/avm-res-network-virtualnetwork/azurerm: Core for VNet provisioning.
• Azure/avm-res-containerservice-managedcluster/azurerm: For Azure Kubernetes Service.

The AVM program, which includes both "Resource Modules" for individual services and "Pattern Modules" for common architectural solutions, signals Microsoft's commitment to improving the Terraform experience on Azure. This top-down standardization contrasts with AWS's more organic module ecosystem growth.

GCP: terraform-google-modules and the Power of Opinion

Google Cloud Platform users heavily rely on the terraform-google-modules collection. These modules are often described as "opinionated," meaning they encapsulate Google's recommended best practices.

• terraform-google-modules/project-factory/google: Extremely popular for setting up new GCP projects with correct IAM, Shared VPC, and API enablement, it sees around 1.1 million monthly downloads and has 48.5 million all-time.
• terraform-google-modules/network/google: For VPCs, subnets, and firewall rules, also with about 1.1 million monthly downloads and 36.0 million all-time.
• terraform-google-modules/kubernetes-engine/google: The standard for deploying GKE clusters, with 39.3 million all-time downloads.

The "opinionated" nature of these modules is a significant draw, helping teams deploy standardized and well-architected infrastructure quickly.

3. Code in Action: Popular Module Snippets

Here's a taste of what using these popular modules looks like.

AWS VPC Example

module "vpc" {
  source  = "terraform-aws-modules/vpc/aws"
  version = "~> 5.0" # Always pin your module versions!

  name = "my-app-vpc"
  cidr = "10.0.0.0/16"

  azs             = ["us-east-1a", "us-east-1b", "us-east-1c"]
  private_subnets = ["10.0.1.0/24", "10.0.2.0/24", "10.0.3.0/24"]
  public_subnets  = ["10.0.101.0/24", "10.0.102.0/24", "10.0.103.0/24"]

  enable_nat_gateway = true
  single_nat_gateway = true

  tags = {
    Terraform   = "true"
    Environment = "dev"
  }
}

This snippet shows a basic VPC setup using the widely adopted terraform-aws-modules/vpc/aws module.

Azure Storage Account (AVM) Example

module "storage_account" {
  source  = "Azure/avm-res-storage-storageaccount/azurerm"
  version = "~> 0.6" # Pin AVM versions too

  name                = "myappstgacct${random_string.suffix.result}"
  resource_group_name = "my-app-rg"
  location            = "eastus"
  account_tier        = "Standard"
  account_replication_type = "LRS"

  tags = {
    environment = "production"
    project     = "myapp"
  }
}

resource "random_string" "suffix" {
  length  = 6
  special = false
  upper   = false
}

Here, we're using an Azure Verified Module to create a storage account, benefiting from Microsoft's stamp of quality.

GCP Project Factory Example

module "my_project" {
  source  = "terraform-google-modules/project-factory/google"
  version = "~> 18.0"

  name              = "my-gcp-project-123"
  random_project_id = true
  billing_account   = "YOUR_BILLING_ACCOUNT_ID" # Replace with your actual billing account ID
  folder_id         = "YOUR_FOLDER_ID"          # Optional: Replace with your folder ID

  activate_apis = [
    "compute.googleapis.com",
    "storage.googleapis.com",
    "container.googleapis.com",
  ]

  labels = {
    environment = "staging"
    owner       = "data-platform-team"
  }
}

The project-factory module simplifies creating well-structured GCP projects according to best practices.

4. The Broader Ecosystem: HashiCorp, Community, and Orchestration

Beyond the cloud provider giants, HashiCorp offers modules for its own tools like Consul and Vault, which have significant historical downloads. The Terraform Registry also hosts nearly 20,000 community modules, catering to a vast "long tail" of niche tools and specific application stacks.

Managing this diversity is where things get interesting. Tools like Terragrunt are popular for orchestrating multiple modules and environments. However, as organizations scale, the need for a more centralized and integrated approach to module management becomes apparent. This is where platforms offering features like a private module registry, version control, and governance workflows (like Scalr) provide significant value, helping teams discover, share, and manage both public and private modules with greater control and visibility.

5. Why These Modules? Trust, Quality, and the Management Challenge

The dominance of officially verified or heavily community-backed modules isn't accidental. It's driven by:

• Trust and Official Support: AVMs, terraform-aws-modules, and terraform-google-modules come with a level of assurance regarding quality, maintenance, and alignment with best practices.
• Active Maintenance and Community: Strong GitHub activity, frequent updates, and responsive maintainers build confidence.
• Good Documentation and Examples: Clear documentation and practical examples lower the barrier to adoption.

But even with trusted modules, organizations face the challenge of ensuring they are used correctly and adhere to internal policies. Pinning module versions is a basic best practice, but what about enforcing specific configurations or security standards within those modules? This is where policy-as-code tools, often integrated into IaC management platforms like Scalr (e.g., via Open Policy Agent - OPA), become crucial for applying organizational guardrails.

6. Summary: Top Terraform Modules at a Glance (May 2025)

Module Name (Abbreviated)	Cloud	Primary Function	Typical Monthly Downloads (Approx. May 2025)	All-Time Downloads (Approx. May 2025)
terraform-aws-modules/iam	AWS	Identity & Access Management	9.9M	235.9M
terraform-aws-modules/vpc	AWS	Virtual Private Cloud Networking	4.0M	126.0M
terraform-aws-modules/s3-bucket	AWS	S3 Storage Buckets	4.9M	117.8M
terraform-aws-modules/eks	AWS	Elastic Kubernetes Service	3.1M	96.3M
Azure/avm-res-compute-vm	Azure	Virtual Machines	20.1K	179.5K
Azure/avm-ptn-hubnetworking	Azure	Hub & Spoke Networking	6.2K	38.0K
terraform-google-modules/project-factory	GCP	Opinionated Project Creation	1.1M	48.5M
terraform-google-modules/network	GCP	VPC Networking	1.1M	36.0M
terraform-google-modules/kubernetes-engine	GCP	Google Kubernetes Engine	N/A (High All-Time)	39.3M

Note: Monthly downloads can fluctuate. "N/A" indicates specific monthly data wasn't highlighted for that module in the May 2025 analysis, but all-time figures confirm high usage.

7. The Future of Modules: Standardization, AI, and Smarter IaC

The Terraform module landscape isn't static. Key trends are shaping its future:

• Increased Standardization: Initiatives like AVM are pushing for more reliable, secure, and well-maintained modules.
• AI-Assisted Usage: HashiCorp's Terraform MCP server and GitHub Copilot integration promise natural language queries for module discovery and configuration.
• Higher Abstraction Levels: "Pattern" or "solution" modules that deploy entire pre-configured environments are gaining traction.
• Security and Compliance Focus: Tools like Checkov and Pike are becoming integral, and modules will increasingly embed security best practices.

This evolution points towards a future where IaC is not just about writing code, but about intelligently managing and governing a complex ecosystem of code components. Platforms that provide robust module management, policy enforcement (like Scalr's OPA integration), and clear visibility into IaC operations will be essential for navigating this future effectively.

8. Conclusion: From Usage to Effective Management

Knowing the most used Terraform modules provides valuable insight into common practices and trusted solutions. The dominance of provider-blessed and strong community modules in AWS, Azure, and GCP highlights a collective drive towards reliability and best practices.

However, the real leverage comes not just from using these modules, but from managing them effectively. As organizations scale their IaC efforts, the challenges of discovery, versioning, consistency, and governance across numerous modules and teams become paramount. The subtle shift is from merely consuming modules to strategically curating and controlling their use. This is where the value of dedicated IaC management platforms truly crystallizes, turning a collection of powerful building blocks into a well-governed, efficient, and scalable infrastructure machine.