Who Pulumi is for#
Engineering teams replacing Terraform workflows
Use Pulumi when developers want infrastructure definitions in familiar programming languages and need previews, deployments, and provider coverage across clouds.
Skip if:
Skip it if the team prefers HCL, has many existing Terraform modules, and values ecosystem continuity over programming-language IaC.
Teams separating IaC from hosted state lock-in
Use Pulumi when the team wants open-source CLI and SDK workflows with the option to use self-managed state instead of Pulumi Cloud.
Skip if:
Skip it if the organization specifically needs Pulumi Cloud collaboration features and does not want to manage backend tradeoffs.
The problem it solves#
Infrastructure as code often forces teams to choose between domain-specific configuration and full programming-language control. Terraform-style workflows are widely understood, but some teams want loops, abstractions, packages, testing patterns, and application-language reuse without wrapping everything in generated HCL. At the same time, infrastructure state and collaboration can become a vendor lock-in point if every stack depends on a hosted backend.
Pulumi separates those concerns. Teams can use the open-source CLI and SDKs to define infrastructure in familiar languages, then decide whether to use Pulumi Cloud for managed collaboration or a self-managed backend for state storage.
How it solves it#
Infrastructure in general-purpose languages
Define cloud resources with languages developers already use, including TypeScript, Python, Go, C#, Java, and YAML. This supports reusable packages, conditionals, tests, and application-adjacent infrastructure code.
Multi-cloud resource model
Manage resources across major clouds, Kubernetes, and many providers from one IaC workflow. Teams can use one programming model across application infrastructure boundaries.
State backend choices
Pulumi supports Pulumi Cloud plus self-managed backends such as S3, Azure Blob Storage, Google Cloud Storage, S3-compatible storage, and local files. That gives teams a real choice between managed collaboration and infrastructure-owned state.
Preview and deployment workflow
Preview infrastructure changes before applying them, then deploy through the CLI, automation API, CI/CD, or Pulumi Cloud workflows. This keeps review and deployment tied to code changes.
Strengths and trade-offs#
Strengths
- Developer-friendly IaC modelPulumi is strongest when infrastructure code benefits from real language features, shared packages, and integration with application engineering practices.
- Clear distinction between OSS core and cloud serviceThe CLI and SDK are open source, while Pulumi Cloud provides hosted collaboration, auditability, deployment history, and team features. That distinction helps teams choose the right backend intentionally.
Trade-offs
- -Managed collaboration differs by backendSelf-managed state backends give control, but they do not provide every Pulumi Cloud collaboration feature. Teams should compare locking, history, access control, audit, and stack-reference needs before choosing a backend.
Pulumi vs alternatives#
Pulumi vs Terraform Cloud
Pulumi is the better fit when teams want infrastructure as code in general-purpose languages and a choice between Pulumi Cloud and self-managed state backends. Terraform Cloud is stronger when teams are standardized on Terraform modules, HCL workflows, and HashiCorp-managed collaboration. Choose Pulumi for programming-language IaC and backend flexibility; choose Terraform Cloud for managed Terraform operations.
What it's built on#
- Languages
- C#GoJavaScriptPythonTypeScript
- Runtimes
- .NET
- Infrastructure
- AWSAzureGCPKubernetes
FAQ#
What does Pulumi replace?
Pulumi can replace Terraform, AWS CloudFormation, and parts of CDK-style workflows when teams want infrastructure as code in general-purpose programming languages.
Is Pulumi self-hosted?
The open-source Pulumi CLI and SDK run in your development or CI environment. State can use Pulumi Cloud or self-managed backends such as S3, Azure Blob Storage, Google Cloud Storage, S3-compatible storage, or local files; Pulumi Cloud itself is a managed or enterprise product, not the same thing as the open-source CLI.
What license does Pulumi use?
The OSA item record lists Apache-2.0 for the Pulumi open-source project. Pulumi Cloud and enterprise features have separate service and licensing terms.
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