# CDKTF vs Terraform

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** Terraform

| Attribute | CDKTF | Terraform |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 51.9 (3% (low)) | 62.4 (53% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | - | 100 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | - | 1,108 |
| adoption.github_stars | - | 49,829 |
| content.faq | - | `[{"answer":"Terraform is an infrastructure as code tool that lets you build, change, and version infrastructure safely and efficiently. It manages low-level components like compute, storage, and networking as well as high-level components like DNS entries and SaaS features. It is indexed under Infrastructure as Code Tools.","source":"https://www.terraform.io","question":"What is Terraform?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Terraform is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.terraform.io","question":"Is Terraform free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Terraform supports a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://www.terraform.io","question":"What platforms does Terraform support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Terraform can be deployed self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://www.terraform.io","question":"Can Terraform be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 10 integrations for Terraform, including AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform, Oracle Cloud, Docker, Consul, Packer and Vault, plus 2 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.terraform.io","question":"What does Terraform integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2 and ISO 27001 for Terraform. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Terraform not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://www.terraform.io/security","question":"What security certifications does Terraform have?","confidence":0.7}]` |
| deployment.options | - | `{"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | A framework that enables developers to specify cloud resources through general programming languages while leveraging Terraform's provider and module ecosystem. | Terraform is an infrastructure-as-code platform that lets teams define, provision, and manage cloud and on-premise infrastructure through declarative configuration files. It generates execution plans before making changes, manages resource dependencies, and enables version control and collaboration on infrastructure definitions. |
| features.capabilities | `{"hosting":"self","language":"TypeScript, Python","paradigm":"declarative_dsl","multicloud":true,"policy_as_code":false,"drift_detection":false,"import_existing":true,"state_management":"vendor_managed","open_source_engine":true,"provider_ecosystem":true,"gitops_reconciliation":false,"managed_saas_offering":false}` | `{"hosting":"both","language":"HCL","paradigm":"declarative_dsl","multicloud":true,"policy_as_code":true,"import_existing":true,"state_management":"vendor_managed","open_source_engine":true,"provider_ecosystem":true,"managed_saas_offering":true}` |
| integrations.count | - | 10 |
| integrations.list | - | `[{"name":"AWS"},{"name":"Azure"},{"name":"Google Cloud Platform"},{"name":"Oracle Cloud"},{"name":"Docker"},{"name":"Consul"},{"name":"Packer"},{"name":"Vault"},{"name":"Boundary"},{"name":"GitHub"}]` |
| language.primary | - | Go |
| platform.support | - | `{"cli":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","sourceUrl":"https://developer.hashicorp.com/terraform/cdktf","retrievedAt":"2026-09-03T22:54:56.902Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.terraform.io","retrievedAt":"2026-08-13T09:37:57.093Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | - | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| release.cadence_days | - | 6 |
| release.history | - | `[{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/terraform/releases/tag/v1.16.5","date":"2026-10-02T13:04:00Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.16.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/terraform/releases/tag/v1.17.0-beta2","date":"2026-09-23T15:48:24Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.17.0-beta2"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/terraform/releases/tag/v1.16.4","date":"2026-09-23T12:44:16Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.16.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/terraform/releases/tag/v1.16.3","date":"2026-09-16T14:33:39Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.16.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/terraform/releases/tag/v1.17.0-beta1","date":"2026-09-09T17:13:24Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.17.0-beta1"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/terraform/releases/tag/v1.16.2","date":"2026-09-09T13:22:31Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.16.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/terraform/releases/tag/v1.16.1","date":"2026-09-02T14:49:32Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.16.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/terraform/releases/tag/v1.17.0-alpha20260827","date":"2026-08-27T10:30:11Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.17.0-alpha20260827"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/terraform/releases/tag/v1.16.0","date":"2026-08-26T13:05:28Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.16.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/terraform/releases/tag/v1.16.0-rc2","date":"2026-08-19T12:08:45Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.16.0-rc2"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/terraform/releases/tag/v1.15.9","date":"2026-08-19T14:29:32Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.15.9"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/terraform/releases/tag/v1.17.0-alpha20260812","date":"2026-08-12T12:01:24Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.17.0-alpha20260812"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/terraform/releases/tag/v1.16.0-rc1","date":"2026-08-12T15:22:32Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.16.0-rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/terraform/releases/tag/v1.16.0-beta2","date":"2026-08-05T18:07:50Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.16.0-beta2"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/terraform/releases/tag/v1.17.0-alpha20260729","date":"2026-07-29T19:38:27Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.17.0-alpha20260729"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/terraform/releases/tag/v1.16.0-beta1","date":"2026-07-23T16:51:01Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.16.0-beta1"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/terraform/releases/tag/v1.16.0-alpha20260715","date":"2026-07-15T12:44:36Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.16.0-alpha20260715"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/terraform/releases/tag/v1.16.0-alpha20260708","date":"2026-07-08T09:19:38Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.16.0-alpha20260708"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/terraform/releases/tag/v1.15.8","date":"2026-07-08T17:45:09Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.15.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/terraform/releases/tag/v1.16.0-alpha20260706","date":"2026-07-06T14:49:07Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.16.0-alpha20260706"}]` |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | - | yes |
| security.iso27001 | - | yes |
| security.scorecard | - | 6.6 |
| security.soc2 | - | yes |
| security.trust_center | https://developer.hashicorp.com/certifications/security-automation | - |
| security.vulnerabilities | - | `{"count":2,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=github.com%2Fhashicorp%2Fterraform&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":"HIGH"}` |

## Capabilities (Infrastructure as Code Tools)

| Capability | CDKTF | Terraform |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Paradigm | Declarative DSL | Declarative DSL |
| Language | TypeScript, Python | HCL |
| **Portability** |  |  |
| Multicloud / cloud-agnostic | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Architecture** |  |  |
| State management | Vendor-managed | Vendor-managed |
| **Extensibility** |  |  |
| Pluggable provider ecosystem | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Governance** |  |  |
| Policy as code | ✗ | ✓ |
| **Ops** |  |  |
| Drift detection | ✗ | - |
| GitOps continuous reconciliation | ✗ | - |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Managed SaaS offering | ✗ | ✓ |
| Hosting | Self-hosted only | Cloud + self-hosted |
| **Adoption** |  |  |
| Import existing resources | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Licensing** |  |  |
| Open-source engine | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Ecosystem** |  |  |
| CNCF maturity | - | - |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T19:03:33.646Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*