Terraform for the platform layer — Deployment Manager is on a clock.

Picking the wrong tool for a given infrastructure layer is a real, recurring source of team friction.

Terraform

Provider-agnostic standard. Networks, IAM, projects, GKE — anything meant to outlive today.

Infrastructure Manager

Google's managed Terraform runner via Cloud Build — same configs, no runner to operate.

Config Connector

Kubernetes CRDs for GCP resources — only when GKE is already the control plane.

Fabric FAST

Google's opinionated landing-zone blueprints — earns its cost at real scale, not day one.

Deployment Manager's firm deprecation timeline

TodayDo not start anything new on Deployment Manager.

Apr 1, 2026Support ends — dm-convert is the named migration path.

Jun 30, 2027Full service turn-down.

Never let Terraform and Config Connector both claim the same resource — one resource, one system of record, decided before either tool touches it.