Pulumi
Infrastructure as code using familiar programming languages (TypeScript, Python, Go, C#).
Best for teams who want real programming languages (not DSLs) for infrastructure management.
Use Cases
Free Tier
50 runs/month, unlimited stacks, state management, secrets
How to Maximize the Free Tier
Pulumi's free tier (50 runs/month) works best for infrastructure that changes infrequently. Batch your updates: make multiple changes locally and run `pulumi up` once rather than incrementally. Use workspaces to separate environments (dev/staging/prod) without extra cost. The free tier includes state management and secrets — export your state file regularly as a backup in case you exceed the run limit.
Getting Started
Install Pulumi CLI → `pulumi new` to scaffold a project (choose TypeScript, Python, etc.) → define resources in code → `pulumi up` to deploy. State is managed by Pulumi Cloud on free tier.
Pros
- Real languages: Use TypeScript, Python, Go, or C# instead of HCL — full IDE support with autocomplete and type checking
- Unlimited stacks: Unlimited stacks and state management on the free tier — separate staging, prod, and dev environments
- Multi-cloud: Supports AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes, and 100+ providers from a single codebase
Cons
- Run limits: 50 runs/month on the free tier — active development with frequent `pulumi up` cycles can exhaust this
- Learning curve: Steeper than Terraform for simple infrastructure — you need to understand the SDK and programming model
- Advanced features: Policy as code and advanced audit features require the Business or Enterprise plan