Complete Terraform Course - From BEGINNER to PRO! (Learn Infrastructure as Code)

Introduction

This tutorial will guide you through the process of using Terraform to automate your AWS infrastructure. Based on the "Complete Terraform Course - From BEGINNER to PRO!" by DevOps Directive, this guide covers everything from setting up Terraform to deploying a modular system using GitHub Actions. Whether you are new to Infrastructure as Code or looking to enhance your skills, this step-by-step approach will help you master Terraform.

Step 1: Understand What Terraform Is

• Terraform is an open-source tool that allows you to define and provision infrastructure using code.
• It enables you to create reproducible and version-controlled infrastructure.
• Key terms to know:
  • Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Managing infrastructure through code instead of manual processes.
  • Providers: Plugins that allow Terraform to interact with various services (e.g., AWS, Azure).

Step 2: Course Overview

• The course will cover:
  • Evolution of cloud computing and Infrastructure as Code.
  • Setting up Terraform for your environment.
  • Basic usage and commands.
  • Variables, outputs, and additional language features.
  • Project organization, modules, and managing multiple environments.
  • Testing Terraform code and developer workflows.

Step 3: Set Up Your Environment

1. Install Terraform:

   • Download Terraform from the official website.
   • Follow the installation instructions for your operating system.

2. Configure AWS Credentials:

   • Set up your AWS account.
   • Configure your credentials using the AWS CLI:

     aws configure
     

   • Enter your AWS Access Key ID, Secret Access Key, region, and output format.

Step 4: Basic Terraform Usage

• Create your first Terraform configuration:
  1. Create a directory for your project.
  2. Inside the directory, create a file named main.tf.
  3. Define a simple resource, for example, an AWS S3 bucket:

     provider "aws" {
       region = "us-west-2"
     }
     
     resource "aws_s3_bucket" "my_bucket" {
       bucket = "my-unique-bucket-name"
       acl    = "private"
     }
     

4. Initialize Terraform:

   • Run the command:

     terraform init
     

5. Plan and apply your configuration:

   • To see the actions Terraform will take, run:

     terraform plan
     

   • To apply the configuration and create the resources, run:

     terraform apply
     

Step 5: Work with Variables and Outputs

• Define variables in a file, e.g., variables.tf:

  variable "bucket_name" {
    description = "The name of the S3 bucket"
    type        = string
  }
  

• Reference variables in your resources:

  resource "aws_s3_bucket" "my_bucket" {
    bucket = var.bucket_name
    acl    = "private"
  }
  

• Create outputs in outputs.tf:

  output "bucket_id" {
    value = aws_s3_bucket.my_bucket.id
  }
  

Step 6: Project Organization and Modules

• Organize your Terraform project by creating modules:
  1. Create a directory for each module (e.g., modules/s3).
  2. Move the S3 bucket resource into its module.
  3. Reference the module in your main configuration:

     module "my_s3" {
       source      = "./modules/s3"
       bucket_name = "my-unique-bucket-name"
     }
     

Step 7: Manage Multiple Environments

• Use workspaces to manage different environments:
  1. Create a new workspace:

     terraform workspace new staging
     

  2. Switch workspaces with:

     terraform workspace select staging
     

  3. Customize configurations for each environment.

Step 8: Testing Terraform Code

• Implement testing using tools like terraform-compliance or kitchen-terraform to validate your configurations.
• Set up tests in your repository to ensure code quality before deployment.

Step 9: Automate with GitHub Actions

• Create a .github/workflows/terraform.yml file for CI/CD:

  name: Terraform
  
  on:
    push:
      branches:
        - main
  
  jobs:
    terraform:
      runs-on: ubuntu-latest
      steps:
        - name: Checkout code
          uses: actions/checkout@v2
  
        - name: Set up Terraform
          uses: hashicorp/setup-terraform@v1
          with:
            terraform_version: 1.0.0
  
        - name: Terraform Init
          run: terraform init
  
        - name: Terraform Apply
          run: terraform apply -auto-approve
  

Conclusion

By following these steps, you will be well on your way to mastering Terraform and automating your AWS infrastructure. Remember to experiment with different resources, explore modules, and utilize testing to ensure your infrastructure is reliable. For further learning, consider completing the full course and engaging with the community through Discord or GitHub. Happy automating!