Terraform vs AWS CDK(2026)
Terraform is better for teams that need industry standard. AWS CDK is the stronger choice if real languages + aws native. Terraform is open-source (from $0) and AWS CDK is open-source (from $0).
Full feature breakdown, pricing details, and pros & cons below.
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Terraform
Terraform by HashiCorp is the most popular open-source IaC tool — declare infrastructure in HCL, and Terraform plans and applies changes across AWS, Azure, GCP, and 3,000+ providers.
Starting at $0
Visit Terraform
AWS CDK
AWS CDK lets developers define AWS infrastructure in TypeScript, Python, Java, or Go — synthesizing to CloudFormation templates under the hood with reusable constructs.
Starting at $0
Visit AWS CDKHow Do Terraform and AWS CDK Compare on Features?
| Feature | Terraform | AWS CDK |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | open-source | open-source |
| Starting price | $0 | $0 |
| HCL declarative language | ✓ | — |
| 3,000+ providers | ✓ | — |
| State management | ✓ | — |
| Plan before apply | ✓ | — |
| Module registry | ✓ | — |
| Remote state (Terraform Cloud) | ✓ | — |
| Workspaces | ✓ | — |
| TypeScript/Python/Java/Go support | — | ✓ |
| Constructs (reusable patterns) | — | ✓ |
| CloudFormation backend | — | ✓ |
| L3 constructs (high-level) | — | ✓ |
| CDK Pipelines | — | ✓ |
| Testing (assertions) | — | ✓ |
| AWS-native | — | ✓ |
Terraform Pros and Cons vs AWS CDK
Terraform
AWS CDK
Should You Use Terraform or AWS CDK?
Choose Terraform if…
- •Industry standard
- •Largest provider ecosystem
- •Mature and battle-tested
Choose AWS CDK if…
- •Real languages + AWS native
- •L3 constructs hide complexity
- •Testing support