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Cloud · head to head

Buildah vs Terragrunt

Buildah logo

Buildah

Cloud

Build OCI container images without a daemon or a Dockerfile

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Terragrunt logo

Terragrunt

Cloud

The Open Source IaC Orchestrator Platform Teams Trust

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Buildah linux only, with no native macOS or Windows support; Terragrunt additional complexity layer on top of Terraform
  • They diverge on capability: Buildah covers Daemonless builds, Terragrunt covers Infrastructure orchestration.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Buildah and Terragrunt actually diverge.

Attributes where Buildah and Terragrunt differ
AttributeBuildahTerragrunt
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feeUnknown
PlatformsLinuxAWS, Azure, GCP

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cloud).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Buildah

  • Daemonless builds
  • Rootless
  • Dockerfile compatible
  • Scriptable builds

Only in Terragrunt

  • Infrastructure orchestration
  • Run Queue
  • DRY configuration
  • Automated hooks
  • Infrastructure catalog
  • Least-privilege access

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Buildah

  • Building images in CI without a privileged Docker daemonnot Terragrunt
  • Producing minimal images with tighter layer control than a Dockerfile givesnot Terragrunt
  • Scripted image assembly where a Dockerfile is the wrong abstractionnot Terragrunt

Terragrunt

  • Organizing Terraform code across multiple environmentsnot Buildah
  • Automating infrastructure deployment workflowsnot Buildah
  • Implementing infrastructure as code templates for developer self-servicenot Buildah

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Buildah

  • Linux only, with no native macOS or Windows support
  • Scriptable builds are powerful but less portable and less familiar than a Dockerfile
  • Narrow by design: it builds images and does not run them, so it needs Podman or another runtime alongside

Terragrunt

  • Additional complexity layer on top of Terraform
  • Requires understanding of Terraform concepts
  • Paid tier pricing not clearly published

Pricing, plan by plan

Buildah

Free
  • BuildahFree
    • Full functionality
    • No usage limits
    • Community support

Terragrunt

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Terragrunt CLI - completely free
    • Community support
  • Terragrunt Scale FreeFree
    • Free CI/CD pipeline
    • Unlimited runs and resources
    • For up to 25 infrastructure units
  • Terragrunt Scale Paid$undefined/custom
    • Volume pricing for more than 25 infrastructure units
    • Enterprise support

Which should you pick?

Choose Buildah if

  • You need daemonless builds.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux.
  • You also want rootless.
Buildah review

Choose Terragrunt if

  • You need infrastructure orchestration.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on AWS, Azure, GCP.
  • You also want run queue.
Terragrunt review

Questions people ask

Is Buildah or Terragrunt better?
Neither clearly leads. Buildah starts at Free and Terragrunt at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Buildah or Terragrunt?
Buildah starts at Free and Terragrunt at Free.
Does Buildah or Terragrunt run on more platforms?
Buildah runs on Linux. Terragrunt runs on AWS, Azure, GCP.
Can I use Buildah for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Buildah best used for?
Buildah is most often used for building images in ci without a privileged docker daemon, producing minimal images with tighter layer control than a dockerfile gives, scripted image assembly where a dockerfile is the wrong abstraction. Of those, building images in ci without a privileged docker daemon and producing minimal images with tighter layer control than a dockerfile gives are not what Terragrunt is typically brought in for.
What can Buildah do that Terragrunt cannot?
Buildah covers Daemonless builds, Rootless, Dockerfile compatible, Scriptable builds. Terragrunt covers Infrastructure orchestration, Run Queue, DRY configuration, Automated hooks.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Buildah: Is Buildah free?

Yes, open source with no licence fee.

Terragrunt: Is Terragrunt free?

Yes, the Terragrunt CLI is completely free and open source. Terragrunt Scale offers a free tier for up to 25 infrastructure units.

Source
Buildah: Do I still need a Dockerfile?

No. Buildah reads Dockerfiles if you have them, but images can be built entirely from shell commands instead.

Terragrunt: What is the difference between Terragrunt and Terraform?

Terragrunt is an orchestration layer on top of Terraform that handles state management, DRY principles, and deployment automation without replacing Terraform itself.

Source
Buildah: How is Buildah different from Podman?

Buildah builds images; Podman runs them. Podman actually embeds Buildah for its build command, and the two are designed to be used together.

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