Terraform is an open-source infrastructure as code software tool created by HashiCorp.
Best AWS SAM Alternatives ranked by AI · updated Aug 2026
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AWS SAM is an open-source framework and CLI for defining, testing, and deploying serverless applications on AWS. Express developers can use it to package Lambda functions, API Gateway endpoints, layers, and supporting resources with infrastructure as code.
Top 6 AWS SAM alternatives
Pulumi is an open-source infrastructure as code tool that allows users to define and manage cloud infrastructure using familiar programming languages.
Free and paid plans available
Google Cloud Run is a managed platform that enables you to run stateless containers that are invocable via HTTP requests.
Pay as you go pricing
Azure Functions is a serverless compute service that enables you to run event-triggered code without having to explicitly provision or manage infrastructure....
Pay as you go pricing based on the number of executions and resource consumption.
Serverless Express is an open-source adapter for running existing Express and other Node.js HTTP applications on AWS Lambda and API Gateway. It...
Pros
- Preserves Express routing and middleware with relatively few application changes
- Integrates directly with AWS Lambda and API Gateway
- Supports common Node.js web frameworks beyond Express
Cons
- Tied primarily to AWS Lambda and API Gateway
- Cold starts and API Gateway limits still affect application behavior
- More configuration is required than with traditional Express hosting
Free, open source
SST is an open-source infrastructure framework for deploying full-stack applications on AWS, including Next.js applications. It provides higher-level constructs, local development tooling,...
Pros
- Provides a more developer-friendly AWS workflow for OpenNext deployments
- Offers live development and infrastructure abstractions beyond raw AWS configuration
- Retains more AWS control than Vercel or Netlify
Cons
- Still requires AWS account, billing, and operational knowledge
- Adds another framework layer and configuration model to learn
- Deployment and debugging can be more involved than fully managed platforms
Free; AWS infrastructure costs apply
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