SOC 2 Compliance for Terraform
Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) is a superpower for SOC 2. Terraform provides an immutable, version-controlled record of your infrastructure, which auditors find highly trustworthy.
Core Terraform Controls
Version-Controlled Infrastructure
Manage all infrastructure changes via pull requests in Git. This provides a built-in audit trail of who changed what, when, and why.
Remote State Security
Store Terraform state in a secure, encrypted backend (like S3 with KMS or Terraform Cloud) with state locking enabled to prevent corruption.
Policy as Code (Sentinel/OPA)
Use Sentinel or Open Policy Agent (OPA) to enforce security guardrails, such as "no public buckets," before infrastructure is provisioned.
Terraform Cloud Audit Logs
If using Terraform Cloud or Enterprise, leverage Audit Logs to track workspace changes, state access, and configuration updates.
Auditor-Vetted Best Practices
Implement "Plan-only" CI jobs to review infrastructure changes and cost estimates before they are applied to production.
Use "Variable Sets" in Terraform Cloud to securely manage provider credentials and environment secrets without exposing them in code.
Modularize your Terraform code to ensure consistent, security-hardened configurations are reused across the entire organization.
Regularly run "terraform plan" in your CI/CD pipelines to detect and remediate "configuration drift" from your intended state.
Infrastructure-as-Code is Key
The fastest way to achieve SOC 2 on Terraform is to define your entire environment in code. This provides an immutable audit trail that auditors love.
View IaC ChecklistKevin A
Principal Security & GRC Engineer
Kevin is a security engineer turned GRC specialist. He focuses on mapping cloud-native infrastructure (AWS/Azure/GCP) to modern compliance frameworks, ensuring that security controls are both robust and auditor-ready without slowing down development cycles.
SOC 2 and Terraform FAQs
How does Terraform support SOC 2 compliance?
Terraform provides native security controls (IAM, logging, encryption) that map to SOC 2 Trust Service Criteria. Proper configuration and evidence collection from Terraform can satisfy a significant portion of technical control requirements.
What SOC 2 controls map to Terraform?
Common mappings include: access control (IAM/users and roles), change management (audit logs and deployment pipelines), logical access (MFA and least privilege), and monitoring (logging and alerting). See our implementation guide above for platform-specific control mapping.
How do we collect evidence from Terraform for our audit?
Evidence from Terraform typically includes: configuration exports, access review reports, audit/activity logs, and encryption settings. Compliance automation tools can pull evidence continuously; otherwise, export and store evidence per your auditor's requirements.
Does Terraform integrate with compliance automation (Vanta, Drata)?
Most major cloud and SaaS platforms, including Terraform, offer integrations or APIs used by compliance automation tools. Check your automation provider's integration list and enable the Terraform connector for continuous evidence collection.
About RiscLens
Our mission is to provide transparency and clarity to early-stage technology companies navigating the complexities of SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls 2) compliance.
Who we serve
Built specifically for early-stage and growing technology companies—SaaS, fintech, and healthcare tech—preparing for their first SOC 2 audit or responding to enterprise customer requirements.
What we provide
Clarity before commitment. We help teams understand realistic cost ranges, timeline expectations, and common gaps before they engage auditors or expensive compliance vendors.
Our Boundaries
We do not provide legal advice, audit services, or certifications. Our assessments support internal planning—they are not a substitute for professional compliance guidance.
SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls 2) is a voluntary compliance standard for service organizations, developed by the AICPA, which specifies how organizations should manage customer data based on the Trust Services Criteria: security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy.
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