# Bonus Exercise: Writing a Basic Terraform Configuration and Running Plan

# Exercise Objective

Participants will write a basic Terraform configuration that defines an Azure resource (e.g., a Resource Group or Virtual Network) and then run terraform plan to preview the changes that Terraform would make.

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# Steps

# Step 1: Create a New Directory for the Terraform Project

1. Open a Terminal or Command Prompt:

   • Ensure that you are in a directory where you want to create your new Terraform project.

2. Create a New Directory:

   • Create a folder called my-terraform-project and navigate into it:

     mkdir my-terraform-project
     cd my-terraform-project

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# Step 2: Write a Basic main.tf File to Define an Azure Resource

1. Open Your Preferred Text Editor (VS Code or IntelliJ):

   • Open the my-terraform-project directory in your editor.

2. Create a main.tf File:

   • In the my-terraform-project directory, create a new file called main.tf.

3. Add Basic Configuration for Azure Provider:

   • Add the following configuration in main.tf to specify the Azure provider and create a Resource Group:

     # Configure the Azure provider
     provider "azurerm" {
       features {}
     }
     
     # Create an Azure Resource Group
     resource "azurerm_resource_group" "example" {
       name     = "myResourceGroup"
       location = "East US"
     }

   • This configuration does the following:

     • Specifies azurerm as the provider, which allows Terraform to interact with Azure resources.
     • Defines a resource_group in Azure named myResourceGroup located in the "East US" region.

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# Step 3: Initialize the Terraform Project

1. Run terraform init:

   • In the terminal, ensure you are in the my-terraform-project directory and initialize the Terraform project:

     terraform init

   • This command downloads the necessary provider plugins (in this case, azurerm) and sets up the project.

2. Confirm Initialization:

   • After running terraform init, you should see a message confirming that Terraform has been successfully initialized.

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# Step 4: Run terraform plan to Preview Changes

1. Run the terraform plan Command:

   • In the terminal, run the following command to preview the changes that Terraform will make:

     terraform plan

   • terraform plan compares your configuration with the actual state of resources and shows what actions Terraform will take.

2. Review the Output:

   • Look at the output of terraform plan to see the planned changes:
     • You should see an output indicating that Terraform will add a new resource (indicated by a + symbol).
     • The output will display the details of the resource (e.g., the name and location of the Resource Group).
   • Example output:

     Terraform will perform the following actions:
     
       # azurerm_resource_group.example will be created
       + resource "azurerm_resource_group" "example" {
           + id       = (known after apply)
           + location = "East US"
           + name     = "myResourceGroup"
       }
     
     Plan: 1 to add, 0 to change, 0 to destroy.

3. Understand the terraform plan Output:

   • The plan output indicates:
     • Terraform will create (+) the azurerm_resource_group resource.
     • The resource details such as the id, name, and location are shown.
   • This step allows you to verify that the configuration is correct before actually applying changes.

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# Verification

• Confirm the Configuration is Valid:
  • Ensure that the terraform plan output confirms Terraform will create the specified Resource Group.
• Troubleshoot Issues (if any):
  • If there are any errors or unexpected output, review the configuration in main.tf and ensure terraform init was completed successfully.

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