This week's podcast discusses the launch of the OpenTF fork of HashiCorp's Terraform and the impact of HashiCorp's licensing changes. They explore the convenience of using TailScale for IP address management and delve into OpenTF's response to the licensing change. The podcast also covers the impact of Terraform on the open-source community, enabling APM on an application dashboard, the shift towards OpenTF, companies' support for OpenTF, and the plans for KubeCon and the OpenTF consortium.
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Quick takeaways
OpenTF aims to create a clear, unambiguous open source tool with an unambiguous license, gaining significant support and momentum.
OpenTF plans to offer a better alternative to HashiCorp's Terraform, focusing on clear license compliance and a vibrant ecosystem, including its own registry for providers and modules.
OpenTF is actively seeking community participation and support, with plans to join the Linux Foundation and the Cloud Native Computing Foundation for further support and governance.
Deep dives
OpenTF Launches as a Fork of HashiCorp's Terraform
OpenTF, a consortium of vendors, has launched as a fork of HashiCorp's Terraform after HashiCorp changed the license from an open source license to the Business Source license. OpenTF aims to create a clear, unambiguous open source tool with an unambiguous license. The project has gained significant support, receiving 25,000 GitHub stars in less than three weeks. OpenTF commits to compatibility with HashiCorp's Terraform, focusing on bug fixes and interface compatibility. The project plans to join the Linux Foundation and the Cloud Native Computing Foundation for further support and governance.
OpenTF vs HashiCorp: the Battle for Hearts and Minds
OpenTF's adoption relies on offering a better alternative to HashiCorp's Terraform and gaining support from the community. The manifesto for OpenTF gained significant traction and prompted an enterprise customer to put a sales contract on hold. OpenTF aims to attract adoption by offering clear license compliance and promoting a vibrant ecosystem of companies and projects in the Terraform space. The project will also establish its own registry for providers and modules as an alternative to HashiCorp's Terraform Registry. OpenTF plans to provide compatibility with HashiCorp Terraform and encourage innovation through a community-driven RFC process.
Potential Future for OpenTF and HashiCorp Terraform
While a potential merge between OpenTF and HashiCorp is unlikely, OpenTF remains open to HashiCorp's participation within the Cloud Native Computing Foundation. OpenTF's goal is to establish itself as the preferred option for users and companies seeking a vibrant and competitive ecosystem. The project has committed to providing a better alternative to HashiCorp's Terraform, focusing on backward compatibility, bug fixes, and interface compatibility. OpenTF also plans to provide a community-driven RFC process to drive innovation and improvements specific to OpenTF.
OpenTF: A Fork of Terraform Gains Momentum
OpenTF, an organization formed to create an open source version of Terraform, has gained significant support and momentum. What started as a fork of Terraform has now become a well-organized consortium of companies, including Grunwork, Scaller, M0, Space Lift, Tier Team, and more. The aim of OpenTF is to establish an open source version of Terraform that can be used as a key foundational piece of modern infrastructure. The organization has received support from prominent members of the open source community and is in the process of joining the Linux Foundation and the Cloud Native Computing Foundation. The roadmap for OpenTF includes plans for OpenTF 1.6.0, a public GitHub repository, community involvement process, feature porting from HashiCorp Terraform, better documentation, and a clear RFC process to ensure the quality and compatibility of the open source project.
Community Participation and Future Plans
OpenTF is actively seeking community participation and support. While the exact details of community platforms are being worked out, developers interested in getting involved can visit the OpenTF GitHub repository, which hosts discussions, pull requests, and ongoing progress. Companies that have pledged their support for OpenTF have already begun posting job openings for full-time engineers to contribute to the project. The organization is committed to maintaining OpenTF as an open source project, and joining the Linux Foundation and having a business model that revolves around lead generation, recruitment, or free tiers rather than restricting the project's openness. The team behind OpenTF is dedicated to delivering a high-quality, well-documented, and fully functional release, prioritizing transparency and progress over specific timelines.
This week we’re talking about the launch of OpenTF and what it’s going to take to successfully fork HashiCorp’s Terraform. We’re joined by Josh Padnick to discuss what exactly happened, how HashiCorp’s license change changes things, who has been impacted by this change, and ultimately what they are doing about it.
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We were going to link to the video where HashiCorp CEO Dave McJannet’s used the word “malicious” in regards to their strategy and actions towards the open source community, but it has been taken down. This was the link to the video with a timestamp jumping to the part in question - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59rEiAyYEVk&t=920s
This tweet/post from Bryan Cantrill brought this to the community’s attention.