Tame Complex PostgreSQL Schemas with Atlas, a Terraform for Databases
As applications grow, their underlying database schemas inevitably grow more complex. What often starts as an afterthought handled by a single developer quickly turns into a critical, high-risk responsibility that demands precision and discipline.
Tools like Flyway and Liquibase automate the application of schema changes, but they stop short of addressing the real pain points: planning and validating those changes before they hit production. These steps remain largely manual, error-prone, and disliked by most developers.
Atlas is designed to fill this gap by automating the entire lifecycle of schema changes. Inspired by Terraform, Atlas provides a declarative approach to database schema management, enabling teams to define their schemas as code and automate the planning, validation, and application of changes.
Why Terraform for Databases?
Infrastructure teams have standardized on tools like Terraform to manage cloud resources declaratively. Databases, despite being critical infrastructure, often remain outside this workflow. Schema changes are still handled manually or with ad-hoc migration scripts, leading to drift, unpredictability, and production risks.
