Atlantis
Atlantis is a self-hosted tool that automates Terraform planning and applying through Git pull requests, helping teams review and coordinate infrastructure changes.
Why it caught my attention
Infrastructure changes can be surprisingly difficult to coordinate when engineers run Terraform independently. Atlantis brings the proposed changes, execution results and approval process into the pull request where the discussion already happens. That makes infrastructure work easier to review without introducing an entirely separate deployment interface.
What problem does this actually solve?
Atlantis could be worth considering if you recognise any of these challenges.
Infrastructure changes lack visibility
Running Terraform locally makes it harder for colleagues to see proposed changes and their execution results.
Reviews miss infrastructure impact
Reviewers may understand the code changes without seeing what Terraform actually intends to create, modify or remove.
Concurrent changes create conflicts
Multiple pull requests affecting the same Terraform workspace can interfere with each other without coordinated execution.
Infrastructure credentials need distributing
Engineers can propose changes without each person needing direct access to the credentials used for Terraform execution.
Is this a good fit for you?
A quick way to see if Atlantis is relevant for your situation.
- Your team manages cloud infrastructure using Terraform configuration stored in Git.
- You want infrastructure plans visible during pull request reviews.
- Several engineers regularly make changes to shared Terraform projects.
- You prefer running infrastructure automation within your own environment.
- You need configurable approval requirements before applying infrastructure changes.
- You do not use Terraform or a compatible configured workflow.
- You want a fully managed service without maintaining an automation server.
How does it work?
In practice, the workflow looks something like this:
Install Atlantis in your infrastructure, configure access to your Git provider and Terraform credentials, and set up repository webhooks.
Edit Terraform configuration and open a pull request. Atlantis detects relevant changes and can automatically run a Terraform plan.
Atlantis posts the plan output to the pull request, allowing reviewers to examine the expected infrastructure changes before proceeding.
Once configured requirements are satisfied, an authorised user comments `atlantis apply` to execute the plan and receive the results.
Review the apply results, resolve any failures and merge the pull request. Atlantis releases its project lock when the request closes.
What else should I know?
A few important things to be aware of before you investigate further.
Self-hosting is your responsibility
Atlantis runs within your infrastructure, so deployment, availability, updates and access controls remain your team's responsibility.
Remote Terraform state is required
Atlantis supports remote Terraform state backends but not local state, which affects how existing projects must be configured.
Security configuration is particularly important
Terraform planning can execute untrusted code, so repository permissions, credential access and automatic planning need careful configuration.
Git integration and workflow setup
Supported Git providers include GitHub, GitLab, Gitea, Bitbucket and Azure DevOps; complex repositories may need additional configuration.
Think Atlantis could fit your environment?
Visit the Atlantis website to find out more, request a demo or speak to their team.
Something you'd like to know about Atlantis?
Is there something I haven't covered in my research? Send me your question and I'll look into it and reply personally by email.