Import existing resources, inspect state, and troubleshoot Terraform operations.
This domain covers ongoing maintenance of Terraform-managed infrastructure. It includes importing existing infrastructure into Terraform workspaces, using CLI commands to inspect state and understand current infrastructure, and using verbose logging with TF_LOG for troubleshooting and debugging Terraform operations.
5 minutes
5 Questions
Maintaining infrastructure with Terraform involves ongoing management of your deployed resources throughout their lifecycle. This process encompasses several key practices that ensure your infrastructure remains consistent, secure, and aligned with your desired state.
State Management is fundamental to maintenance. Terraform tracks all managed resources in a state file, which serves as the source of truth. Regularly backing up state files and using remote backends like Terraform Cloud, S3, or Azure Blob Storage ensures team collaboration and prevents state corruption.
Drift Detection occurs when you run 'terraform plan' to compare actual infrastructure against your configuration. This identifies any manual changes made outside of Terraform, allowing you to either update your configuration or revert unauthorized modifications.
Resource Updates are handled through configuration changes. When you modify your .tf files and apply them, Terraform calculates the minimal set of changes needed. It determines whether resources can be updated in-place or require recreation based on provider capabilities.
Version Control integration is essential for tracking configuration changes over time. Storing Terraform files in Git repositories enables collaboration, code review, change history, and rollback capabilities when issues arise.
Module Management involves keeping reusable modules updated and versioned. Using version constraints in module sources ensures predictable behavior while allowing controlled upgrades.
Provider Updates require periodic attention as cloud providers release new features and deprecate old APIs. Testing provider upgrades in non-production environments before applying them broadly prevents unexpected behavior.
Workspace Organization helps manage multiple environments like development, staging, and production. Workspaces or separate state files per environment maintain isolation and reduce risk during changes.
Documentation and tagging resources consistently aids in cost tracking, compliance, and troubleshooting. Implementing naming conventions and applying metadata tags through Terraform configurations standardizes your infrastructure.
Regular maintenance cycles, including security patching and compliance reviews, keep infrastructure healthy and reduce technical debt over time.Maintaining infrastructure with Terraform involves ongoing management of your deployed resources throughout their lifecycle. This process encompasses several key practices that ensure your infrastructure remains consistent, secure, and aligned with your desired state.
State Management is fundament…