What it does
OpenTofu is a community-driven infrastructure-as-code tool. Teams describe desired resources in configuration files, initialize providers and state, preview proposed changes, then apply an approved plan. Its workflow fits infrastructure that should be reviewed like application code, but users still choose providers, credentials, and state storage.
Review one infrastructure change
A practical first task is to describe a small resource in configuration, run tofu init to prepare the working directory, and inspect tofu plan before applying anything. tofu apply presents a plan for confirmation before changing infrastructure. These are documented commands, not a deployment performed for this listing.
Keep shared changes reviewable
The official workflow guide describes putting configuration in version control and reviewing a plan with teammates. A pull-request plan can differ from the final plan if the shared state or live infrastructure changes before apply, so treat the current plan as the last review point. Select a backend and protect provider credentials for the environment you manage; OpenTofu does not supply the cloud account or the infrastructure itself.
OpenTofu is published under the Mozilla Public License 2.0. Provider plugins and remote services may have separate terms, so check those before using them in a production workflow.
Strengths
- A clear write, plan, and apply loop lets teams review intended infrastructure changes before execution.
- Configuration can be versioned and discussed alongside application code.
- The project publishes an MPL 2.0 license and a documented installation path.
Watch out for
- Applying a plan can change or destroy real infrastructure, so state and the final plan need careful review.
- Users provide their own providers, credentials, and state storage; the CLI is not a hosted infrastructure account.
Best for
- Teams that want repeatable infrastructure configuration in version control.
- Operators who need a preview-and-approval step before applying infrastructure changes.
- Terraform-compatible infrastructure workflows that prefer the OpenTofu community project.
Sources
- OpenTofu (Oct 25, 2026)
- Working with OpenTofu (Oct 25, 2026)
- Installing OpenTofu (Oct 25, 2026)
- opentofu/opentofu (Oct 25, 2026)
- OpenTofu Mozilla Public License 2.0 (Oct 25, 2026)