Learn PULUMI with Real Code Examples
Updated Nov 27, 2025
Explain
Enables infrastructure provisioning using code rather than declarative templates.
Supports multiple cloud providers including AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes, and more.
Allows developers to leverage programming constructs like loops, functions, and abstractions for infrastructure.
Provides a unified model for managing both cloud and on-prem resources.
Integrates with CI/CD pipelines for automated provisioning and updates.
Core Features
Resource abstraction for cloud services
Stack management for isolated environments
Dependency graph handling for infrastructure
Real-time diff and preview of changes
CLI and SDKs for multiple languages
Basic Concepts Overview
Stack - isolated environment for infrastructure state
Resource - individual cloud or Kubernetes entity
Program - code defining infrastructure
Outputs - exposed values from a stack
Secrets - encrypted sensitive data
Project Structure
Pulumi.yaml - project configuration
Pulumi.<stack>.yaml - stack-specific configuration
index.ts / main.py / main.go - main infrastructure program
node_modules or virtual environment - SDK dependencies
tests/ - infrastructure tests or mocks
Building Workflow
Write infrastructure code in supported language
Run pulumi preview to see changes
Run pulumi up to apply changes
Inspect stack outputs and monitor resources
Update or destroy infrastructure with pulumi update/destroy
Difficulty Use Cases
Beginner: single cloud stack deployment
Intermediate: multi-service application on cloud
Advanced: multi-cloud deployments with abstractions
Expert: CI/CD-integrated automated provisioning
Enterprise: multi-team governance and policy enforcement
Comparisons
Pulumi vs Terraform: general-purpose language vs HCL DSL
Pulumi vs CloudFormation: multi-cloud vs AWS-specific
Pulumi vs Ansible: declarative vs imperative code
Pulumi vs CDK: SDK-based vs cloud-native libraries
Pulumi vs Chef/Puppet: IaC code vs configuration management
Versioning Timeline
2017 - Pulumi founded and initial release
2018 - Support for multiple cloud providers added
2019 - Pulumi Automation API introduced
2020 - Policy as Code and secrets management released
2025 - Mature multi-cloud, hybrid, and Kubernetes support
Glossary
Stack - isolated environment for resources
Resource - cloud or Kubernetes object
Pulumi.yaml - project config
Output - exported stack value
Secret - encrypted sensitive data