Course Description:

This course, therefore, will provide an in-depth and structured understanding of Terraform — a widely used and powerful open-source Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tool. Throughout this course, DevOps engineers will not only learn how to use Terraform to create, manage, and update infrastructure, but they will also understand how to do so in a highly efficient, repeatable, and scalable manner.

To begin with, we will cover the core concepts of Terraform, including resource types, variables, and modules. As we progress, we will dive into more advanced topics such as state management, best practices, and optimizing workflows. By the end of this course, learners will have a solid grasp of Terraform’s capabilities and will be able to apply their knowledge to real-world DevOps projects effectively.

Course Objectives

  • Understand the core concepts of Terraform and how it fits into the DevOps toolchain
  • Write Terraform code to create and manage infrastructure resources
  • Use variables and modules to create reusable infrastructure code
  • Manage Terraform state and understand its importance
  • Apply best practices when using Terraform in production environments
  • Use Terraform to automate infrastructure deployment and updates
  • Integrate Terraform with other DevOps tools such as Ansible, Jenkins, and AWS CodePipeline.

Prerequisites

  • Basic knowledge of cloud computing and infrastructure concepts
  • Basic knowledge of Linux/Unix command-line interface
  • Familiarity with at least one cloud provider such as AWS, Azure, or GCP
  • Understanding of software development lifecycle and DevOps concepts

Course Outline

1: Introduction to Terraform

  • What is Terraform?
  • Infrastructure as code (IaC) vs. traditional infrastructure management
  • Advantages of using Terraform
  • Terraform core concepts and syntax

2: Terraform basics

  • Writing Terraform code
  • Creating and managing infrastructure resources
  • Resource dependencies and ordering
  • Using variables and expressions
  • Understanding the Terraform lifecycle

3: Terraform modules

  • Creating and using modules
  • Module structure and best practices
  • Reusing code with modules
  • Module versioning and publishing

4: Terraform state management

  • Understanding Terraform state
  • Storing state remotely
  • Locking state
  • Importing existing resources into Terraform state

5: Terraform in production

  • Best practices for using Terraform in production environments
  • Terraform Enterprise and Terraform Cloud
  • Security considerations
  • Monitoring and troubleshooting Terraform

6: Terraform automation and integration

  • Automating Terraform with scripts
  • Integrating Terraform with Ansible, Jenkins, and AWS CodePipeline
  • Building a continuous deployment pipeline with Terraform

7: Terraform Providers

  • Introduction to Terraform providers
  • Configuring and using different providers (e.g. AWS, Azure, GCP)
  • Provider versioning and upgrades
  • Terraform registry and finding providers

8: Terraform Testing and Validation

  • Writing and running Terraform unit tests
  • Validating infrastructure code with linting tools
  • Integration testing with Terraform
  • Using Terraform validate command

9: Advanced Terraform Concepts

  • Remote state backend configurations
  • Understanding the Terraform graph and plan
  • Terraform workspaces and their usage
  • Provisioners and their use cases

10: Terraform and Kubernetes

  • Introduction to Kubernetes and its architecture
  • Using Terraform to manage Kubernetes resources
  • Kubernetes providers for Terraform
  • Terraform and Kubernetes best practices

11: Terraform and Cloud Native Applications

  • Understanding Cloud Native applications
  • Using Terraform to manage Cloud Native resources (e.g. Serverless, containers, API gateways)
  • Infrastructure as code for Cloud Native apps
  • Best practices for managing Cloud Native resources with Terraform

12: Terraform Enterprise and Terraform Cloud

  • Understanding Terraform Enterprise and Terraform Cloud
  • Benefits and use cases of Terraform Enterprise and Terraform Cloud
  • Features and functionality of Terraform Enterprise and Terraform Cloud
  • On-premises vs. cloud-based Terraform Enterprise

13: Terraform and Security

  • Security considerations when using Terraform
  • Managing access and permissions with Terraform
  • Securing Terraform state
  • Additionally, you will explore compliance and auditing with Terraform, helping ensure that your infrastructure adheres to organizational policies and regulatory requirements.

14: Terraform and Multi-Cloud

  • To begin with, you will develop an understanding of multi-cloud architecture, which lays the foundation for effectively designing and managing resources across multiple cloud environments.
  • Moreover, you will discover how to manage multi-cloud resources with Terraform, allowing you to unify infrastructure provisioning and maintain control across diverse cloud platforms.
  • In addition, you will learn how to use Terraform to manage cloud-to-cloud networking, enabling seamless connectivity and efficient resource orchestration across multiple cloud environments.
  • Furthermore, you will explore best practices for multi-cloud infrastructure management with Terraform, ensuring consistency, scalability, and efficiency across different cloud providers.

15: Terraform and Infrastructure Migration

  • Additionally, you will learn how to migrate existing infrastructure to Terraform, enabling a smoother transition to Infrastructure as Code and improving long-term manageability.
  • Moreover, you will learn the differences between lift-and-shift and cloud-native infrastructure migration approaches, helping you evaluate which strategy best aligns with your organization’s goals and technical requirements.
  • In addition, you will explore various tools and techniques for Terraform-based infrastructure migration, which will help you simplify the process and ensure a smooth transition.
  • Finally, you will examine the challenges and key considerations involved in infrastructure migration with Terraform, enabling you to plan and execute migrations more effectively.

16: Terraform and Continuous Deployment

  • Introduction to continuous deployment
  • Using Terraform to automate continuous deployment
  • Additionally, you will learn best practices for using Terraform in a continuous deployment pipeline, helping you maintain efficiency, consistency, and security throughout the deployment process.
  • Furthermore, you will explore monitoring and troubleshooting in Terraform-based continuous deployment, ensuring reliability and quick resolution of any issues that may arise.

17: Advanced Terraform Development

  • Building Custom Terraform Providers: Learn to create custom providers to extend Terraform’s functionality.
  • Using Terraform Modules as Building Blocks: Organize infrastructure with reusable modules for better scalability.
  • Moreover, you will gain a clear understanding of how to use Terraform plugins, allowing you to seamlessly integrate with external services and further enhance Terraform’s capabilities.
  • In addition, you will learn about developing Terraform extensions and plugins, enabling you to extend Terraform’s core features by creating custom components tailored to your specific needs.

18: Terraform Best Practices

  • Use Modules: Break Terraform code into reusable modules for better maintainability and readability.
  • Follow Naming Conventions: Keep resource, variable, and module names clear and consistent.
  • Keep Configuration DRY: Use variables and modules to avoid duplication and simplify updates.
  • Structure Code Properly: Organize files logically into /modules, /environments, and /outputs.
  • Use Terraform Formatting: Run terraform fmt to maintain consistent formatting.
  • Version Control with Git: Store code in Git, using branches for changes and collaboration.

Terraform for DevOps Engineers