Right here with you on this, I can add ARM templates (in complete mode) to the list. I might suggest the Serverless framework (no serverless needed) which lets

Right here with you on this, I can add ARM templates (in complete mode) to the list. I might suggest the Serverless framework (no serverless needed) which lets you write CFTs in most formats you prefer, use variables (including pulling config from S3), provides the canned scripts you otherwise add, and so on. I wish MS would unbreak it's plugin to Serverless to support full ARM. As others have written, there is state in the CFT/ARM/etc. services via named deploys. As you note, that allows for the deletion of removed things (including things for which you've specified another name). That's great. The challenge with Terraform state use is that it is often too tetchy about what it doesn't know about and often reacts by tearing down and rebuilding assets, causing unavailability and data loss. It was even observed doing this for an entire stack due to a transitory network failure at PayPal. I loved --auto-approve because I don't want to reintroduce human failure and friction into the mix but Terraform's models and dependency on "community or when we get to it" means it just isn't safe the way the native provisioning services are. As you note, alignment of incentives and all.