This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Mukhil Padmanabhan
Hey guys! When I first heard about the term “OpenTofu”, my initial reaction was like, “Wait, what? Food??”. But nope, not anything that we can eat. It is actually related to infra-automation. Yes, the ones that manage cloud resources with code. If you’re familiar with Terraform, you’re halfway there.
But what is OpenTofu really? Why people start to talk about it along with Terraform, and why should you care (together with me)? Let’s try to do a crash-dive into this together!
First, A Quick Recap on Terraform
Terraform, by HashiCorp, has been the go-to tool for Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC). Developers love it because you can:
- Your infrastructure should be described in code (HCL).
- Version-control your infra the same as you do your app code.
- Deploy consistently across multiple cloud providers (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud).
But something happened recently that moved the needle a bit.
So, What’s OpenTofu?
OpenTofu is a open-source fork of Terraform. It was created when HashiCorp changed the licensing model on Terraform from fully open-source to a more locked-clear source license called Business Source License (BSL).
What that means in simple term?
- Old Terraform: Free, open source, and community driven.
- New Terraform: Still free to use for individuals. Some limitations apply to businesses and commercial entities.
OpenTofu came to the rescue to keep Terraform completely open-source and community-driven. Same philosophy maintained.
Why the Change Matters (Especially for Developers)
When HashiCorp announced license change a lot of developers (including me) got bit concerned, here is why:
- Open source thrives because the community can freely contribute and innovate.
- You have much more transparency and less vendor lock-in with fully open-source tools.
- With an open license, you’re free to adapt the software as you see fit.
These are things we aim to keep with OpenTofu, by keeping Terraform open-source in spirit.
OpenTofu vs Terraform: What’s Different?
Terraform and OpenTofu are technically nearly the same, but primary differences are at licensing and community, compatibility going forward:
• Licensing: Terraform adopted Business Source License (BSL), which enforces commercial limitation especially for large enterprises. In contrast, OpenTofu commits to be completely open-source with MPL 2.0 license.
• Community-driven approach: Terraform with its new licensing structure might restrict community and external contributions. OpenTofu on the other hand is entirely following a community driven model and actively promoting open collaboration and participation.
• Compatibility: Terraform being backed by HashiCorp and original ecosystem has the ease of mind on stability and continuity. Though OpenTofu is relatively new, it’s quickly growing an ecosystem which is entirely community driven making sure to maintain Compatibility and innovate openly as we move forward.
OpenTofu is different in that it will continue to be open, remain driven by the community and not have any restrictions in place while Terraform moving to a restrictive license could affect its community and enterprise adoption down the line.
Should We Switch to OpenTofu?
If you’re an individual developer or part of a small team, you probably won’t feel much of a difference right away, it’s pretty much business as usual. But if you’re working in a growing company or an enterprise setting, OpenTofu might catch your eye. It offers the peace of mind that comes with full openness and no licensing headaches down the road. And for open-source enthusiasts? OpenTofu just makes sense, it stays true to the spirit of free and open-source software, with a community-driven approach that feels more transparent and inclusive.
What’s Next?
Personally, I’m curious and excited. OpenTofu is very new, and I’m looking forward to experimenting with it in personal projects. Will it fully replace Terraform? That’s unclear for now, but having options is always good for us developers.
My advice (to myself, too!) is simple:
- Keep an eye on the OpenTofu project.
- Try using OpenTofu in side projects to see how it feels.
- Follow community feedback closely to understand practical experiences.
Either way, the thing is, you have options. And with OpenTofu this is exactly what we want to keep, while also making sure that Terraform will continue being awesome as it has always been.
Until next time – happy coding!
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Mukhil Padmanabhan