OpenTofu
Open-source infrastructure as code, a Terraform-compatible fork
OpenTofu is profiled here as a DevOps tool for engineering teams. Read about features, pricing, and how it compares to related options in the tools directory.
Description
OpenTofu is an open-source infrastructure-as-code tool governed by the Linux Foundation, created in 2023 after HashiCorp moved Terraform to a source-available license. It reads existing HCL configurations and state, so teams that need an OSI-approved license can adopt it with minimal migration. Development is community-driven, and recent releases added capabilities such as state encryption that the upstream project did not offer. Major technology companies backed the fork at launch, and its registry mirrors the providers and modules teams already depend on. Neutral foundation governance gives organizations confidence that licensing will stay stable over time.
Key Capabilities:
HCL configuration compatible with existing Terraform modules and providers
Provider and module access through the OpenTofu Registry
Client-side state encryption for sensitive infrastructure data
Plan and apply workflow with drift detection
Early variable evaluation for dynamic backend configuration
MPL 2.0 license under neutral foundation governance
Alternative tools
- Crossplane
Control-plane infrastructure as code built on Kubernetes
- Terraform
Declarative infrastructure as code across cloud providers
- Ansible
Agentless automation for configuration and provisioning
- Argo CD
Declarative GitOps continuous delivery for Kubernetes
- Pulumi
Infrastructure as code in general-purpose programming languages
- Harness
AI-powered software delivery platform for the post-code lifecycle.