Terraform is a popular Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tool that allows developers and system administrators to define and manage cloud resources using a declarative configuration language called HCL (HashiCorp Configuration Language). Terraform supports multiple cloud providers like AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, IBM Cloud, and Oracle Cloud, making it a versatile tool for automating infrastructure provisioning.
In this guide, we will explore essential Terraform commands (init
, plan
, apply
, destroy
), HCL syntax, and the process of creating EC2 instances using Terraform.
Terraform operates on a client-server model where the user runs commands from their local system, which then interacts with cloud providers to create, modify, and destroy resources.
Diagram representation:
Terraform (Laptop/System) → Downloads Plugins → AWS (Providers)
Terraform → Authenticates via AWS Credentials (Access Key & Secret Key)
Terraform → Deploys EC2 Instances & Other Cloud Resources
Terraform provides several important commands to manage cloud resources efficiently. These commands help in initializing, validating, planning, applying, and destroying infrastructure.