Overview
Terraform has revolutionized the way we manage our infrastructure by treating it as code. However, when it comes to team environments, the Terraform workflow adopts an additional layer of complexity in order to ensure consistency, manage state files securely, and facilitate collaboration among team members. In this guide, we will explore the Terraform workflow tailored for teams, covering everything from basic setups to advanced strategies.
Initial Setup and Configuration
Before diving deep into the workflows, let’s ensure all team members have their Terraform setup ready. For this, you will need the Terraform CLI installed and a version control system (VCS) in place, such as Git.
# Check Terraform version
terraform -v
Output should indicate the Terraform version installed.
Version Control Integration
Integrating Terraform with a version control system is crucial for teams. It allows you to track changes, review code, and revert to previous states if needed. Assume your team is using GitHub:
git clone YOUR_REPO_URL
cd YOUR_REPO_DIRECTORY
git checkout -b feature/add-vpc
Replace YOUR_REPO_URL and YOUR_REPO_DIRECTORY with your actual repository details.
Workspace Management
For teams working on multiple environments (development, staging, production), Terraform workspaces allow you to manage these separately:
terraform workspace list
terraform workspace new dev
terraform workspace select dev
This creates and selects a workspace named ‘dev’ for development environment
Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
Infrastructure is defined using Terraform’s HCL (HashiCorp Configuration Language). Below is an example Terraform configuration for setting up a basic VPC:
provider "aws" {
region = "us-east1"
}
resource "aws_vpc" "my_vpc" {
cidr_block = "10.0.0.0/16"
enable_dns_support = true
tags = {
Name = "MyVPC"
}
}
Running terraform apply will provision the VPC as defined.
State Management in Teams
Terraform stores state about your managed infrastructure and configuration. In team environments, it’s vital to use remote state backends such as AWS S3 with locking via DynamoDB to ensure that only one team member can alter the state at any given time:
terraform {
backend "s3" {
bucket = "your-terraform-state-bucket"
key = "path/to/your/terraform/state/file"
region = "us-west-2"
dynamodb_table = "your-lock-table"
encrypt = true
}
}
This configuration snippet tells Terraform to use an S3 bucket for state storage, with a DynamoDB table for state locking.
Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD)
Incorporating Terraform into your CI/CD pipeline can significantly boost your team’s efficiency. Automated testing, plan, and apply stages can free your team from manual deployments. Using a CI/CD tool like Jenkins, GitLab CI, or GitHub Actions, you can run Terraform commands as part of your deployment pipeline:
# Example GitHub Actions for Terraform Plan
name: 'Terraform Plan'
on: [pull_request]
jobs:
terraform:
name: Terraform
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v2
- uses: hashicorp/setup-terraform@v1
with:
terraform_version: '0.13.x'
- name: Terraform Init
run: terraform init
- name: Terraform Plan
run: terraform plan
This setup automatically runs ‘terraform plan’ on all pull requests to warn of any changes that will occur when merged.
Best Practices for Teams
Besides the technical setup, adhering to best practices can greatly enhance the workflow in a team setting:
- Define clear conventions for naming and organizing resources and modules.
- Review each other’s code through Pull Requests.
- Use shared modules for common infrastructure patterns.
- Enforce policies and compliance using tools like Terraform Cloud or Open Policy Agent.
Scaling Your Terraform Workflow
As your team and infrastructure grow, you may need to scale your Terraform workflow. This could involve splitting your configuration into modules, leveraging Terraform Cloud for governance and collaboration features, or adopting advanced state management strategies.
Conclusion
By following the workflow and practices outlined in this guide, teams can work together more efficiently on Terraform projects, ensuring consistency across environments and a collaborative approach to infrastructure management. Remember, infrastructure as code is not just about making infrastructure changes easier but also about making those changes in a consistent, repeatable, and collaborative manner.
