Terraform-vs-Ansible-vs-Kubernetes
DevOps Core Tools — Terraform vs Ansible vs Kubernetes
🧭 Big Picture
These three tools do different jobs. They are not replacements.
| Tool | What it Mainly Does |
|---|---|
| Terraform | Builds infrastructure (Cloud resources) |
| Ansible | Configures & automates systems |
| Kubernetes | Runs & manages containers |
🧱 Terraform — Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
🔹 Purpose
- Create and manage cloud infrastructure
🔹 What Terraform Can Create
- Virtual Machines (EC2, Compute Engine, Azure VM)
- Networks (VPC, Subnets)
- Databases
- Load Balancers
- Storage
- Kubernetes Clusters
Key Features
- Declarative (You say what you want, Terraform handles how)
- Maintains State (remembers what it created)
- Cloud Agnostic (AWS / Azure / GCP / On-prem)
- Safe Apply (plan → review → execute)
Use Cases
- Build production cloud setup
- Create environments (Dev, Test, Prod)
- Automate infrastructure creation
- Version-controlled infrastructure
Ansible — Configuration & Automation
Purpose
- Configure systems
- Automate repetitive admin work
Common Uses
- Install software
- Configure servers
- Manage packages
- Deploy applications
- System updates
- Security configurations
Key Features
- Agentless (uses SSH)
- YAML Playbooks
- Idempotent (won’t redo same work)
- Easily integrates in DevOps pipelines
Use Case Example
Instead of configuring 100 servers manually:
- Write one Ansible Playbook
- Run once → everything gets configured identically
Kubernetes — Container Orchestration
Purpose
Run and manage containerized applications at scale.
What Kubernetes Does
- Deploys containers
- Scales automatically
- Load balances
- Restarts failed containers
- Rolling updates
- Manages cluster state
Why It’s Needed
When you have:
- Many microservices
- Many containers
- Need reliability and scaling
Works Best With
- Docker containers
- Cloud native apps
- Microservices architectures
🧠 Simple Analogy
Imagine building a city:
- Terraform = Builds roads, buildings, power supply (Infrastructure)
- Ansible = Sets up furniture, wiring, and equipment inside buildings (Configuration)
- Kubernetes = Manages daily business operations inside buildings (Running workloads)
Do They Work Together?
Yes! In real DevOps pipelines, they are commonly used together.
🔥 Real-World Workflow Example
- Terraform
- Creates AWS EC2
- Creates VPC
- Sets networking
- Ansible
- Installs software
- Configures servers
- Prepares environment
- Kubernetes
- Deploys applications
- Manages scaling & reliability
They are teammates, not competitors.
🏁 Summary Table
| Feature | Terraform | Ansible | Kubernetes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | IaC tool | Config & Automation | Orchestration |
| Purpose | Builds infrastructure | Manages systems | Runs containers |
| State | Maintains state | Stateless | Maintains cluster state |
| Focus | Cloud resources | Server configuration | Application runtime |
| Works On | Cloud / VMs | Any servers | Containers |