Terraform and Kubernetes Best Practices

Terraform and Kubernetes

Modern enterprises are facing an infrastructure challenge: managing infrastructure that spans virtual machines (VMs), containers, and cloud-native applications across multiple environments.

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) has transformed how organizations deploy and manage their technology stacks, with the IaC market valued at $850.6 million in 2024 and projected to grow at 24.1% CAGR through 2034. This growth reflects the need for automated, repeatable infrastructure management that reduces human error and accelerates deployment cycles.

The combination of Terraform’s declarative infrastructure provisioning and Kubernetes’ container orchestration capabilities creates a powerful foundation for modern application delivery.

Terraform and Kubernetes: Overview

Terraform, developed by HashiCorp, serves as a declarative IaC tool that provisions, manages, and updates cloud resources across multiple providers. Its strength lies in its ability to define infrastructure through code, creating reproducible environments that help eliminate configuration drift and manual errors.

Kubernetes operates as a powerful open source platform for orchestrating, scaling, and managing containerized applications in clusters. Kubernetes has become the de facto standard for container management, enabling organizations to deploy applications consistently across diverse environments.

When these technologies work together, Terraform handles the heavy lifting of infrastructure provisioning while Kubernetes manages application deployment and scaling. This division of responsibilities creates a clear separation of concerns: Terraform provisions the underlying infrastructure and Kubernetes resources, while Kubernetes orchestrates the actual application containers and their lifecycle management.

Terraform Kubernetes Provider: Key Features

The Terraform Kubernetes provider acts as a bridge between Terraform’s infrastructure provisioning capabilities and Kubernetes’ resource management. It enables teams to define Kubernetes resources using Terraform’s HashiCorp Configuration Language (HCL), creating a unified workflow for managing both infrastructure and application resources.

Version-controlled IaC fundamentally changes how teams approach risk management and repeatability. By storing infrastructure definitions in Git repositories, organizations create an audit trail of every change while enabling rollback capabilities and peer review processes that can significantly reduce configuration errors.

Usage patterns vary significantly across deployment models. Public cloud deployments leverage provider-specific features like AWS EKS, Azure AKS, or Google GKE, while on-premises clusters require different authentication methods and network configurations. Hybrid deployments add another layer of complexity, requiring careful consideration of connectivity, security policies, and resource allocation across environments.

Suggested Best Practices for Provider Configuration

Here are some guidelines for organizing provider configurations to help maximize maintainability:

• Separate environment configurations: Use distinct directories for dev, staging, and production environments.
• Leverage variable files: Store environment-specific values in .tfvars files.
• Implement remote state: Use backend configurations to store state files securely.
• Module organization: Create reusable modules for common Kubernetes patterns.
• Authentication security: Never hardcode credentials; use environment variables or secure vaults.

The Terraform Kubernetes Provider delivers several key benefits:

• Unified IaC workflow for network, VM, and container resources: Teams manage all infrastructure components through a single tool, helping reduce context switching and improve consistency across resource types.
• Declarative, error-resistant syntax (HCL vs. YAML): HCL’s structure prevents common YAML formatting errors while providing better validation and type checking during plan execution.
• Powerful state management: Terraform’s state file tracks the actual cluster configuration, detecting drift and helping prevent conflicting changes across team members.
• Modularity: Terraform modules enable teams to package common Kubernetes patterns into reusable components, accelerating deployment while helping maintain consistency.
• Environment management: Workspaces allow teams to maintain separate state files for different environments, helping prevent accidental cross-environment changes while sharing the same configuration code.

Terraform Deployment Strategies for Kubernetes

• End-to-end automation: Organizations can achieve infrastructure automation by using Terraform to provision entire Kubernetes clusters before deploying applications. With cloud-hosted Kubernetes clusters built on managed distributions like EKS, GKE, or AKS, Terraform excels at standardizing cluster creation across providers.
• CI/CD pipeline integration transforms deployment workflows. Elite DevOps teams deploy multiple times per day through mature pipelines that trigger Terraform runs for infrastructure changes and Kubernetes deployments for application updates. This separation allows infrastructure teams to manage cluster specifications while development teams focus on application delivery.
• Multi-cloud agility: Terraform’s provider abstraction layer enables organizations to manage Kubernetes clusters across multiple cloud providers without rewriting infrastructure code.
• Declarative resource management: Writing Kubernetes resources in HCL reduces common YAML pitfalls like indentation errors and type mismatches. Terraform’s planning phase helps catch configuration errors before they reach the cluster, while its dependency graph automatically determines the correct order for resource creation.
• Terraform and Helm: Advanced deployments combine Terraform’s infrastructure management with Helm’s application packaging capabilities. Terraform provisions the cluster and core services while Helm manages application-specific configurations, creating a clear boundary between infrastructure and application concerns.

Key Differences: Terraform vs Kubernetes

While Terraform and Kubernetes work hand in hand, see the below table to understand their key differences.

Suggested Best Practices for IaC Integration

Here are actionable recommendations for integrating IaC into existing policy frameworks:

• Establish governance standards: Define approved modules and resource configurations.
• Implement policy as code: Use tools like Open Policy Agent to enforce compliance.
• Create approval workflows: Require peer review for infrastructure changes.
• Monitor configuration drift: Set up alerts for unauthorized manual changes.
• Document architectural decisions: Maintain clear records of design choices.

IaC Benefits and Challenges in Kubernetes Environments

The following table outlines key considerations when adopting Infrastructure as Code for Kubernetes deployments:

Key Benefits for Enterprises Using Terraform and Kubernetes

Uniform security policies applied through a single code base transform how organizations approach compliance. By defining security controls in Terraform, teams can enforce consistent policies across all infrastructure layers, from network segmentation to pod security policies.

Centralized resource management can simplify backup and recovery workflows. Organizations can define backup policies alongside infrastructure definitions, automating protection for both persistent volumes and application configurations.

Automated scaling, testing, and version pinning accelerate application delivery cycles.

Suggested Best Practices for Multi-Cloud Security and Efficiency

The following recommendations can help maintain security and efficiency across multi-cloud environments:

• Store Terraform configs in version control (Git) for repeatable deployments: Every infrastructure change becomes traceable, reviewable, and reversible through Git’s version history.
• Use modules for scalable, reusable infrastructure patterns: Well-designed modules can reduce code duplication while enforcing organizational standards across teams.
• Manage secrets securely and use dependency management for resource coordination: Integrate with HashiCorp Vault or cloud-native secret management services to help prevent credential exposure.
• Leverage Terraform workspaces for multi-environment clusters: Workspaces enable teams to maintain separate state files for different environments while sharing configuration code.
• Test with Terratest, and set up monitoring for drift detection and compliance: Automated testing validates infrastructure changes before production deployment, while drift detection alerts teams to unauthorized modifications.

Commvault’s Role in Terraform Kubernetes Workflows

Commvault integrates with Terraform-managed infrastructure to provide data resilience across multi-cloud Kubernetes deployments. The platform’s API-driven architecture allows Terraform to provision backup policies alongside infrastructure resources, creating a unified approach to infrastructure and data protection.

Automated protections through policy-driven backups reduce manual intervention in data protection workflows. Commvault’s intelligent policies can automatically discover and protect new Kubernetes workloads as Terraform provisions them, helping maintain consistent protection across dynamic environments.

The integration of Terraform and Kubernetes can create a robust foundation for modern enterprise infrastructure, enabling organizations to automate, scale, and protect their applications with confidence. By combining these powerful tools with comprehensive data protection, businesses can build resilient environments that support rapid innovation while maintaining security and compliance.

When you’re ready to transform your infrastructure management and your data protection strategy, request a demo to see how we can help you achieve your goals.