Tool
Terraform and infrastructure as code
Terraform turns infrastructure into text that can be read, reviewed, and run. A network, a database, or a whole environment can be created the same way every time, and changes leave a record. We use it to make cloud systems repeatable and understandable.
- 1,200+ clients helped
- Building since 2010
- 15 services, one team
- 50+ technologies
At a glance
What it is
Terraform describes cloud infrastructure, such as servers, networks, and databases, in text files, so it can be created, changed, and rebuilt automatically and reviewed like code.
Problems it solves
Infrastructure built by clicking through consoles cannot be reviewed, repeated, or restored, and nobody knows exactly what exists.
Who it suits
Teams running cloud systems built by hand, and organizations that want repeatable environments and a record of every change.
How to choose
Adopt infrastructure as code when more than one person changes infrastructure, or when you need identical test and live environments.
What it means
Infrastructure you can read
Terraform is an open-source tool for infrastructure as code. You describe the resources you want, and it works out the steps to create them in a cloud provider, then keeps track of what it has built.
The value is not only speed. It is that infrastructure becomes reviewable and repeatable. A test environment can match production, a lost environment can be rebuilt, and an unexpected change shows up as a difference.
It works across the major clouds with a common approach, though the details differ for each provider.
Alternatives
Terraform compared with other ways of managing infrastructure
Suits
Teams using one or more clouds who want a common, widely known approach.
- Trade-off
- A state file to protect, and a new language to learn.
Suits
Teams committed to a single cloud.
- Trade-off
- Less portable, though well integrated.
Pulumi
Suits
Teams who prefer writing infrastructure in a general-purpose language.
- Trade-off
- Smaller community.
Ansible
Suits
Configuring software on servers, more than creating infrastructure.
- Trade-off
- Not designed to track what exists.
Suits
A quick experiment.
- Trade-off
- No record, and no way to repeat or review.
Choosing the right approach
Two things that go wrong
The state file records what Terraform believes exists. If it is lost, corrupted, or edited carelessly, Terraform can act on the wrong picture. And if people keep changing things in the console, the code and the real system drift apart.
We store state remotely with locking, restrict console changes where we can, and run regular checks that flag drift.
How we adopt it
Moving existing infrastructure into code
Map what exists
We list the resources in your cloud accounts, who depends on them, and what is not documented.
What it produces
- Inventory
- Dependency notes
Start with something new
We build a new environment in code first, so the team learns the approach without touching live systems.
What it produces
- First environment in code
Bring existing resources under management
We import resources a few at a time, checking that the plan shows no unexpected change.
What it produces
- Imported resources
- Clean plans
Add review and safeguards
We add a pipeline that plans on every change, and approvals before anything is applied.
What it produces
- Pipeline
- Approval rules
Share and document
We write the conventions down and train the team.
What it produces
- Guide
- Training
Typical uses
What teams describe in Terraform
Matching test and live environments
The same definition builds both, so testing means something.
A new environment for a new project
Networks, databases, and permissions created in minutes and consistently.
Disaster recovery
Rebuilding a lost environment from code, alongside restored data.
Controlled permissions and accounts
Who can do what across cloud accounts, written down and reviewed.
What DECHY can do
Working with Terraform
Build
- New environments described in code.
- Reusable modules for common patterns.
Adopt
- Importing infrastructure built by hand.
- Staged moves with checks at each step.
Safeguard
- Remote, locked state and access control.
- Review and approval pipelines.
Hand over
- Conventions, documentation, and training.
- Ongoing support if you want it.
Common questions
Questions about Terraform
Is Terraform only for large teams?
No. Even a small team gains repeatable environments and a record of changes. The setup effort is modest if started with new work.
Can it manage infrastructure we already built?
Yes, by importing existing resources. We do it gradually and check that nothing would change unexpectedly.
Does it work with AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud?
Yes. The approach is common, though the resources and settings differ between AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.
What if our team prefers another tool?
The idea matters more than the tool. We will work with what suits your team and say what we recommend and why.
Have a different question?
Tell us what you are weighing up and we will answer it plainly.
Ask a questionAlready a client? Email support@dechytech.com
Technical depth
How we build with Terraform
The detail a technical reviewer will ask about: structure, state and secrets, and pipelines.
We separate environments, use small modules with clear inputs and outputs, and pin provider and module versions so a plan today matches a plan next month.
- Remote state with encryption and locking, one state per environment or component.
- Secrets kept out of code and state where possible, using the cloud provider's secret service.
- A plan on every pull request, applied only after approval, from a controlled pipeline such as GitHub Actions.
- Policy checks and formatting enforced automatically.
Tell us what you run and how it was built
Describe your cloud set-up and who changes it. We will map what exists and plan a safe move to code.