Atlantis vs Terragrunt
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted developer tools & git options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Atlantis | Terragrunt |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 92 · Excellent | 93 · Excellent |
| Category | Developer Tools & Git | Developer Tools & Git |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, helm | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,299 | ★ 9,848 |
| First released | 2017 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Terraform Cloud, Spacelift | Terraform Cloud |
What are Atlantis and Terragrunt?
Atlantis
Atlantis is an open-source application for automating Terraform via pull requests. It listens for webhooks, runs plan and apply, and comments results, making it a self-hosted GitOps tool for infrastructure.
- Terraform via pull requests
- Plan and apply automation
- Webhook driven
- Locking and approvals
Terragrunt
Terragrunt is an open-source wrapper for Terraform and OpenTofu that helps keep configurations DRY and manage remote state across environments. It is used in self-hosted infrastructure workflows.
- DRY Terraform configs
- Remote state management
- Dependency orchestration
- Multi-environment support
Atlantis vs Terragrunt: key differences
Both projects are written in Go. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Atlantis versus MIT for Terragrunt. Terragrunt is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Atlantis. Atlantis lists first-class Docker deployment; Terragrunt does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Atlantis if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 9.3k GitHub stars
- Written in Go
Choose Terragrunt if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Mature project with 9.8k GitHub stars
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Atlantis or Terragrunt better?
Neither is universally better. Terragrunt has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Atlantis and Terragrunt free and open-source?
Yes. Atlantis is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Terragrunt under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Atlantis and Terragrunt with Docker?
Atlantis: yes. Terragrunt: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Atlantis or Terragrunt?
Terragrunt has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Atlantis. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.