Terraform

We remember a time when setting up a server could take a week. Today, setting up a server takes seconds. Well now we're a step further than that, because we can deploy that server by writing code. We've moved from the physical, to the virtual, to the automated. Or put another way: someone put an API in front of virtualisation and here we are today. Infrastructure As Code (IAC) is how we consume those APIs, and they don't stop at the Virtual Machine.

Terraform is a tool for writing IAC, having it computed and arranged as a graph, and then made into reality. This introduces a lot of benefits, such as:

• being able to write code to define infrastructure;
• which can then be tested using testing suites and more code;
• taken through Git(Ops) like workflows, such as Pull Requests (PR);
• managed in a Git repository, just like a Python application can be;
• rolled back by undoing changes to the code;

And so much more. This means that operations departments can now take advantage of everything software engineers have been able to do for decades now, and that's simply awesome.

Businesses are adopting IAC at a very fast rate. They can see the benefits and they like what they're seeing. Terraform is the defacto industry standard for writing IAC. It's designed specifically for that job and it does it very well.

Let's get you across Terraform so that we can build our future Cloud infrastructure using this simply better way of working.

Curated Materials

First, get Terraform installed on your platform of choice:

• Terraform Download/Install

Ensure you're selecting the right platform, of course. Don't download Terraform for Linux if you're running Windows.

Once installed, confirm you can run the command from a console or terminal, and then follow the first tutorial we've got lined up for you.

Official Documentation

This is the official documentation from HashiCorp. It's a bit dry, but it's methodical and takes you from start to finish.

• Official Terraform AWS documentation

We've provided some additional content, below, that will help give a well rounded understanding of Terraform as well as going into more detail. The best way to leaarn Terraform of course, is simply doing.

Unofficial Tutorial: Gruntworks

This is an extremely straight to the point, top to bottom tutorial for getting started with Terraform. Some work may be required around the installation side of things as they glance over that.

• Gruntworks Terraform Tutorial

DevOps Directive (Sid)

This is a great, 2.5 hour video course from DevOps Directive (Sid). The presentation is solid and the content is good. You can't wrong with Sid's video.

Project(s)

Challenges