7.4 Provider-native IaC and when to use it
You can read the native tool's templates when you meet them, and choose between them and Terraform.
Before:06. Containers & KubernetesUnlocks:11. Projects, Certification & Portfolio
The same thing, three names
One idea, sold under a different brand by each provider. Learn it once and you can read any job advertisement.
- On AWS
- CloudFormation / CDK
- On Azure
- ARM / Bicep
- On Google Cloud
- Cloud Deployment Manager / Config Connector
Every provider ships its own template language, and this topic is about reading them when met and choosing between them and Terraform deliberately: native tools get first-day support for new services and deepen lock-in; Terraform trades some of that freshness for one language across providers. The rule that matters is one source of truth — mixing tools is survivable, but two systems believing they own the same resource is not. It sits here as the counterpoint to the Terraform topics, and its closing advice is to choose for the team, not for a preference.
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Native template languages and their upside
Each provider has its own definition language, and its advantage is supporting new services on the day they launch. That is a genuine benefit rather than a marketing point.
Lock-in versus first-day support for new services
The trade is between being tied to one provider and waiting for a third-party tool to catch up. Both costs are real, and which one hurts more depends on your situation.
Mixing tools without creating two sources of truth
Using more than one tool is workable until two of them believe they own the same resource. Avoiding that overlap is the rule that makes mixing safe.
Choosing for a team, not for a preference
The right choice depends on what a team already knows and can maintain, which is frequently not the tool an individual would prefer. This item asks for the team-level answer.
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