Terraform Notes
Terraform Overview
Terraform is an Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tool created by HashiCorp that allows you to
provision, manage, and version cloud infrastructure efficiently using declarative
configuration files.
🧱 What is Terraform?
• A tool to write, plan, and apply infrastructure.
• Uses HCL (HashiCorp Configuration Language) for defining resources.
• Works with many cloud providers: AWS, Azure, GCP, etc.
• Platform-agnostic and open-source.
🔄 Terraform Workflow
1. Write Configuration
a. Files ending in .tf (e.g., main.tf, variables.tf)
b. Define provider, resource, variable, output, etc.
2. Initialize
terraform init
a. Downloads required provider plugins.
3. Plan
terraform plan
a. Shows the changes Terraform will make without applying them.
4. Apply
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terraform apply
a. Provisions or updates infrastructure as defined in .tf files.
5. Destroy
terraform destroy
a. Deletes all resources created by Terraform.
🧩 Key Terraform Components
📄 Example: Simple AWS EC2
provider "aws" {
region = "us-east-1"
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}
resource "aws_instance" "example" {
ami = "ami-12345678"
instance_type = "t2.micro"
}
📦 State Management
• Terraform tracks infrastructure in a .tfstate file.
• This file stores the current state of resources.
• Required for consistent provisioning and updates.
✅ Benefits of Using Terraform
• Infrastructure as Code (version-controlled)
• Reusable (via modules and variables)
• Consistent & Predictable
• Multi-cloud support
• Supports remote backends, locking, and state sharing
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Modifying Resources in Terraform
Modifying resources means making changes to existing infrastructure by updating the .tf
files and reapplying them using Terraform.
✅ 1. How to Modify Resources
• Simply edit the configuration in your .tf files.
• Examples of changes:
o Updating EC2 instance type
o Changing tags
o Adding/removing properties (e.g., EBS volume)
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🛠️ Example
Original Configuration
resource "aws_instance" "web" {
ami = "ami-0abcdef1234567890"
instance_type = "t2.micro"
tags = {
Name = "MyInstance"
}
}
Modified Configuration
resource "aws_instance" "web" {
ami = "ami-0abcdef1234567890"
instance_type = "t3.micro" # changed instance type
tags = {
Name = "UpdatedInstance" # changed tag
}
}
🧪 2. Preview Changes
Before applying:
terraform plan
This shows a diff-like output of what will change:
• ~ means update in-place
• + means addition
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• - means deletion
🚀 3. Apply the Changes
To make changes take effect:
terraform apply
Terraform will prompt for approval unless auto-approved.
📌 4. Types of Modifications
Type Result
Minor changes (tags,
In-place update (~)
type)
Resource recreation (-
Critical changes (AMI ID)
+/)
Update or
Remove property
destroy+create
⚠️ 5. Important Notes
• Some changes require resource replacement (destroy and re-create).
• If a resource must be recreated, Terraform shows:
-/+ resource "aws_instance" "web" {
🧼 6. Best Practices
• Always run terraform plan before apply.
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• Use version control (e.g., Git) to track changes.
• Keep backups of .tfstate and use remote state if working in teams.
Deleting Resources in Terraform
Terraform allows you to remove infrastructure safely by updating your configuration files
and syncing with the actual cloud environment.
✅ 1. Two Main Ways to Delete Resources
🔹 A. Delete from .tf File (Recommended)
1. Open your .tf file.
2. Remove the resource block you want to delete.
# Delete this block completely
resource "aws_s3_bucket" "demo" {
bucket = "my-demo-bucket"
acl = "private"
}
3. Run:
terraform plan
terraform apply
Terraform will detect that the resource was removed from the configuration and show:
- aws_s3_bucket.demo will be destroyed
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🔹 B. Use terraform destroy (Full Cleanup)
This deletes all resources in the current project.
terraform destroy
• It reads the .tfstate file and deletes everything it manages.
• Use carefully, especially in production environments.
To confirm automatically:
terraform destroy -auto-approve
🧼 Optional: Delete a Specific Resource Only
Use the -target flag with terraform destroy:
terraform destroy -target=aws_s3_bucket.demo
• Deletes only the targeted resource, nothing else.
🔄 What Happens Internally?
• Terraform checks .tfstate against .tf code.
• If a resource is missing from .tf, it schedules it for deletion.
• Cloud provider (AWS, etc.) is then called to terminate the resource.
⚠️ Precautions Before Deleting
• Always run:
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terraform plan -destroy
to preview what will be removed.
• If you delete resources manually in the console (not through Terraform), you may
break state.
• Use terraform state rm to remove manually deleted resources from state.
📌 Useful Commands
Command Description
Deletes if resource is removed
terraform apply
from .tf
terraform destroy Deletes everything
terraform destroy -
Deletes only one
target=resource
terraform state rm resource Removes resource from state file only
Referencing Resources in Terraform
In Terraform, referencing allows one resource to use information (like ID, name, or IP)
from another resource. This creates dependency chaining and ensures correct
provisioning order.
🧠 Why Reference?
• Use output from one resource in another.
• Prevent hardcoding.
• Ensure dependency-based execution.
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✅ Syntax for Referencing
<resource_type>.<resource_name>.<attribute>
Example:
aws_instance.web.public_ip
This refers to the public IP of a resource of type aws_instance named web.
🧩 Basic Example: Referencing Security Group in EC2
resource "aws_security_group" "web_sg" {
name = "web-sg"
...
}
resource "aws_instance" "web" {
ami = "ami-12345678"
instance_type = "t2.micro"
vpc_security_group_ids = [aws_security_group.web_sg.id] #
referencing SG
}
Terraform automatically knows to create the security group before the EC2 instance.
📤 Referencing Outputs
You can define outputs to make values usable in other modules or externally:
outputs.tf
output "instance_ip" {
value = aws_instance.web.public_ip
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}
Then retrieve using:
terraform output instance_ip
🔁 Chained Referencing (Nested)
Resources can reference others which themselves reference others:
resource "aws_eip" "ip" {
instance = aws_instance.web.id
}
Here, aws_eip is directly tied to the EC2 instance by using its id.
🧪 Important Attributes Commonly Referenced
Attribute Description
.id Unique resource identifier
.arn Amazon Resource Name
.public_
Public IP for EC2 or EIP
ip
.tags Map of tags applied
(If name is
.name
defined/tagged)
⚠️ Best Practices
• Always use references instead of hardcoded IDs or values.
• Let Terraform handle dependencies through referencing.
• Avoid circular dependencies (A → B → A).
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Terraform Files Overview
Terraform uses specific types of files to organize infrastructure as code. These files help in
managing resources, variables, outputs, and more.
🔹 1. main.tf
Main configuration file
• Defines all the resources and providers.
• Can contain other blocks like variable, output, etc., but usually focused on
infrastructure.
Example:
provider "aws" {
region = "ap-south-1"
}
resource "aws_instance" "web" {
ami = "ami-0abcdef1234567890"
instance_type = "t2.micro"
}
🔹 2. variables.tf
Defines input variables to make the configuration reusable and dynamic.
Example:
variable "instance_type" {
type = string
default = "t2.micro"
}
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You can use the variable in main.tf:
instance_type = var.instance_type
🔹 3. outputs.tf
Defines the output values after resource creation—useful for returning public IPs, IDs,
names, etc.
Example:
output "instance_ip" {
value = aws_instance.web.public_ip
}
You can fetch it using:
terraform output instance_ip
🔹 4. terraform.tfvars
This file provides actual values for input variables defined in variables.tf.
Example:
instance_type = "t3.micro"
Terraform automatically reads this file when you run terraform apply.
🔹 5. terraform.tfstate (generated automatically)
• Stores the current state of your infrastructure.
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• Used to track which resources Terraform manages.
• DO NOT manually edit this file.
🔹 6. terraform.lock.hcl (generated)
• Ensures consistent provider versions across team members.
• Helps in locking dependency versions to avoid mismatch.
Optional Files
File Purpose
Configures remote state (e.g., S3, Terraform
backend.tf
Cloud)
providers.
(Optional) Separates provider block from main.tf
tf
.terraform
Hidden folder storing plugins and metadata
/
🧠 Best Practices
• Keep code modular and readable.
• Use separate files for main.tf, variables.tf, and outputs.tf.
• Use terraform.tfvars to avoid hardcoding values.
• Always version-control .tf files, but exclude .tfstate if sensitive (or
use .gitignore).
Terraform Practice Project: Launching an EC2 Instance
on AWS
🎯 Objective:
Provision a t2.micro EC2 instance with a security group using Terraform.
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📁 Folder Structure:
terraform-practice/
├── main.tf
├── variables.tf
├── outputs.tf
├── terraform.tfvars
📝 Step-by-Step Code
✅ main.tf
provider "aws" {
region = var.aws_region
}
resource "aws_instance" "my_ec2" {
ami = var.ami_id
instance_type = var.instance_type
key_name = var.key_name
vpc_security_group_ids = [aws_security_group.my_sg.id]
tags = {
Name = "Terraform-EC2"
}
}
resource "aws_security_group" "my_sg" {
name = "terraform-sg"
description = "Allow SSH and HTTP"
ingress {
from_port = 22
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to_port = 22
protocol = "tcp"
cidr_blocks = ["0.0.0.0/0"]
}
ingress {
from_port = 80
to_port = 80
protocol = "tcp"
cidr_blocks = ["0.0.0.0/0"]
}
egress {
from_port = 0
to_port = 0
protocol = "-1"
cidr_blocks = ["0.0.0.0/0"]
}
}
✅ variables.tf
variable "aws_region" {
default = "ap-south-1"
}
variable "instance_type" {
default = "t2.micro"
}
variable "ami_id" {
description = "AMI ID for the EC2 instance"
default = "ami-03f4878755434977f" # Amazon Linux 2 in ap-south-1
(update if needed)
}
variable "key_name" {
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description = "Name of the key pair to use for EC2"
}
✅ terraform.tfvars
key_name = "your-existing-keypair-name"
Replace "your-existing-keypair-name" with your actual AWS EC2 key pair name.
✅ outputs.tf
output "instance_id" {
value = aws_instance.my_ec2.id
}
output "public_ip" {
value = aws_instance.my_ec2.public_ip
}
🚀 Steps to Run the Project
1. Initialize the project
terraform init
2. Preview the plan
terraform plan
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3. Apply the configuration
terraform apply
4. Verify Output
Terraform will show the EC2 instance_id and public_ip.
5. Destroy Resources (Cleanup)
terraform destroy
Terraform State & State Commands
🌐 What is the Terraform State?
• Terraform uses a file called terraform.tfstate to keep track of the real
infrastructure it manages.
• It maps Terraform configuration to the actual resources in the cloud.
• Without this state file, Terraform wouldn’t know what it has created or what needs
to be changed.
🧰 Key Terraform State Commands
🔹 terraform state list
Purpose: Lists all resources tracked in the current state file.
Usage:
terraform state list
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Example Output:
aws_instance.my_ec2
aws_s3_bucket.my_bucket
🔹 terraform state show
Purpose: Shows detailed information about a specific resource in the state.
Usage:
terraform state show aws_instance.my_ec2
Output: Includes attributes like ami, public_ip, tags, etc.
🔹 terraform state rm
Purpose: Removes a resource from the state file only (Terraform stops managing it).
Usage:
terraform state rm aws_s3_bucket.my_bucket
This does not delete the resource in AWS, it just removes Terraform’s tracking of it.
🔹 terraform state pull
Purpose: Downloads and prints the raw state file.
Usage:
terraform state pull
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🔹 terraform state push
Purpose: Uploads a local .tfstate file to a remote backend (used only with remote
state).
Usage:
terraform state push my_state_file.tfstate
🔹 terraform state mv
Purpose: Moves a resource from one name to another (e.g., rename or module
restructure).
Usage:
terraform state mv aws_instance.old_name aws_instance.new_name
🔐 Location of State File
• Local backend: terraform.tfstate in project directory.
• Remote backend: Stored in S3, Terraform Cloud, etc.
o Helps with team collaboration.
o Supports locking to avoid conflicts.
🚨 Best Practices
• Never manually edit .tfstate.
• Use remote backends like S3 + DynamoDB (for state locking).
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• Backup your state file before major changes.
• Use terraform refresh to update state with real-world changes.
Terraform Output
Terraform output allows you to display useful information after a successful apply—like
an instance's IP, an S3 bucket name, or an ARN.
✅ Why Use Outputs?
• Show results to users after provisioning.
• Pass values to other Terraform configurations (modules).
• Debug and verify infrastructure details.
• Use in automation/scripts.
🔧 Syntax
Declare Output in outputs.tf:
output "instance_ip" {
value = aws_instance.web.public_ip
}
🧪 Access Output
After terraform apply, use:
terraform output
You’ll see:
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instance_ip = "13.235.44.22"
To get a specific output:
terraform output instance_ip
🔐 Optional Output Arguments
Argument Description
value Required. The actual output expression
descripti
Helpful comment for understanding
on
sensitive Hides the output (e.g., passwords)
depends_o Forces output to wait for resource
n completion
Example:
output "db_password" {
value = aws_secretsmanager_secret.db.secret_string
sensitive = true
}
🧠 Output from a Module
In a root module (main project), you can get output from child modules:
module "network" {
source = "./vpc"
}
output "vpc_id" {
value = module.network.vpc_id
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}
🧼 Best Practices
• Use descriptive names: vpc_id, instance_ip, bucket_name.
• Mark secrets as sensitive = true.
• Keep outputs in a separate file: outputs.tf.
Target Resources in Terraform
The -target option allows you to apply, plan, or destroy specific resources only instead
of the entire configuration.
✅ 1. When to Use Targeting
• For testing one resource at a time.
• To quickly deploy a single component.
• For troubleshooting or rerunning a failed resource.
🔧 Syntax
🔹 Apply a Single Resource
terraform apply -target=aws_instance.web
🔹 Plan a Specific Resource
terraform plan -target=aws_s3_bucket.my_bucket
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🔹 Destroy a Single Resource
terraform destroy -target=aws_security_group.allow_http
🧠 Resource Format
<resource_type>.<resource_name>
Example:
aws_instance.web
⚠️ Important Notes
Rule Explanation
Targeting is not recommended for It can bypass dependency resolution, leading to broken
routine use infrastructure.
Use for troubleshooting or isolated
Helpful in CI/CD pipelines and test environments.
changes
Terraform still reads .tfstate So changes will affect the tracked state.
🧪 Example
main.tf
resource "aws_s3_bucket" "demo" {
bucket = "terraform-demo-bucket"
}
resource "aws_instance" "web" {
ami = "ami-12345678"
instance_type = "t2.micro"
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}
To create only the EC2 instance:
terraform apply -target=aws_instance.web
🔁 Multiple Targets
You can target more than one resource:
terraform apply \
-target=aws_instance.web \
-target=aws_security_group.sg1
🛑 When Not to Use -target
• Don’t rely on it for regular deployments.
• Avoid using in modular or production environments unless absolutely necessary.
Terraform Variables
Terraform variables let you parameterize your code so that it becomes reusable, flexible,
and manageable.
✅ 1. Why Use Variables?
• Avoid hardcoding values.
• Make configs reusable across environments (dev, prod).
• Centralize configuration changes.
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🔹 2. Types of Variables
Type Description
strin Text values (e.g., instance type,
g region)
numbe
Numeric values
r
bool true or false
list Ordered list (e.g., list of subnets)
map Key-value pairs
objec
Complex structured variables
t
🔧 3. Declaring Variables
In variables.tf:
variable "instance_type" {
description = "EC2 instance type"
type = string
default = "t2.micro"
}
🎯 4. Using Variables in Your Code
In main.tf:
resource "aws_instance" "web" {
ami = var.ami_id
instance_type = var.instance_type
}
Use var.<variable_name> to reference it.
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📥 5. Providing Values
You can pass variable values in several ways:
✅ terraform.tfvars
instance_type = "t3.micro"
ami_id = "ami-12345678"
✅ Inline CLI:
terraform apply -var="instance_type=t3.micro"
✅ Environment Variable:
export TF_VAR_instance_type="t3.micro"
📌 6. Variable Validation
You can add constraints:
variable "instance_type" {
type = string
validation {
condition = contains(["t2.micro", "t3.micro"],
var.instance_type)
error_message = "Only t2.micro and t3.micro are allowed."
}
}
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🧠 7. Best Practices
• Use variables.tf for declarations.
• Use terraform.tfvars or environment-specific .tfvars files for values.
• Avoid hardcoding secrets—use environment variables or tools like Vault.
📂 Recommended File Structure
main.tf
variables.tf
terraform.tfvars
outputs.tf
Basic Terraform Commands
Command Description
terraform Initializes a working directory with Terraform configuration files. Downloads
init plugins/providers.
terraform
Validates the configuration syntax.
validate
terraform
Shows what Terraform will do before applying.
plan
terraform
Applies the configuration and provisions resources.
apply
terraform
Destroys the infrastructure created by Terraform.
destroy
terraform
Formats configuration files to the standard style.
fmt
terraform
Displays the Terraform version.
version
terraform -
Shows help for Terraform CLI.
help
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📁 Configuration and Directory Commands
Command Description
terraform workspace list Lists all workspaces.
terraform workspace new
Creates a new workspace.
<name>
terraform workspace select Switches to a specific
<name> workspace.
terraform workspace delete
Deletes a workspace.
<name>
📊 State Management Commands
Command Description
terraform state list Lists all resources in the current state.
terraform state show <resource> Shows details of a resource in state.
terraform state rm <resource> Removes a resource from the state file.
terraform state mv <source> Moves a resource to a different name or
<destination> module.
terraform state pull Downloads the current state.
terraform state push Uploads a local state file.
🧪 Debugging and Inspection
Command Description
terraform graph Generates a visual dependency graph.
terraform
Lists providers used in configuration.
providers
terraform output Shows outputs defined in the configuration.
terraform Opens an interactive console to evaluate
console expressions.
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☁️ Cloud & Remote Backend
Command Description
terraform Authenticates with Terraform
login Cloud.
terraform
Logs out of Terraform Cloud.
logout
terraform
Manages Terraform Cloud settings.
cloud
🧪 Plan and Apply with Options
Command Description
terraform plan -
Saves the plan to a file.
out=tfplan
terraform apply tfplan Applies a saved plan.
terraform destroy -auto-
Destroys infrastructure without prompting.
approve
terraform apply -auto- Applies infrastructure changes without
approve prompt.
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