Top 7 Spacelift Features That Will Improve Your IaC Workflow

 Top 7 Spacelift Features That Will Improve Your IaC Workflow

And those who have experience with automating the cloud infrastructure using code know how incredibly easy it is to make it messy in a very short time. Despite the ease with which operations are made with tools like Terraform, the challenge is still there: How should we automate this most securely and efficiently in a team setting?

That is how things get easy with Spacelift. Whether you are new to Infrastructure as Code (IaC) or are experienced with it, Spacelift helps automate your process and guarantees that everything works the same. I started using Spacelift last year when our small DevOps team needed something better than manual Terraform runs and bash scripts. And honestly, it made a big difference.

In this post, I’ll walk you through the top 7 features of Spacelift that I personally found helpful. These features are easy to understand, don’t require any heavy technical knowledge, and will definitely improve the way you manage infrastructure.

1. GitOps-Style Workflow

What is known to everyone, let us start with, first of all: Git. In Spacelift, everything revolves around Git repositories. When you push code to your repo, Spacelift automatically detects changes and runs the necessary plans or applies them after approval.

Why it matters:

No need to switch tools or run scripts manually. Your infrastructure changes are now part of your Git workflow, just like your application code. It also means you can track all changes, easily roll back if needed, and collaborate with your team without confusion.

Personal note: The first time I pushed a change and saw Spacelift plan everything without me doing a thing, it felt like magic.

2. Safe & Controlled Deployments with Approval Workflows

Imagine this: You make a change and but your teammate has to review and approve it before it goes live. Only after approval does the change apply.

That’s what Spacelift allows — manual approvals before deploying infrastructure. It’s especially useful in teams where multiple people are making changes.

Why it matters:

This helps prevent mistakes, ensures that someone always double-checks the plan, and makes your deployments much safer. Plus, if you're handling production environments, it gives that extra layer of confidence.

3. Policy as Code (PaC) with Open Policy Agent

This one sounds technical, but I’ll explain it simply. You can create rules using something called OPA (Open Policy Agent) to control what users can and cannot do in your infrastructure code.

For example:

• Block any change that tries to open port 22 to the whole internet.
• Allow only certain users to deploy to production.

Why it matters:

These policies help you avoid security issues, stay compliant, and reduce human errors — all while automating the checks.

Don’t worry if you’re not into coding policies yet; Spacelift offers templates and guides to help you get started.

4. Real-Time Collaboration with Team Members

Infrastructure work doesn’t have to be lonely. With Spacelift, your team can see what’s happening in real-time — who pushed what, what the plan looks like, who approved it, and more.

There’s a shared dashboard that makes everything visible. You can even leave comments, request changes, or tag your teammates.

Why it matters:

Transparency is key when multiple people are working on the same infrastructure. With Spacelift, you avoid surprises and ensure that everyone stays on the same page.

Personal experience: In our team, this feature stopped a lot of “Hey, who did this?” kind of Slack messages.

5. Easy Integration with Terraform, Pulumi, and More

Spacelift doesn’t lock you into one tool. It works smoothly with Terraform, Pulumi, CloudFormation, and Kubernetes.

So if you’re using any of these tools (or planning to), you’re covered. And switching between them is easier than you might expect.

Why it matters:

Your workflow stays flexible. You don’t have to rewrite everything or learn a new tool from scratch. You can use what you already know and love.

6. Drift Detection: Know When Something Changes Behind Your Back

Ever changed something manually in AWS and forgot to update your Terraform? Or worse, someone else made the change?

Spacelift’s drift detection helps you identify when the real infrastructure has changed from what’s written in code. It alerts you so you can fix it or bring everything back in sync.

Why it matters:

This saves a lot of troubleshooting time and ensures that your code always reflects reality. No more “it worked on my machine” moments.

7. Stack Dependencies and Smart Automation

Let’s say you have one stack for your network and another for your database. With Spacelift, you can link these stacks. So when the network stack updates, the database stack knows and responds accordingly.

It’s like building a smart relationship between your infrastructure components.

Why it matters:

This kind of automation ensures your systems stay in harmony. You avoid downtime, reduce manual work, and improve your overall reliability.

Final Thoughts

Frankly, at first, I wasn't really sure whether or not I wanted to introduce a new tool for my infrastructure management. After using Spacelift for some time, I understood that it wasn’t one more ‘tool’ but an effective team member working silently with me to stay organised, decrease the amount of errors, and increase productivity.

In one way or the other, you should at least give Spacelift a try on how you run your cloud infrastructure. If you are sick of working with the same hands all the time, worried about security, or if you simply want to gain some clarity about your work, Spacelift might be the answer.

Quick Recap: Top 7 Spacelift Features

1. GitOps Workflow – Seamless integration with Git for automation.
2. Approval Workflows – Safer deployments through manual review.
3. Policy as Code – Set rules to prevent risky or unwanted changes.
4. Team Collaboration – Real-time updates and activity tracking.
5. Tool Flexibility – Supports Terraform, Pulumi, and more.
6. Drift Detection – Stay in sync with the actual infrastructure.
7. Stack Dependencies – Smart linking of related components.

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Thanks for reading — happy automating!