Terraform Development & Consultancy
Terraform is an infrastructure as code tool for managing cloud resources. We help you build repeatable environments and review changes before they reach production, with configuration your team can maintain.
What is Terraform?
Terraform is HashiCorp's infrastructure as code tool. It lets you describe cloud resources in configuration files, store those files in version control and review proposed changes before applying them. Instead of relying on someone to remember the settings they clicked in a cloud console, your team has a documented configuration it can review and reuse.
For an application, that might include its network, hosting services, database, file storage and access permissions. Terraform works through providers that communicate with platforms such as AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud. Each platform still needs its own configuration and architectural decisions.
Scorchsoft focuses on the infrastructure that supports your application, alongside the software we develop and the delivery processes that release it. Read HashiCorp's introduction to Terraform for the underlying technology.
Infrastructure your team can understand and maintain
We agree the resources, environments and responsibilities before implementation, then build the configuration and delivery workflow around them.
Application infrastructure
Define the agreed hosting, network, database, storage and identity resources in Terraform, with environment-specific settings kept clear.
Reusable configuration
Organise related resources into modules so staging and production can follow the same pattern while retaining appropriate differences.
Reviewed deployment workflows
Connect validation and Terraform plans to your delivery pipeline, with explicit approval controls for production changes.
State and access controls
Configure appropriate remote state storage, locking where supported, restricted access and secrets handling for your chosen platform.
Keep environments consistent
A staging environment is more useful when it follows the same infrastructure pattern as production. We use reusable configuration and explicit variables to manage those similarities, while keeping capacity, credentials and data appropriately separate.
For example, a customer portal might need a managed database, private network, application hosting and file storage in each environment. Terraform can describe that arrangement so a new environment starts from an agreed baseline.
Infrastructure code also helps with rebuilding resources, but recovery still depends on backups, restore procedures and testing. We plan those alongside the configuration.
Review changes before applying them
A Terraform plan shows the resources a proposed change would create, update or destroy. We put that review into the delivery process so your team can assess the impact before approving production work.
We can also use plans to identify differences between the configuration and resources changed outside Terraform. Someone still needs to review those differences and decide which state is correct.
Terraform can make destructive changes, so approvals, access controls and an agreed recovery approach matter. See HashiCorp's guidance on Terraform plans.
How we introduce Terraform
- Assess the starting point. We review your cloud resources, existing configuration, application dependencies and delivery process. We identify what Terraform should manage and who will approve and operate changes.
- Design a manageable structure. We agree environment boundaries, module structure, state storage, permissions and secrets handling. We also check which resources the chosen providers support.
- Build and validate. We write the configuration, review the plans and test the approach in a suitable non-production environment before making agreed production changes.
- Adopt existing resources carefully. Where appropriate, we import supported resources and align their configuration with the running environment. We review the plan for unexpected changes before applying it.
- Document and hand over. We provide the agreed configuration, deployment instructions and operational guidance, including how to review plans, manage access and maintain provider versions.
You retain ownership of the cloud accounts and subscriptions. We agree access, approval responsibilities and ongoing support with you; cloud usage charges remain separate from development work. The amount of work depends on the number of environments, existing infrastructure, integrations and handover requirements.
Is Terraform right for your project?
Terraform is particularly useful when you maintain several environments, need to recreate infrastructure reliably, or want changes reviewed alongside your application code. It can also help when a growing platform has accumulated manual cloud configuration that only one person understands.
A small application on a fully managed hosting platform may need very little infrastructure configuration. We would assess whether Terraform adds enough value to justify introducing and maintaining it.
Terraform manages infrastructure; your application still needs its own build and deployment process, monitoring, backups and security work. We can scope it alongside AWS application development, Docker-based deployments and DevOps consultancy.
What Our Clients Say
Scorchsoft helped us take our idea for an app and make it a reality. Everything from the planning meeting to decide what we really needed to the project management and execution was great. It was delivered on time - early in fact - and on budget. Highly recommend.
Rebecca PalserDragonfly IntelligenceScorchsoft is a brilliant company with fantastic knowledge of the mobile app industry. From the project management to the development team, they have been the perfect candidate for our project, and we can't thank them enough!
Lance ChorltonGapped OnlineWe're really pleased with the work Scorchsoft has done in developing our web portal! They have been accurate with timelines and budget, delivering a solid product that allows us to monitor and manage patients remotely while they use our novel medical device at-home. The "plan - design - build" approach has worked well and saved us time in the long-run by catching requirements and issues early.
Daniel GreenSensTrainI'm really pleased with how my app came out, it was exactly what I was looking for. The team at Scorchsoft are great at what they do and made the whole process as simple and easy as possible. Being someone who is not very tech savvy the set up and back end operations were done in a great easy to use manner even for myself which makes using my app stress free. Thanks to all the team!
Ruben CarrollMosaic MasterpiecesThe new Flourish Education website has already removed a lot of manual processes, freeing up both schools, candidates and internal employees time. We are delighted with the look and feel which is clean, professional and more engaging. We are also pleased with the decision to have an HD video background on the homepage, and building immediate trust with our clients by giving them a taste of what it looks like in the Flourish Education offices.
James HancocksMarketing Manager, Flourish Education I can't believe how quickly we started to see results with this project. Scorchsoft provided us with graphic-designed mockups of how the app would look once built, and we were able to sell the product for use by our first customer before the product was finished. Since launching in March, we have secured a major television network as a client who now uses Image Approvals to manage the talent approval process for their productions.
Aimee SpinksMD, ImageApprovals.com
Tell us how your infrastructure works today
Share the application, cloud platform and deployment challenges you want to improve. We will help you assess whether Terraform is a sensible fit and what the work would involve.
Terraform development questions
Often, yes. Supported resources can be imported into Terraform's state and matched with configuration. We first assess provider support, dependencies and ownership, then review the plan carefully to avoid unintended changes. Some resources or settings may need to remain outside Terraform.
Terraform gives teams a consistent way to manage different providers, but each cloud uses different resources and services. Moving an application from AWS to Azure, for example, still requires architecture changes, new configuration and a migration plan.
We scope restricted access, suitable remote state storage and encryption, and use state locking where the backend supports it. State and saved plans can contain sensitive values, even when Terraform hides those values in command output. We also agree how credentials are supplied and managed. HashiCorp's sensitive-data guidance explains why these controls matter.
These tools serve different purposes. Docker packages an application and its runtime dependencies. Terraform provisions and manages infrastructure. A delivery pipeline can run infrastructure checks and deploy application releases, connecting the two where appropriate.
Yes. We can include repository access, module documentation, environment settings, deployment instructions and a walkthrough in the agreed scope. We define who will own future infrastructure changes and whether you want ongoing Scorchsoft support.
We estimate after reviewing the infrastructure and agreeing the scope. Cost depends on the resources and environments involved, the quality of existing configuration, the deployment workflow, migration risks and the level of documentation and handover you need. Cloud subscriptions and usage charges are separate.
Need help building your ideas?
Tell us where you're headed and we'll come back with our thoughts, a realistic plan and a rough cost estimate. Scorchsoft is a UK-based team of app, portal and AI developers, working in-house from Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter.