Heldinhow/terraform-iac

Terraform Infrastructure as Code

Overview

Terraform provides infrastructure as code for managing cloud resources declaratively. This skill should be invoked when creating, modifying, or managing cloud infrastructure programmatically with version control and reproducibility.

Core Principles

• Declarative: Define desired state, not steps
• State Management: Track infrastructure in state files
• Plan/Apply: Review changes before applying
• Modules: Reusable infrastructure components

Preparation Checklist

• [ ] Install Terraform
• [ ] Configure cloud provider credentials
• [ ] Plan infrastructure structure
• [ ] Set up remote state (recommended)

Step-by-Step Process

1. Init: Run terraform init
2. Write: Create .tf files with resources
3. Plan: Review with terraform plan
4. Apply: Execute with terraform apply
5. Show: Verify with terraform show
6. State: Manage state appropriately

Do's and Don'ts

• ✅ Do use remote state for teams
• ✅ Do review plan before applying
• ✅ Do use modules for reusability
• ❌ Don't commit state files to git
• ❌ Don't skip plan review
• ❌ Don't use resources in wrong order

Anti-Patterns

• Local State: Using local state in teams
• No Plan: Applying without reviewing plan
• Monolith: Single massive .tf file
• Hardcoded Values: Not using variables