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Cloud · head to head

Terragrunt vs containerd

Terragrunt logo

Terragrunt

Cloud

The Open Source IaC Orchestrator Platform Teams Trust

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
containerd logo

containerd

Cloud

Industry-standard container runtime, and the engine inside Docker

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Terragrunt additional complexity layer on top of Terraform; containerd not a developer-facing tool: there is no build command and the CLI is deliberately minimal, so it needs companions like nerdctl or Buildah
  • They diverge on capability: Terragrunt covers Infrastructure orchestration, containerd covers Full container lifecycle.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Terragrunt and containerd actually diverge.

Attributes where Terragrunt and containerd differ
AttributeTerragruntcontainerd
Pricing modelUnknownOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsAWS, Azure, GCPLinux, Windows

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 Terragrunt

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

Only in containerd

  • Full container lifecycle
  • CRI support
  • OCI compliant
  • Snapshotter plugins
  • Namespaces
  • Stable API

What people use each for

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

Terragrunt

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

containerd

  • Running the container runtime under a Kubernetes cluster after the Docker shim removalnot Terragrunt
  • Building a platform or PaaS that needs to execute containersnot Terragrunt
  • Reducing the moving parts on nodes that only ever run Kubernetes workloadsnot Terragrunt
  • Embedding container execution inside another productnot Terragrunt

Where each one falls short

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

Terragrunt

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

containerd

  • Not a developer-facing tool: there is no build command and the CLI is deliberately minimal, so it needs companions like nerdctl or Buildah
  • Debugging is lower-level than Docker, and error messages assume knowledge of the runtime internals
  • Documentation is aimed at platform engineers, so newcomers usually find Docker or Podman material more useful
  • No image building at all — that is out of scope by design

Pricing, plan by plan

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

containerd

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

Which should you pick?

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

Choose containerd if

  • You need full container lifecycle.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows.
  • You also want cri support.
containerd review

Questions people ask

Is Terragrunt or containerd better?
Neither clearly leads. Terragrunt starts at Free and containerd at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Terragrunt or containerd?
Terragrunt starts at Free and containerd at Free.
Does Terragrunt or containerd run on more platforms?
Terragrunt runs on AWS, Azure, GCP. containerd runs on Linux, Windows.
Can I use Terragrunt for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Terragrunt best used for?
Terragrunt is most often used for organizing terraform code across multiple environments, automating infrastructure deployment workflows, implementing infrastructure as code templates for developer self-service. Of those, organizing terraform code across multiple environments and automating infrastructure deployment workflows are not what containerd is typically brought in for.
What can Terragrunt do that containerd cannot?
Terragrunt covers Infrastructure orchestration, Run Queue, DRY configuration, Automated hooks. containerd covers Full container lifecycle, CRI support, OCI compliant, Snapshotter plugins.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
containerd: Is containerd free?

Yes. It is an open-source CNCF graduated project with no licence fee.

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
containerd: Do I need containerd if I use Docker?

You already have it. Docker uses containerd underneath to run containers; it is not an alternative you install separately.

containerd: Why did Kubernetes drop Docker for containerd?

Kubernetes talks to runtimes through the Container Runtime Interface. Docker did not speak CRI natively and needed a shim, so Kubernetes removed the shim and talks to containerd directly, which Docker was already using anyway.

containerd: Can containerd build images?

No. Image building is deliberately out of scope. Tools such as Buildah, BuildKit or Docker handle that.

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