Terraform Essentials
Chetan Talwekar
What is Terraform: IAC tool allows you to define and provision infrastructure resources across multiple cloud provider using declarative configuration language. Manage, version able, reusable and sharable.
Terraform vs Other IAC tool
\>AWS Cloud formation >Pulimi
| AWS CloudFormation | Terraform |
| • AWS-specific only | • Multi-cloud provider support |
| • JSON/YAML templates | • HCL (HashiCorp Configuration Language) |
| • Built-in rollback functionality | • State-based management |
| • Tight AWS integration | • Provider plugin architecture |
Terraform Workflow
Write »»»»Plan »»»»Apply
| HCL | Providers | State |
| HashiCorp Configuration Language | Plugins for cloud platforms | Maps real-world resources to config |
| Declarative syntax for defining infrastructure | (AWS, Azure, GCP, etc.) | Stored locally or remotely |
| Human-readable and JSON compatible | SaaS providers (GitHub, DataDog) | (S3, Terraform Cloud) |
| Interface to infrastructure platforms | Enables collaborative workflows |
Essential Terraform Commands
| Command | Purpose |
| terraform init | Initialize directory |
| terraform plan | Preview changes |
| terraform apply | Create/update infrastructure |
| terraform destroy | Delete infrastructure |
| terraform validate | Check configuration syntax |
| Command | Purpose |
| terraform fmt | Format code |
| terraform state | Advanced state management |
| terraform import | Import existing resources |
| terraform workspace | Manage environments |
| terraform output | View outputs |
Days-wise Modules and Target to learn Terraform
Week 1: Terraform Foundations and Cloud Platform Integration
Day 1: Terraform Fundamentals
Day 2: Terraform Basics - Core Workflow
Day 3: Variables and State Management
Day 4: Modules and Resource Organization
Day 5: Provisioning on a Cloud Platform
Day 6: Provisioning More Complex Resources
Week 2: Advanced Terraform and Best Practices
Day 7: Templating and Loops
Day 8: Conditionals and Complex Logic
Day 9: Testing and Validation
Day 10: Version Control and Collaboration
Day 11: Terraform Best Practices
Day 12: Real-World Infrastructure Management
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