AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK) vs. Terraform

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is a practice that involves defining infrastructure in a configuration language or scripting language. It allows users to define cloud infrastructure using general-purpose programming languages or declarative languages like HCL. Two popular tools for IaC are AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK) and HashiCorp Terraform. AWS CDK is an open-source framework that enables users to define cloud infrastructure using general-purpose programming languages, natively integrating with AWS services. It uses the imperative approach to IaC, allowing conditional logic, loops, and complex control flows in code. Terraform is a cloud-agnostic provisioning tool that manages infrastructure declaratively using HCL, making it more versatile for multicloud environments. It supports multiple providers and has a large library of available modules. Both tools have their strengths and weaknesses, and the choice between them depends on factors such as existing technical expertise, infrastructure footprint, developer experience, use-case, and license concerns. AWS CDK is often preferred for AWS-focused, developer-driven environments that prioritize advanced code reuse and flexibility within a single cloud environment. On the other hand, Terraform excels in supporting teams managing complex, multi-cloud infrastructures thanks to its mature ecosystem, extensive cloud compatibility, and state management features.