New name for the OpenTF project

[roni-frantchi]

This is an issue that's meant to be a place where we can consolidate some of the discussions around several issues raised regarding the name of the project/binary.
Namely https://github.com/opentffoundation/opentf/issues/273 https://github.com/opentffoundation/opentf/issues/276 https://github.com/opentffoundation/opentf/issues/287 .
I'll be closing these issues soon for the sake of having one place to discuss the matter.

Naming can be, unfortunately, a little tricky - specifically around Hashicorp trademarks.
Our legal team is currently going through the process of clearing some alternatives if needs be, as OpenTF might not be one we will be able to keep.

[jebotz]

Some criteria for the name...

1. It should a fairly generic term referencing or invoking "infrastructure as code".
2. Somewhat in tension with the previous point, it should be distinct enough that it can be effectively googled.
3. It should not use the word cloud... it's about infrastructure, cloud or otherwise.
4. It should not remind of the old name... not only for legal reasons, but also to make a clean break... from here on this the definitive IaC software, not a "clone" of the old one.

Specific suggestions:

• Project: OpenInfraCode, with the executable being 'oic' or even 'iac'
• infrabuilder
• infratect

[Magnitus-]

Some quick suggestions from the top of my head:

• Infode or Incode (merging "infra" and "code" together)
• Infrascale (for scaling infra across a large team by codifying it)
• Devopify or Devopic (making operations more ammenable to devops methodology either as an action or qualitative)
• Infrascript (scripting your infra)
• Declarify or Declair (takes on "declarative", made it a little French with the second one)
• Infradev (from the idea of making infra more dev friendly)
• Scalop or Scalops (scaling operations)
• Scalator (something that scales)

[RLRabinowitz]

Worth listing anything that should be done once the new name for the OpenTF project has been decided, to migrate the project to the new name:

• Rename all occurrences of opentf in the code to the new name
• Replace all occurrences of placeholderplaceholderplaceholder, if those are not yet determined by then (https://github.com/opentffoundation/opentf/issues/165)
• Replace the domain names (of the documentation website and the registry) to correspond to the new name
• Rename the GitHub Organization and Repository to the new name. All links to the repo should still work once we do that

@DicsyDel anything else you think we'd need to add here?

[sylvinus]

If the plan is to keep backwards compatibility, that means keeping .tf files around?

I understand the need to stay clear of the old name, but what about something in the vein of "TransForge" that would keep being related to the file extension?

[marcinwyszynski]

The file extensions are fine. Generally consuming things is perfectly fine.

[theherk]

Another two great suggestions were terrafork and lunarspoon, though I still think tofu has been the best suggestion, though I can't find where that was made. Short, still has tf matching extension, and doesn't sound like terraform.

Edited to clarify my recommendation:

tofu

[ppabis]

though I still thing tofu has been the best suggestion

Voting up for Tofu because Bento

But still will throw my thoughts:

Gaiamorph - literally Greek paratranslation of Terra-form

cTF - Cloud Target/Template Formatter - or anything that goes with this abbreviation

[lorengordon]

I like tofu also :smile:

[DicsyDel]

@RLRabinowitz LGTM

[bsanders]

Since it got a lot of positive reactions, I'm going to pull this one forward from one of the earlier issues: hashbrowns

https://github.com/opentffoundation/opentf/issues/276#issuecomment-1707053970

[lens0021]

• tufa: (petrology) A variety of volcanic rock, tuff
• tafos: τάφος(táphos) funeral rites, burial, funeral, wake. tomb, grave
• tofus: kind of rock (Latin)
• tofum: accusative singular of tōfus (Latin)
• tefra: tephra (geology) The solid material thrown into the air by a volcanic eruption that settles on the surrounding areas

[pauldraper]

Tofu is silly, but makes for a good CLI.

I like Incode.

OpenForm is a straightforward option. Think Elasticsearch -> OpenSearch.

[alex067]

tofu is unironically kinda great.

• short / 2 syllabels
• shortened to tf
• arguably food agnostic???

[Magnitus-]

tofu is inspired, plus its healthy and good for the environment. Its also self-deprecatingly charming.

I think terrafork is great too, but if the goal is to distance ourselves from the Hashicorp offerings, then its not the best in this regard unfortunately.

[jebotz]

I think terrafork is great too, but if the goal is to distance ourselves from the Hashicorp offerings, then its not the best in this regard unfortunately.

It's not just "distancing from the Hashicorp offerings"... it's that we're not the fork, they are.

The software we're talking about is an Open Source tool used by and contributed to by a huge community of individuals and companies. We're continuing that, Hashicorp is not. They are the fork... we're the real thing. That's why a name like "terrafork" won't do, neither will "lunarspoon" or even "gaiamorph". We're not the fork, nor an imitation, we're the continuing incarnation of the community.

In that light "tofu" is not out, but a better choice would a good name that has absolutely no association whatsoever with Hashicorp's product.

Let me add here that I have zero anger toward Hashicorp and nothing but respect for the engineers who created terraform and Hashicorp's other very good products. They had the right to make the choice they did, but I think it was the wrong choice, and the enormous momentum behind OpenTF shows that most of the community thinks so too. So we need to take that momentum and use it to make sure that the definitive IaC tool that almost everyone uses in the future is an Open Source one. And for now it seems like that's what's going to happen and in a year's time most people will almost have forgotten that this tool used to be called terraform. So why use a name that would remind them? Hashicorp has made their choice, we owe them nothing.

[lens0021]

I am thinking including "fork" in the name is not a sort of good idea, as this project will proceed over just being a fork.

[aaajhs]

I'd like to throw Rafter out there.

Why?

1. Notice how the term is an incomplete, partial anagram of Terraform. We take the core of what Terraform is, to build something new, while leaving behind what's not essential. While we may not have all the bells and whistles HashiCorp may provide in the future, we still have what's actually important for the community to build upon together.
2. It subtly hints at the word "Crafter", highlighting that all of us in this new OpenTF community are all crafters of infrastructure.
3. Apparently a "rafter" is a critical component in building construction, as it forms the foundational support structure for the roof, ensuring the entire building stands strong and secure. This reflects our goal with OpenTF - to create a solid foundation for infrastructure management.
4. Also, picture someone leaving a Terraformed land on a raft in search of freedom. What do we call this person? A "raft-er" ;)

Edit) The t and f are also still there, if it helps resemble the .tf extension somehow.

[emocharnik]

I like tofu for its simplicity and matching the .tf extension, but I'm afraid it could be harder for organic search in Google.

I'd also like to throw nubilus - the name is derived from the Latin word "nubes" which means "cloud". The "nubilus" could symbolize a deity responsible for the digital realm, including cloud-based technology and data storage.

[pauldraper]

we're not the fork, they are

a better choice would a good name that has absolutely no association whatsoever

So which is it? Is this the true continuation of the Terraform project, or something absolutely unrelated to the Terraform project?

If it's the continuation, then why not a name that reflects that?

---

The allergy to Terraform references is relevant solely for avoiding trademark infringement. The name "OpenTF" was (and is) perfectly acceptable, except for that concern.

Do one think less of Linux because its name is derived from Unix? Does that make it "lesser" or "subordinate" to Unix? Of course not.

In every practical sense, the OpenTF community is benefited from association with Terraform. Naturally, since -- as you say @jebotz -- it is the continuation of Terraform. It has no reason to downplay that.

[pauldraper]

Crafter is more semantically relevant than Rafter.

[mwalser]

I find @Magnitus- suggestion of Declair really nice. It hints to the declarative nature of the product, sounds nice when pronounced, seems to be reasonable easy to search and also reminds me of the pastry éclair.

[jebotz]

So which is it? Is this the true continuation of the Terraform project, or something absolutely unrelated to the Terraform project?

It's the true continuation of the IaC project formerly known as terraform, but "terraform" isn't a project, it's just a name that happens to owned by someone else.

If it's the continuation, then why not a name that reflects that?

Because we don't need to be a reflection, we need to be the definitive infastructure as code tool. Have the name reflect that, directly, is what I'm saying.

[martinkellydigital]

tofu is the clear leader around this office for reasons mentioned above. it's cool, distinctive, short, and has mnemonic inertia (tfutils, tfenv, tfscaffold, TACOS etc all still work)

[cgetzen]

Kubernetes: kubectl Infrastructure: ictl, infctl, infractl?

[lens0021]

I like Declair because I did not understand what Terraform terraformed. Besides, declaration is the key feature of the project, isn't it?

[dylanmtaylor]

Tofu is a fantastic name.

[dylanmtaylor]

I like tofu for its simplicity and matching the .tf extension, but I'm afraid it could be harder for organic search in Google.

I'd also like to throw nubilus - the name is derived from the Latin word "nubes" which means "cloud". The "nubilus" could symbolize a deity responsible for the digital realm, including cloud-based technology and data storage.

For google search, 99% of the time, the terraform commands will be the equivalent so that's not really an issue.

[adjokic]

Instead of forming the "Terra" how about forming the "Universe". I'm not sure if you're fixated on keeping the letters T and F, but I think UniForm or UnivForm (for search purposes) have a good ring to them, to me at least.

[bjoe88]

I want to throw: coin ( COde for INfra) Since we are promoting infra as a code.

[skyzyx]

I also want to put out there that I regularly use Terraform for managing:

• GitHub repositories, orgs, teams
• New Relic dashboards, monitors, alerts
• Datadog dashboards, monitors, alerts
• PagerDuty users, schedules, escalations
• Artifactory system configuration

I'm not opposed to linking the name to IaC/infrastructure, but I think that the "as-Code" part is more relevant than "Infrastructure" part.

[jwhy89]

This is what chatgpt 3.5 suggested... lol 😹

what could be other good replacement names for terraform if it were to be forked?

ChatGPT Choosing a replacement name for a fork of Terraform would depend on the goals and intentions of the fork. The name should reflect the project's purpose and may want to avoid trademark or copyright issues. Here are some creative suggestions:

• TerraSculpt: Combining "Terra" from Terraform and "Sculpt" to emphasize the shaping and management of infrastructure.

• InfraForge: A fusion of "Infrastructure" and "Forge," indicating the crafting and creation of infrastructure components.

• EnviroCraft: A play on "Environment" and "Craft," highlighting the skillful construction of infrastructure environments.

• Infrascape: Merging "Infrastructure" and "Landscape" to emphasize the management and design of infrastructure landscapes.

• CloudWeaver: Suggesting the weaving together of cloud resources and infrastructure components.

• InfraMaster: A straightforward name conveying expertise in infrastructure management.

• IaSculptor: A twist on "Infrastructure as Code," emphasizing the sculpting and crafting of infrastructure through code.

• Inferno: A combination of "Infrastructure" and "Inferno," emphasizing the powerful and transformative nature of the tool.

• SkyForge: Suggesting the creation and shaping of cloud-based infrastructure.

• AutoCraft: Emphasizing the automation and craftsmanship involved in managing infrastructure.

• EnviroScript: Highlighting the scripting aspect of infrastructure management and its impact on the environment.

• Architectron: Merging "Architect" and "Electronic" to suggest the electronic design and architecture of infrastructure.

• Provisioneer: Combining "Provision" and "Engineer" to emphasize the provisioning and engineering of infrastructure.

• SysCanvas: Suggesting the canvas-like environment where systems and infrastructure are designed and managed.

• InfraPulse: Emphasizing the dynamic and pulsating nature of infrastructure management.

Remember to check for trademark availability and conduct a thorough search to ensure the chosen name doesn't infringe on any existing trademarks or copyrights. Additionally, consider the community and user base you're targeting and how well the name aligns with the project's goals and ethos.

[jwenz723]

+1 tofu.

Other options:

• etify (a misspelled version of edify to get a ‘tf’) - because infrastructure as code enlightens and instructs us all. Since this is a misspelled word it would probably work pretty well for SEO.
• testify - because when you write declarative code you are testifying how you want the final state of the infrastructure to be.
• tuff - because it’s a mostly unique concise word and the definition is semi relatable to the definition of terraform.
  • definition: a light, porous rock formed by consolidation of volcanic ash.

I also like opentf, it follows the same pattern as elasticsearch -> opensearch, but opentf seems to be already ruled out.

[mbianchidev]

I would have proposed Lunaform, just to mock a little bit ☠️

But on a more serious note I propose Plasma from latin command would be form from the meaning of the latin verb.

I do like tofu but (and vegan/vegetarian will agree) it is a bit tasteless badum tss

[RoseSecurity]

I might be late to this party, but in the theme of maintaining backwards compatibility with .tf, what if we went for something like:

scluptf

[lens0021]

I do like tofu but (and vegan/vegetarian will agree) it is a bit tasteless badum tss

I've never eaten tofu, but Dubu (the Korean counterpart of tofu) is delicious, and I've enjoyed it since I was a child. I don't think you've seen the excellent tofu recipe. :)

[skyzyx]

jwenz723 said:

• testify - because when you write declarative code you are testifying how you want the final state of the infrastructure to be.

Would conflict in the Go community with https://github.com/stretchr/testify.

[pdecat]

What about lintf? lintf is not terraform 😛 (edit: except it is)

[gbrlsnchs]

I do like tofu but (and vegan/vegetarian will agree) it is a bit tasteless badum tss

Tofu is just like Terraform: you come up with your own recipes in order to make the best of it.

[emocharnik]

You come up with your own recipes in order to make the best of it.

@gbrlsnchs, awesome explanation!

[o-sama]

My perspective is a bit weird maybe, but I like to look at it from the meaning side of things, where Terraform is to change something (usually a planet) to resemble earth. The origins are Latin and English, terra or earth and form or shape. It also might be cool to consider using origins not strictly tied to Greece and Rome. So here's a few suggestions 🙂

• Heka: Ancient egyptian deity in ancient Egyptian mythology, believed to be a source of transformative power, aksi a personification of magic.
• Enki: Sumerian deity known for the ability to change forms and adapting to different situations. Also known as the god of wisdom, intelligence, and more.
• Tengu: Japanse mythical creatures, often shape-shifters.
• Izanagi or Izanami: Central figures in Japanese mythology and the creators of the Japanese islands in their mythology.

Okay sorry done geeking out!

[iapicca]

how is not

MARS

the obvious choice? What is the first thing in your mind in the sentence "let's terraform...."

[marziply]

+1 on Tofu. As a vegetarian, I eat it very often. Very delicious, much like this project. Easily googleable with additional search query params: tofu infra, tofulang, tofu project. Matches the .tf filename too. Great suggestion.

[Applicafroguy]

Tofu is great

[jwhy89]

Tofu is great

This fella already has something on homebrew: https://formulae.brew.sh/cask/tofu#default https://amarsagoo.info/tofu/

[theherk]

This fella already took it on homebrew

I don't think that is an issue. The world of software is far too populous to let collisions without namespaces hold one back. It is simple enough to use a more descriptive name within package managers, like tofu-infra or similar. For example, one may already need packages like tofu-cli and tofu-lsp. I think those are probably the two minimum things needed anyway.

[Jaypers]

Just another name suggestion... I think transmorph is a simple and succinct option.

[rafsaf]

essa

[jhoblitt]

IANAL but I believe there are complications around trying to register a trademark on common words such as tofu. Does the TBD foundation intended to apply for a trademark?

[jhoblitt]

TBDform would still work for .tf...

[miend]

Similar to tofu, another semantically unrelated but pleasant entry is toffee.