GCP vs. AWS: Which is better for using with Kubernetes or Terraform?

Handy DevOps engineer tools like Terraform or Kubernetes make juggling the dockerized environments and managing the configurations much simpler, yet they rely greatly on the CSP’s features.

We have actually compared AWS to GCP for a bunch of parameters, yet this comparison left the DevOps tools used with these platforms out of the equation. You should keep in mind that the solutions your company uses to manage your infrastructure should be able to interact perfectly with the underlying architecture and functionality of the chosen cloud service provider (CSP).

However, the DevOps solutions like Terraform and Kubernetes differ much in their purposes, features, and functionality. Kubernetes is needed to manage Docker containers by using the built-in Docker support, while Terraform helps orchestrate the data center infrastructure as code and allows managing it with simple manifests.

That said, both of these tools work well on AWS and GCP, yet there are certain peculiarities:

• As Kubernetes was originally developed by Google, GCP has full native support for the tool. Thus said, leveraging Google Kubernetes Engine means most of the functions works out-of-the-box, greatly simplifying and empowering the containerized applications deployment, management, and scaling. Leveraging Kubernetes with AWS is also quite possible, yet it requires lots of manual configuration.
• AWS provides all the underlying infrastructure, APIs, and services, so it is possible to bring Terraform to its maximum efficiency. Most of the GCP services can be also quite efficiently leveraged using Terraform.

Thus said the real choice lies within the tasks you need to be performed and the degree to which the platform features can supplement your DevOps team’s skill set and toolset to achieve the goals you pursue.

In addition, there are lots of readymade tools for accomplishing various tasks using both of these DevOps solutions from IT Svit. Should you require help with any of them or in case you demand custom-tailored solutions for your unique business needs — contact us, we are always ready to assist!

Initially, I’ve posted this story on my company’s blog — https://itsvit.com/blog/gcp-vs-aws-better-using-kubernetes-terraform/