# Exercise: Writing a Basic Terraform Configuration

# Objective

Participants will write a basic Terraform configuration to provision a simple resource (e.g., a Resource Group) in Azure, using variables to make the configuration more dynamic.

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# Steps

# Step 1: Define the Azure Provider in main.tf

1. Create a New Project Directory:

   • Open a terminal or command prompt.
   • Create a directory for the Terraform project and navigate into it:

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

2. Create a main.tf File:

   • Open your preferred code editor (e.g., VS Code or IntelliJ).
   • Inside the my-terraform-project directory, create a file named main.tf.

3. Add the Azure Provider to main.tf:

   • In the main.tf file, add the following configuration to specify the Azure provider:

     # Configure the Azure provider
     provider "azurerm" {
       features {}
     }

   • This configuration specifies the azurerm provider, which allows Terraform to manage Azure resources. The features block is required by the provider but can be left empty.

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# Step 2: Add a Resource Block to Create a Resource Group

1. Define an Azure Resource Group in main.tf:
   • Below the provider block in main.tf, add a resource block to create an Azure Resource Group.
   • Example:

     # Create an Azure Resource Group
     
     resource "azurerm_resource_group" "example" {
       name     = "myResourceGroup"
       location = "East US"
     }

   • This configuration creates a new Azure Resource Group with:
     • name: The name of the Resource Group (set to "myResourceGroup" in this example).
     • location: The Azure region where the Resource Group will be created (set to "East US" here).

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# Step 3: Use Variables for Dynamic Configuration

1. Create a variables.tf File:

   • In the same project directory, create a new file named variables.tf.
   • This file will hold the variable definitions for the Resource Group name and location, making the configuration more flexible.

2. Define Variables in variables.tf:

   • Add the following variable definitions to variables.tf:

     # Define a variable for the Resource Group name
     
     variable "resource_group_name" {
       description = "The name of the Azure Resource Group"
       type        = string
       default     = "myResourceGroup"
     }
     
     # Define a variable for the Azure region (location)
     
     variable "location" {
       description = "The Azure region where the Resource Group will be created"
       type        = string
       default     = "East US"
     }

3. Modify main.tf to Use Variables:

   • Update the resource block in main.tf to use the variables defined in variables.tf:

     # Create an Azure Resource Group using variables
     
     resource "azurerm_resource_group" "example" {
       name     = var.resource_group_name
       location = var.location
     }

   • Here, var.resource_group_name and var.location reference the values of the variables defined in variables.tf.

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# Step 4: Run terraform plan to Preview Changes and Ensure the Configuration is Valid

1. Initialize the Project:

   • In the terminal, navigate to the my-terraform-project directory if you’re not already there.
   • Run terraform init to initialize the project and download the required provider plugin:

     terraform init

2. Run terraform plan:

   • After initializing, run the following command to preview the changes Terraform will make:

     terraform plan

   • This command checks the configuration, evaluates the values of variables, and generates a plan showing the actions Terraform will take to create the resource.

3. Review the Output of terraform plan:

   • The output should display a summary indicating that Terraform will add a new resource, along with the details 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.

   • Ensure that the output matches your expectations and that the Resource Group will be created with the specified name and location.

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# Verification

• Confirm the Initialization:

  • Ensure that terraform init ran without errors and successfully initialized the project.

• Verify the Plan Output:

  • Confirm that the output of terraform plan shows Terraform will create a new Resource Group with the specified details.

• Troubleshoot Issues:

  • If there are errors in the configuration, review main.tf and variables.tf to ensure all syntax and variable references are correct.

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