What are terraform modules and how they are advantageous??

Modules generally solve the issue of monolithic architecture.

What exactly is monolithic architecture?

When the entire code is written as a one single application or one project. This architecture faces alot of issues such as code test, updates, ownership, ages etc. same go with the terraform infrastructure maintenance files. These files consist of complex infra code which can be segregated with the help of modules to promote reusability, maintainability etc.

Here are few perks of using terraform modules while maintaining your infra.

1. Modularity: Terraform modules allow you to break down your infrastructure configuration into smaller, self-defined components. This modularity makes it easier to manage and state your infrastructure because each module handles a specific piece of functionality, such as an EC2 instance, a S3, or a network configuration.

2. Reusability: Modules helps you in creating reusable templates for common infrastructure components. Instead of rewriting similar configurations and similar lines of code for any services for multiple projects, you can reuse modules across different terraform projects. This promotes consistency in your infrastructure.

3. Easy Collaboration: Modules makes it easier for teams to collaborate on projects. Different team members can work on separate modules independently, and then these modules can be combined to build complex infrastructure deployments. This segregation can streamline development and reduce conflicts in the codebase.

4. Versioning & Maintenance: Modules can have their own versioning, making it easier to manage updates and further changes. When you update a module, you can increment its version, and other projects using that module can choose when to adopt the new version, helping to prevent unwanted changes in existing deployments.

5. Abstraction: Modules can abstract away the complexity of underlying resources. For example, an EC2 instance module can hide the details of security groups, subnets, AMI no and other configurations, allowing users to focus on high-level parameters like instance type.

6. Validation & Testing: Modules can be individually validated and tested, ensuring that they work correctly before being used in multiple projects. This reduces the risk of errors across your infrastructure.

7. Documentation: Modules promote self-documentation. When you define variables, outputs, and resource dependencies within a module, it becomes clear how the module should be used, making it easier for others (or your future self) to understand and work with.

8. Scalability: As your infrastructure grows, modules provide a scalable approach to managing complexity. You can continue to create new modules for different components of your architecture, maintaining a clean and organized codebase.

9. Security and Compliance: Modules can encapsulate security and compliance best practices. For instance, you can create a module for launching EC2 instances with predefined security groups, IAM roles, and other security-related configurations, ensuring consistency and compliance across your deployments.

Sums up another day of learning terraform.