Infrastructure as Code (IaC) with Terraform

Manual infrastructure management is error-prone and time-consuming. Terraform allows DevOps engineers to define, provision, and manage cloud resources using code. This ensures consistency, scalability, and version control.

Why Terraform and IaC Matter

  • Version Control: Track infrastructure changes in Git.
  • Consistency: Avoid configuration drift across environments.
  • Automation: Provision resources automatically, saving time.
  • Collaboration: Teams can review, approve, and reuse IaC modules.

Example Use Case

Scenario: Deploy a web server on AWS.

  1. Define AWS EC2 instance using Terraform HCL
  2. Apply Terraform plan to create resources
  3. Monitor infrastructure state
  4. Update or destroy resources as needed

Visual Diagram

flowchart TD
    A[Terraform Code] --> B[Terraform Plan]
    B --> C[Terraform Apply]
    C --> D[AWS Infrastructure Provisioned]
    D --> E[Monitor & Update]

Sample Terraform Code

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

resource "aws_instance" "web" {
  ami           = "ami-0abcdef1234567890"
  instance_type = "t2.micro"

  tags = {
    Name = "MyWebServer"
  }
}

Best Practices

  • Use modules for reusable infrastructure components

  • Keep state files secure (e.g., S3 with encryption)

  • Separate environments using workspaces or directories

  • Review and approve changes via Git pull requests

Common Pitfalls

  • Hardcoding secrets in Terraform code

  • Ignoring drift detection between IaC and actual resources

  • Applying changes without reviewing plan

Conclusion

Terraform enables predictable, repeatable, and automated cloud provisioning, empowering DevOps engineers to manage complex infrastructures efficiently and safely.