Let's be blunt: AWS infrastructure is complex enough. You don't need to make it harder with trendy tools or Rube Goldberg CI/CD systems.

What actually works, again and again, across hundreds of real-world AWS platforms?

• Terraform
• GitHub Actions
• Open source modules

It's simple. It's proven. It fits how modern teams actually deliver software.

Yet too many teams get distracted chasing "next-gen" IaC tools or overbuilding their pipelines.

Here's the truth:

• You don't need a "platform as a product."
• You don't need another hammer.
• You need a blueprint — and a stack you can trust.

Let's walk through why this stack is still the smartest choice for AWS infrastructure today — and why it's future-proof for what's coming next.

Why Terraform Is Still the Standard for AWS IaC

Every year, new IaC tools hit the hype cycle: CDK, Pulumi, Crossplane, Wing, WeaveWorks/Flux, EarthlyCI...

Some even raised $8-50M+ (Wing, WeaveWorks, EarthlyCI). Some are now bankrupt (Wing, WeaveWorks, EarthlyCI).

Meanwhile — Terraform is still here, and still dominant for AWS infrastructure.

Why?

• Battle-tested across nearly every AWS service
• Declarative: easier to reason about and review
• Large ecosystem of modules, providers, and tools
• Language-agnostic: works for polyglot engineering teams

Put bluntly: Terraform is the lingua franca of AWS IaC.

CDK? Great if everyone on your team is TypeScript-proficient and comfortable writing imperative code for infra.

Crossplane? Great if you have a full-time team to operate Kubernetes as a control plane for everything (and the iceberg of infrastructure beneath it).

Wing? They burned VC dollars trying to replace Terraform — and didn't stick.

WeaveWorks? The company behind Flux is gone.

Terraform wins because it is simple, proven, and widely adopted.

Why GitHub Actions Works — You Don't Need Another Hammer

Here's the trap we see all the time:

Teams start building their AWS platform, and they think:

"Should we use Terraform Cloud? Spacelift? Crossplane with GitOps? Flux CD? Atlantis?"

Sure, those are fine tools. But they're just more hammers.

What most teams actually lack is not a better hammer — it's a blueprint.

No amount of nails, screws, or lumber will help if you don't have a clear architecture and a plan to implement it.

• More tooling won't save a poor architecture
• CI/CD complexity often becomes platform tech debt
• Buying "yet another control plane" ≠ solving delivery velocity

GitHub Actions already gives you what you need:

• First-class GitOps workflow (PR-driven infra changes) with Enterprise-grade governance
• Simple to integrate with policy checks (OPA, tfsec, drift detection)
• Self-hosted runners — scale without per-runner pricing
• No extra system required to operate — native to GitHub

The winning pattern: Terraform + GitHub Actions + open source modules as a blueprint — not a pile of hammers.

How Cloud Posse's Open Source Modules Give You Leverage

Here's the real multiplier: you don't have to write your AWS Terraform code from scratch.

Cloud Posse's open source module library (160+ production-tested modules) lets you compose modern AWS architecture fast:

• Battle-tested: used by 100+ companies across industries
• Composable: build the platform you want
• Extensible: fork or wrap as needed
• Open source: no lock-in, transparent community-driven

Successful teams leverage this head start, instead of reinventing common patterns.

How This Stack Fits With Modern SDLC Practices

How does this stack fit with how high-performing teams build software today?

• Git-based workflows — declarative infrastructure + GitHub Actions fits perfectly with GitOps principles.
• Trunk-based development — easy to align infra changes with app code delivery.
• PR-based review and compliance — Terraform + Actions gives auditable, reviewable infra changes.
• Shift-left security — simple to layer in static analysis and policy checks (OPA, tfsec).
• Reusable components — open source modules = clear separation of concerns.

In short: Terraform + GitHub Actions + open source modules aligns perfectly with modern DevSecOps and platform engineering practices.

Why You Won't Get Locked In or Boxed In

This is a key concern we hear from thoughtful teams:

"Will choosing this stack lock us into a vendor or limit future flexibility?"

The answer: no — it's the opposite.

• You're not tied to a SaaS platform
• You're not boxed into a proprietary IaC language
• You're not forced to adopt a full-blown "platform as a product"

Instead:

• Terraform is portable
• GitHub Actions is flexible
• Open source modules are forkable and extensible

This is a stack you can evolve over time — swap pieces as needed, layer in new capabilities — without major rework or migration risk.

Final Thought: You Don't Need Another Hammer — You Need a Blueprint

Most teams don't need to invent new tools or adopt "next-gen" platforms.

They need a proven blueprint and a stack they can trust:

1. Terraform — still the standard for AWS IaC
2. GitHub Actions — simple, effective CI/CD
3. Open source modules — real-world leverage, not greenfield yak shaving

If you find yourself asking:

"Should we adopt another tool? Should we build from scratch? Should we platform-engineer the platform?"

Pause. You probably don't need another hammer.

You need a blueprint. And this stack — Terraform + GitHub Actions + open source — gives you exactly that.

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Want help adopting this stack — or tuning your current approach?

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Talk to an engineer. No fluff. Just straight advice from teams who've done this 100+ times.