Terraform Explained: From Basics to Best Practices

Why Do Companies Use Terraform?

Organizations worldwide have shifted their tiniest operations to various cloud infrastructures to get the most efficiency and that’s what is the need for the hour. However, this has also raised the need for the already complex cloud infrastructure management. This is where organizations set their DevOps team to work on this multi-cloud setup with Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Terraform. In this blog, we will delve into the understanding of Terraform, the benefits of Terraform, and the best practices while working with Terraform automation.

You can also go through the video where our DevOps expert, HashiCorp Certified: Terraform Associate, explains Terraform, its benefits, and best practices.

What is Terraform?

Terraform is an open-source Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tool created by HashiCorp. It allows you to define and provision infrastructure using simple, human-readable configuration files. You define the desired state of your infrastructure in configuration files, and Terraform takes care of creating or modifying the resources to match that state. Think of Terraform as an event planner that follows your detailed plan to set up everything you need for an event, handling all the arrangements for you.

Terraform Benefits For Businesses

Here are 3 Reasons Why businesses should use Terraform for their cloud infrastructure management.

1. Unified Interface

Terraform provides a unified interface for managing infrastructure across various providers like AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and many more. It lets you write the infrastructure code once and deploy it anywhere without learning the specific tools and interfaces of the individual cloud provider. This greatly simplifies the process of managing a multi-cloud environment.

2. Consistency

By defining your infrastructure as code, you can version control it, track changes, and avoid configuration drift, the drift in the actual state of infrastructure compared to the one defined in the files. Maintain a history of changes, collaborate with the team, and even have the option to revert to the previous configuration as per the requirement. This helps you remain consistent and predictable over time.

3. Extensibility

Terraform is highly extensible. With a large ecosystem of providers to interact with different cloud platforms and modules to reuse shared terraform configurations across projects, you can easily extend its capabilities and integrate it with other tools. It makes Terraform a flexible tool that can grow and adapt to your infrastructure needs.

Using Terraform is like hiring a renovation company that follows your detailed plan to manage and complete the entire project for you, no matter how complex or unique your requirements are.

Terraform Best Practices For Businesses

1. Version Control

Always use version control for your Terraform configurations. This practice allows you to track changes over time, collaborate with your team, and roll back to previous versions if necessary. Store the configuration files in a version control system like Git. It helps you maintain a history of changes, review code changes through pull requests, and ensure that every change is documented and accountable. As a result, you have a more organized and transparent infrastructure.

2. Modularize Your Code

Break down your configurations into reusable modules to keep your code DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself). Use modules to create a library of reusable components that can be easily shared and managed. This approach not only reduces duplication but also makes your configurations more maintainable and scalable. For example, you can create a module for setting up a virtual network and reuse it across different environments without rewriting the configuration each time.

3. Manage State Files Properly

State files track the state of your infrastructure and they are critical to prevent issues like concurrent changes and state corruption. It's important to store state files remotely using services like AWS S3 or Terraform Cloud. Additionally, enable state locking so that only one Terraform operation can modify the state at a time. Proper state management is akin to using a clear and detailed checklist for planning an event, ensuring that every step is accounted for and preventing any mix-ups or oversights.

To provide you with a perspective, Terraform best practices are like using a clear and detailed checklist for planning an event to decrease overload. However, a question might linger - Is Terraform free for commercial use? HCP Terraform is free to use for the first 500 resources without any credit card details. You can visit the official website to learn more about their pricing structure and enterprise plans.

End Note

Let's wrap up our HashiCorp’s Terraform essentials! We hope you now have a clearer vision of what Terraform is, its benefits, and the best practices for using it. Terraform simplifies infrastructure management, ensures consistency, and integrates seamlessly with other tools, making it an invaluable asset for any IT team. By following best practices like using version control, modularizing your code, and managing state files properly, you can harness the full potential of Terraform and streamline your infrastructure operations along with automation - Terraform CI/CD Pipeline.

We at Seaflux are your dedicated partners in the ever-evolving landscape of Cloud Computing. We would be happy to assist you in your cloud cost-saving journey! Contact us today with your requirements or set up a meeting at your convenience.