# Exercise: Installing Terraform and Initializing a New Project

# Objective

Ensure that participants have installed Terraform on their machine, set up their development environment, and created a new Terraform project with a basic configuration.

# Steps

# Step 1: Install Terraform on Your Respective OS

Windows:
- Download the latest version of Terraform from the official download page.
- Extract the .zip file to a preferred folder (e.g., C:\Terraform).
- Add the folder path (e.g., C:\Terraform) to the system PATH:
  - Open the Start Menu and search for Environment Variables.
  - Click Edit the system environment variables.
  - Under System variables, select Path and click Edit.
  - Click New and enter the path where terraform.exe is located.
  - Click OK to save.
- Open a new Command Prompt or PowerShell window and run:
```
terraform --version
```
- Confirm that Terraform is correctly installed by checking for the version output.
macOS:
- Open Terminal and install Terraform using Homebrew:
```
brew tap hashicorp/tap
brew install hashicorp/tap/terraform
```
- Confirm the installation by running:
```
terraform --version
```
- Alternatively, download the .zip file from the Terraform website, extract it, and move terraform to /usr/local/bin.
Linux:
- Download the latest Terraform .zip file from the official download page.
- Open a terminal and use wget or curl to download the .zip file:
```
wget https://releases.hashicorp.com/terraform/<VERSION>/terraform_<VERSION>_linux_amd64.zip
```
- Unzip the downloaded file:
```
unzip terraform_<VERSION>_linux_amd64.zip
```
- Move terraform to /usr/local/bin:
```
sudo mv terraform /usr/local/bin/
```
- Verify the installation by running:
```
terraform --version
```

# Step 2: Set Up Your Preferred Development Environment (VS Code or IntelliJ)

Install Visual Studio Code (VS Code) (if not already installed):
- Download and install VS Code.
- Open VS Code and install the Terraform extension:
  - Go to the Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X).
  - Search for “Terraform” and install the HashiCorp Terraform extension.
Install IntelliJ IDEA (if preferred):
- Download and install IntelliJ IDEA.
- Open IntelliJ and install the Terraform and HCL Language Support plugin:
  - Go to File > Settings > Plugins (or Preferences > Plugins on macOS).
  - Search for “Terraform” and install the plugin.

# Step 3: Create a New Folder for the Terraform Project and Write a Basic `main.tf` File

Create a New Folder for the Project:
- Open a terminal or file explorer and create a new directory where the Terraform project will reside.
- For example, create a folder called my-first-terraform-project:
```
mkdir my-first-terraform-project
cd my-first-terraform-project
```
Write a Basic main.tf File:
- Inside the new folder, create a file named main.tf.
- Open main.tf in your preferred editor (VS Code or IntelliJ) and add a basic configuration.
- Example main.tf for creating an Azure Resource Group:
```
provider "azurerm" {
  features {}
}

resource "azurerm_resource_group" "example" {
  name     = "myResourceGroup"
  location = "East US"
}
```

# Step 4: Run `terraform init` to Initialize the Project

Initialize the Project:
- Open a terminal and navigate to the project directory (where main.tf is located).
- Run the following command to initialize the project:
```
terraform init
```
- terraform init will download any necessary provider plugins (e.g., the Azure provider) and initialize the working directory.

Review the Output:

Check the terminal output of terraform init. You should see a success message indicating that the initialization is complete.

The output should look something like this:

Terraform has been successfully initialized!

You may now begin working with Terraform. Try running "terraform plan" to see
any changes that are required for your infrastructure. All Terraform commands
should now work.

# Verification

Confirm Terraform Installation:
- Run terraform --version to verify Terraform was installed correctly.
Confirm Project Initialization:
- Ensure that terraform init ran without errors and produced a success message.
Troubleshoot Issues (if any):
- If any issues arise, such as PATH errors, incorrect installation steps, or problems with terraform init, reach out for assistance.