Terraform

Build, change, and version infrastructure safely and efficiently with HashiCorp Terraform.

Documentation

Guide	Description
Terraform Fundamentals	HCL syntax, providers, resources, variables, state, data sources, exercises
Advanced Terraform	Modules, workspaces, remote state, Terragrunt, CI/CD, import, best practices
Command Cheat Sheet	100+ CLI commands, HCL patterns, state operations, backend configuration
Exam Prep	HashiCorp Terraform Associate (003) — domains, practice questions, study plan
Interview Questions	40+ questions from beginner to advanced with detailed answers

Core Concepts

Concept	Description
Provider	Plugin to interact with cloud APIs (AWS, Azure, GCP)
Resource	Infrastructure component to manage
State	Terraform's record of managed infrastructure
Module	Reusable, composable Terraform configuration
Plan	Preview changes before applying
Apply	Execute planned changes

Learning Path

1. Start with fundamentals — HCL syntax, providers, resources, variables, state
2. Move to advanced patterns — modules, workspaces, remote backends, CI/CD
3. Keep the cheat sheet handy — 100+ commands at your fingertips
4. Prepare for certification — HashiCorp Associate exam domains and practice
5. Practice interview questions — 40+ Q&A with detailed explanations

Quick Start

# main.tf — Example AWS EC2 instance
terraform {
  required_providers {
    aws = { source = "hashicorp/aws", version = "~> 5.0" }
  }
}

provider "aws" { region = "us-east-1" }

resource "aws_instance" "web" {
  ami           = "ami-0c55b159cbfafe1f0"
  instance_type = "t3.micro"
  tags = { Name = "CloudCaptain-Web" }
}

terraform init      # Initialize working directory
terraform plan      # Preview changes
terraform apply     # Apply changes
terraform destroy   # Destroy infrastructure
terraform fmt       # Format configuration
terraform validate  # Validate configuration

Best Practices

• Use remote state (S3 + DynamoDB for AWS)
• Lock state to prevent concurrent modifications
• Use modules for reusable infrastructure
• Implement workspaces for environment separation
• Version pin providers and modules
• Use terraform-docs for documentation
• Scan with tfsec or checkov for security

External Resources

Resource	Description
Terraform Documentation	Official HashiCorp docs
Terraform Registry	Providers, modules, and policies
How To Manage Secrets In Terraform	Professional secrets management
Reusable EC2 Instances Using Modules	Terraform modules best practices

Tools & Utilities

Tool	Description
terraformer	Generate tf/json files from existing infrastructure
terrascan	Detect compliance and security violations in IaC
tfsec	Static analysis for Terraform security
checkov	Policy-as-code for cloud infrastructure
terraform-docs	Auto-generate documentation from modules