Modern Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools like Terraform Enterprise (TFE) and Spacelift provide automation, governance, and security for complex infrastructure deployments. However, these platforms are primarily designed around Terraform workflows, often requiring additional integrations to support Kubernetes-native environments.

Plural Stacks takes a Kubernetes-native approach to managing infrastructure stacks using Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs). This allows direct integration with Plural CD and removes the dependency on external execution platforms. With built-in Terraform state management, plan approval workflows, PR-based automation, and notification support, Plural Stacks unifies infrastructure and application deployment under a GitOps-driven workflow. Additionally, it extends support to non-Terraform tools like Ansible and Pulumi, making it a versatile solution for hybrid environments.

Kubernetes-Native Approach

CRD Library for Stack Management

Plural Stacks uses Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs) to define and manage infrastructure stacks directly within Kubernetes. This allows infrastructure to be treated like any other Kubernetes resource, enabling:

• Declarative infrastructure definitions that follow Kubernetes best practices.

  

• Automatic lifecycle management of infrastructure components through Kubernetes controllers.

• GitOps-driven workflows, ensuring infrastructure changes follow the same lifecycle as application workloads.

Integration with Plural CD

Plural Stacks seamlessly integrates with Plural CD, ensuring infrastructure and application deployments are managed together. Key benefits include:

• Automated infrastructure rollouts alongside application deployments.

• Self-service infrastructure provisioning for developers, reducing bottlenecks.

• Simplified dependency management across infrastructure and application components.

By unifying infrastructure and application deployment, Plural Stacks integrates them into a unified GitOps-driven workflow within the Kubernetes environment.

Core Infrastructure Management Features

Built-in Terraform State Management

Plural Stacks manages Terraform state directly within Kubernetes, eliminating reliance on external state backends like S3, Terraform Cloud, or Spacelift-managed storage. This approach ensures:

• More secure state management with Kubernetes-native RBAC.

• Consistent state storage across multiple clusters without external dependencies.

• Reduced operational complexity since the state is handled within the existing Kubernetes environment.

Plan Approval Workflows

Plural Stacks provides complete plan approval workflows, allowing teams to:

• Review and approve infrastructure changes before applying them.

• Ensure compliance with internal policies before deployments proceed.

• Integrate with notification systems (e.g., Slack, email) to alert stakeholders about pending approvals.

This built-in workflow removes the need for external approval mechanisms, unlike Terraform Enterprise and Spacelift, which require custom integrations for approval gates.

PR-Based Planning Process

Plural Stacks automates infrastructure execution by monitoring Git repositories and triggering PR-based planning workflows when changes are detected:

• Detects new commits and triggers an infrastructure run within the designated Kubernetes cluster.

• Generates Terraform plans automatically, which can be reviewed before applying.

• Applies approved changes without requiring an external execution engine.

Platform Flexibility

Support for Non-Terraform Tools

In addition to Terraform, Plural Stacks supports Ansible for configuration management and Pulumi for infrastructure provisioning using traditional programming languages.

Comparison with Spacelift and Terraform Enterprise

Plural Stacks adopts a distinct approach to infrastructure management by operating entirely within Kubernetes, providing a more integrated and automated experience than Terraform Enterprise and Spacelift. Terraform Enterprise and Spacelift manage Terraform execution externally, relying on separate runtimes outside Kubernetes.

Key Features Comparison

Conclusion

Plural Stacks is a uniquely Kubernetes-native platform that unifies infrastructure management and application delivery in a single solution. Running entirely within Kubernetes—rather than relying on external runtimes—reduces complexity, strengthens security, and streamlines execution. This tight integration with Plural CD, built-in Terraform state management, approval workflows, and support for tools like Ansible and Pulumi allows teams to manage infrastructure and applications under one GitOps-driven workflow. As a result, Plural Stacks provides greater consistency, efficiency, and scalability compared to traditional IaC platforms such as Terraform Enterprise and Spacelift.