Providers overview

Providers are how Terraform integrates with any upstream API.

The Terraform Registry is the main source for publicly available Terraform providers. It offers a browsable and searchable interface for finding providers, and makes it possible for Terraform CLI to automatically install any of the providers it hosts.

If you want Terraform to support a new infrastructure service, you can create your own provider using Terraform's Go SDK. Once you've developed a provider, you can use the Registry to share it with the rest of the community.

Using Providers From the Registry

The Registry is directly integrated with Terraform. To use any provider from the Registry, all you need to do is require it within your Terraform configuration; Terraform can then automatically install that provider when initializing a working directory, and your configuration can take advantage of any resources implemented by that provider.

For more information, see:

• Configuration Language: Provider Requirements

Provider Tiers & Namespaces

Terraform providers are published and maintained by a variety of sources, including HashiCorp, HashiCorp Technology Partners, and the Terraform community. The Registry uses tiers and badges to denote the source of a provider. Additionally, namespaces are used to help users identify the organization or publisher responsible for the integration, as shown in the table below.

Partner Provider Development Program

Our Provider Development Program sets the standards for publishing providers and modules and marks approved providers and modules with a Partner badge. Refer to the Program Details for details about how to join and program requirements.