Cost estimates and FinOps policies often sit outside the Terraform workflow, making cost optimization a slow and complicated process. For example, teams must switch between a Terraform plan and separate financial or policy results, then match those findings back to the planned resources. Without a single view of the proposed infrastructure and its cost implications, teams may discover a concern only after completing their initial review. Addressing it means revisiting the configuration and reviewing the change again.
We are excited to introduce a new integration between HCP Terraform and IBM Cloudability, helping customers optimize cloud spending with market-leading FinOps intelligence. Customers using HCP Terraform Standard or Premium, and Terraform Enterprise 2.1 or later, together with IBM Cloudability can access this streamlined, integrated experience.
Built directly into the HCP Terraform run workflow, the Cloudability native task brings cost estimates based on IBM Cloudability data, FinOps policy checks, and recommendations into HCP Terraform runs. Teams can assess financial impact, enforce policies, and consider recommendations before applying infrastructure changes.
»Add cost context to Terraform plan reviews
Terraform plans let teams review proposed resource changes before applying them. The Cloudability native task adds financial context to that review by showing the estimated monthly cost before and after a proposed change, plus the difference between them. Teams can assess the infrastructure and its estimated cost together before deciding whether to apply or revise the configuration.
Per-resource estimates connect Cloudability cost data to the resources represented in the Terraform plan. Teams can assess those estimates against the workload’s requirements and budget, without waiting for a separate cost review. The estimates can account for custom and usage-based pricing where applicable, using Cloudability data available to the organization.
This makes the Terraform plan review a shared decision point for infrastructure and FinOps teams. Both teams can discuss the proposed resources and their estimated cost using the same plan, rather than assembling that information through a separate handoff.
»Apply FinOps policies consistently
FinOps policies have more practical value when teams see their results where infrastructure decisions happen. Cloudability policy checks evaluate planned changes against configured FinOps policies and present the results within Terraform run. FinOps teams manage their policies in Cloudability, while infrastructure teams see the results in Terraform. Teams can identify concerns before apply and decide which configuration changes need attention without reconciling a separate policy report.
Within Terraform, advisory checks report findings and allow the run to continue. Mandatory checks can stop a run when their conditions are not met to prevent non-compliant changes. Teams can choose enforcement that treats a finding as guidance or makes it a condition of proceeding. Showing policy results beside estimated costs also keeps the financial implications visible when a failed check prompts further discussion.
Terraform gives teams flexible scoping, so the same FinOps checks apply consistently across an organization or a specific project without configuring each workspace separately.
Configure the native task once, then apply it across the organization or a selected project.
»Evaluate Cloudability resource recommendations before apply
IBM Cloudability can identify a lower-cost alternative for an eligible resource in a Terraform plan. The recommendation compares the planned resource configuration with a suggested alternative, giving teams more information before they provision the infrastructure.
HCP Terraform displays the recommendation alongside the plan, where teams can evaluate whether the alternative meets the workload’s operational and financial requirements. The recommendation informs the decision but does not modify the Terraform configuration. Teams decide whether to update the configuration or proceed with the original plan.
Review estimated costs, policy results, recommendations, and resource coverage in the Cloudability card.
»Get started
Explore the documentation to learn how the Terraform integration with IBM Cloudability helps you optimize cloud costs by comparing monthly cost estimates, checking policies, and reviewing recommendations before applying infrastructure changes.
New to Terraform? Sign up for an HCP account to get started today and check out our tutorials. HCP Terraform includes a $500 credit that allows users to quickly get started using features from any plan, including HCP Terraform Premium. Contact our sales team if you’re interested in trying our self-managed offering: Terraform Enterprise.
Visit the IBM Cloudability website to learn how to unlock cloud and AI value with FinOps.
