Free ยท Lesson 1 of 12
Terraform and OpenTofu both read HCL and both keep a state file. They are not one product with two names.
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You write a shopping list for servers and databases. The tool goes to the shop and tries to make the shop match the list. Terraform is HashiCorp's list-runner. OpenTofu is a separate list-runner that started from an older public copy of the same idea.
A Terraform configuration describes resources. terraform plan prints what would change. terraform apply asks the providers to make those changes and writes the result into a state file. The state file is how the next plan knows which real object belongs to which block.
The tool does not invent your cloud account. A provider plugin talks to AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, or something else. No provider, no resources.
HashiCorp changed the Terraform license to the Business Source License on 10 August 2023. OpenTofu is a Linux Foundation project under the Mozilla Public License 2.0. It was forked from the Terraform codebase that was still under that public license.
The commands look alike because of that history. terraform plan and tofu plan are not a contract that every later feature exists in both, or that a HashiCorp cloud product will run the OpenTofu binary. The security lesson compares them without calling them equivalent.
| Name | Who publishes it | Do not assume |
|---|---|---|
| Terraform | HashiCorp | That OpenTofu has the same license |
| OpenTofu | The OpenTofu project, under the Linux Foundation | That HCP Terraform runs it |
| HCP Terraform | HashiCorp's hosted product, formerly Terraform Cloud | That it is an OpenTofu control plane |
Step 1 of 3The configuration is the list. It is not the cloud.
Step 2 of 3The plan is a diff against state and the provider. Read it.
Step 3 of 3Apply asks the provider to change the cloud, then updates state.
You may not have either tool installed yet. Write the sentence anyway. The next lesson installs one on purpose.
I will install: terraform OR tofu (pick one for this week).
I will not call the other one a drop-in replacement.
HCP Terraform is a HashiCorp service. It is not OpenTofu.
Checked against the linked documentation in October 2026. A later release can move a flag, a price, or a supported pair. Use the page for the version you installed.