Terramantle vs the HCP Terraform private registry
HCP's registry is a good product. The constraint is that it exists inside the HCP platform and its Resources Under Management billing, and it can't leave HashiCorp's cloud. If you're all-in on HCP, none of that matters. If you aren't, you're buying a registry wrapped in a platform you may not want.
Where they differ
The registries do a similar core job. They differ on what the price is based on, where they can run and what they can see of your estate.
| Axis | HCP registry | Terramantle |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing basis | Resources Under Management | Flat, registry-priced |
| Self-host / air-gap | HashiCorp cloud only | Self-host or cloud, air-gap capable |
| OpenTofu posture | Terraform-first | Both engines as equals |
| Supply-chain scanning | Limited | Modules, providers, and state |
| Cross-repo consumer graph | No | Yes |
Staying on the HCP registry
If your day-to-day is the full HCP workflow, with remote runs, Sentinel policy and the run UI, the bundled registry is a convenience. You're already paying for the platform and working in it, and one more integrated component is easier than adding a separate tool. If HCP is your execution platform, I'd keep its registry.
HCP registry FAQ
Is HCP Terraform private registry good?
Yes. It's well integrated and it's already there if you run HCP, and for a team committed to the HCP workflow it's the path of least resistance. The narrower question is whether it's the right registry if you aren't committed to the rest of the platform, or if its billing and hosting constraints don't fit.
What is the pricing difference?
HCP bills on Resources Under Management, so the registry sits inside a platform priced off your total resource count. Terramantle is priced as a registry: flat, and not metered against how much infrastructure you run. If your resource count is large and distribution is what you need, you'd be paying a resource-metered price for a registry, and that's the mismatch.
Can the HCP registry run self-hosted or air-gapped?
Not really. The HCP registry lives inside HashiCorp's cloud and doesn't leave it short of moving to Terraform Enterprise. Terramantle runs self-hosted or cloud and works fully air-gapped, and for regulated buyers that is the whole decision.
Does HCP show which workspaces consume a module?
Not as a cross-repo consumer graph. Terramantle builds a dependency graph across your repos, so you can see which workspaces pin a module before you make a breaking change. The HCP registry doesn't offer that blast-radius view.
A registry priced like a registry.
If HCP's RUM billing or cloud-only hosting is the sticking point, Terramantle is flat-priced, self-hostable and air-gap capable.
Last reviewed
Terramantle is a private Terraform and OpenTofu registry. See pricing or read the FAQ.