Chef vs Terraform - Comparing Top DevOps Tools

Configuration management is essential for any DevOps project. Whether you need to automate, design, or manage configurations manually, a configuration management tool plays a critical role in your DevOps project. Out of the various configuration management tools available, two of the most popular technologies advancing DevOps is Chef and Terraform. Before implementing any of these DevOps tools, it's crucial to know the difference between them. 

Both Chef and Terraform are excellent. Before choosing between either of the two, there are factors you must consider. There are some unique characteristics in both of these configuration management tools that makes them popular in DevOps. In some areas, Chef outperforms Terraform and vice-versa. Considering their individual’s perks and demerits, pick the one that best fits for your organization's requirements.

This article discusses a comparison study between Chef and Terraform to give you chills and select the best DevOps tools. Starting from the introduction to Chef and Terraform, we will look at the comparative distinction between the two. Also, we will explain when to consider Chef based on the requirement. Conversely, we will discuss why and when choosing Terraform makes sense.

Let’s Start! 

What is a Chef?  

Chef is an open-source configuration management tool that automates DevOps procedures and jobs across several servers. Due to its automation and configuration capabilities, Chef DevOps is also renowned as a Server Configuration and Automation tool. If you are familiar with the Chef tools, automating and managing the software across several devices in your company only takes a few clicks. 

What is Terraform?  

Terraform by HashiCorp is an open-source DevOps tool. It allows to build, manage, and define infrastructure across cloud providers. The Terraform tool, also called the Infrastructure Build tool, enables developers to create and modify infrastructure in a secure and efficient environment. Using Terraform in DevOps, you can easily automate and manage your infrastructure and the services running on your organizational platform using declarative programming. 

Terraform offers developers a safe, effective environment to build and modify infrastructure. Leverage Terraform in DevOps as a single method for all clouds, and streamline deployments effortlessly. 

Chef vs Terraform: Feature Comparison  

Though Terraform and Chef may look alike, there are a few areas where one stands over the other. Let’s study the Chef and Terraform comparison in brief: 

Feature	Chef	Terraform
Mutability	Supported	Supported
Variability	Supported	Not Supported
Configuring and Automating Servers	Supported	Supported
Declarative Language	Supported	Supported
Immutability	Supported	Supported
Procedural Language	Supported	Not Supported
Cloud Functionality	Supported	Supported
Cloud Agnostic	Supported	Supported

Chef Vs Terraform [Head-to-Head Comparison]  

When choosing a DevOps tool for your configuration and automation needs, it is vital to consider a few points.

1. Automation  

Both Chef and Terraform offer excellent automation options. Infrastructure changes may be implemented across many cloud environments and are automated using the infrastructure as code (IaC) capabilities.

2. Independent of Clouds 

Cross-platform interoperability is a feature of both Chef and Terraform. Why is this crucial? Because Chef and Terraform have cloud-neutral features. DevOps developers deliver software to the cloud more quickly, and there is no need to create unique software for every cloud provider. 

3. Environments 

Before selecting one of these technologies, you must determine if your project calls for mutable or immutable environments. Changing from changeable to immutable infrastructure can be pretty expensive for your company. 

Chef vs Terraform: Characteristics  

Chef's standout characteristics  

• Chef tool offers more than 800 Reusable Cookbooks. 
• The Chef develops a domain-specific language using the well-known Ruby language. 
• The Chef doesn't assume anything about a node's present state. It makes use of its mechanics to determine the machine's current condition. 
• The cloud's software, storage, and server are best deployed and managed using Chef.

Terraform standout characteristics  

Terraform functions by creating a graph database that gives users access to information about resource dependencies. Additionally, it provides an execution plan that enables users to observe the process Terraform will follow when a setting or modification is made. The Terraform software includes the following: 

• It supports interpolation and allows administrators to Pass functions as a string to perform various operations. 
• Hones the ability to convert HCL code into JSON format. 
• A module Count specifies the number of modules applied to infrastructure. 
• A console enables users to observe numeric, string, date and time, collections, and encoding functions. 

Terraform vs Chef: Popularity  

Popularity of Chef  

Undoubtedly, the number of aspirants enrolling in Chef classes is significantly increasing. Chef tool in DevOps is a top pick among DevOps engineers and system admins. Compared to other configuration management tools, Chef stands-out for its extraordinary capabilities. Let’s examine why Chef is famous and why you must consider using it for your project’s configuration needs:

1. No Downtime 

Chef automation is effortless compared to traditionally manual processes. Using Chef, you can automate, manage and scale cloud infrastructure without interruptions or unnecessary downtime.

2. Effortless Integration with the Cloud

Working with the Chef automation tool, you can create, destroy, and rebuild servers on your preferred cloud platform. That means you can build, destroy and rebuild servers on any cloud platform of your choice -- public or private cloud.

3. Easy Migration

With the Chef DevOps tool, migrating and configuring applications from one cloud to another is simpler than traditionally manual processes. Users can effortlessly migrate their applications between cloud platforms and extend their infrastructures in the cloud without experiencing any downtime.

4. Enterprise Cloud Platform Support

Another reason for the increased popularity of Chef is that it supports seamless cloud integration. You can use Chef for our configuration needs in all the major cloud providers like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Compute Engine, and OpenStack, to name a few.

Popularity of Terraform

Terraform is one of the most demanding DevOps certification courses. Flexibility and seamless integration with cloud service providers to manage infrastructure makes Terraform outperform its competitors. Let’s examine why Terraform is a popular choice among DevOps engineers and why you must use it.

1. Works in all Cloud Environments

Terraform is cloud agnostic and it does no discrimination in the cloud platform. Terraform works well in all cloud service providers, whether you are using Azure, AWS, GCP, or any other cloud platform.

2. Offers Seamless Infrastructure Management

Most of the configuration and management tools used in DevOps fail to wrangle an API designed for configuring management. As a result, controlling and managing infrastructure becomes strenuous. Terraform stands out in infrastructure management and matches with the API as expected.

3. Execution Plans

When working with Terraform, there is an additional offering of "arranging" step which creates an execution plan. This plan shows how Terraform will respond when you call apply.

4. Asset Graph 

Terraform constructs a chart of every one of your assets and parallelizes the creation and change of any non-subordinate assets. Along these lines, Terraform constructs a foundation as effectively as expected, and administrators understand conditions in their frame foundation. 

Are you planning to learn Terraform from industry-level experts? Join KnowledgeHut’s Chef classes, and learn to master IaC from scratch. Based on your preference, you can choose Chef or Terraform. We have training and offerings for all levels of learners to help them kick-start their journey in DevOps. 

Chef vs Terraform: Top Companies 

Companies Using Chef  

Chef is a preferred choice used to configure, manage, and maintain servers. Here is the list of companies using Chef: 

• Facebook 
• Airbnb 
• Accenture 
• Fiverr 
• GitLab 
• Slack 

Companies Using Terraform  

Terraform is a widely used configuration management tool trusted by world’s renowned companies. Here is the list of companies using Terraform to manage their external resources in the cloud: 

• Zendesk 
• Wells Fargo 
• Smartsheet 
• FireEye 
• Jefferies 

Choosing Between Terraform and Chef  

DevOps tools comparison is not straightforward. Choosing between Chef and Terraform may be tough, especially if you are new. As discussed above, both the DevOps configuration management tools, Chef and Terraform, are unique in their distinctive way. When not to consider a particular tool is as important as when to consider another. Simply put, you must invest time in diving into the features of both tools and then finalize your decision.

To help you in this, we have suggestions from experts that you must use to save time and strenuous efforts. Let's look at the scenarios where you must use Chef and where Terraform is preferable. 

When is Chef Preferred?  

Chef has been enhancing its features continuously and providing satisfactory customer service. World-leading IT companies like Facebook, AWS, HP Public cloud, etc., use Chef to streamline their DevOps processes. 

• As Chef is written in Ruby, a company with many engineers familiar with the Ruby programming language may find it necessary to use it.
• Chef is an excellent choice for deploying code to small and large groups of servers. 
• Consider Chef to stand-up new servers and deploy updated code to existing servers. 
• Chef IT automation is the best choice for your projects if you want to use a changeable infrastructure since it simplifies updates. Your DevOps team may deploy patches and updates using Chef rather than having to build new servers from the start. 
• Chef is better than Terraform if you want a tool that supports declarative and imperative development methods. The declarative approach to programming is more straightforward to use with Chef than the pressing technique, which entails creating code that specifies the computer's steps to do certain operations. 

Note: The chef's changeable feature makes it more challenging to identify configuration errors. Because it cannot ensure a decrease in the number of bug events in the codebase, it is inappropriate for managing and deploying extensive systems. Instead prefer to automate in Terraform. 

When is Terraform Preferred?  

• Adopting Terraform will be a better choice if you have several developers that are more comfortable with the Go language. 
• Consider Terraform automation if you prefer to utilize a tool for efficient and reliable deployment. DevOps engineers may define programs in more structured infrastructure pipelines with Terraform, minimizing manual work. 
• Terraform automation tool is a better choice than Chef if you require a solution that works better with well-known tools like Docker or Packer. 
• Using Terraform, a company can quickly keep track of all of its deployments' modifications, making it simple to maintain a log of each development procedure. This feature is crucial because it makes it simple for new developers joining a team to see the history of any modifications made. Additionally, huge IT companies that require numerous employees to handle operations depend heavily on this function. 
• Terraform, on the other hand, provides you with immutable infrastructure. Therefore you should use it if your project does not continually require server upgrades. This functionality allows you to replace your servers with new ones rather than having to modify them after they have been deployed. 
• When utilizing Terraform, mistakes, configuration drifts, and snowflake servers are minimized or eliminated; however, this cannot be true of using Chef due to its changeable infrastructure provisioning. 

Conclusion  

Now that you have a detailed understanding of both the DevOps tools, it will be easier for you to make the right choice between Terraform and Chef. Remember, both of these tools come with their unique perks and cons. Perhaps it makes no sense to assume that one tool can serve all your organization’s needs. Therefore, understanding your organization's operational priorities is a smart way to make the proper selection.