Infrastructure as Code (IaC) with Terraform for AWS Fundamentals Training Virtual Classroom Live April 22, 2025

Course Overview

Introduction to Terraform

Infrastructure as Code Overview

• Holistic Overview
• IaC vs Scripting

Terraform Basics - Getting Started

• Terraform CLI
• Terraform Project Structure
• Terraform Workflow: Plan, Apply, Destroy
• Terraform HCL Configuration Files
• Resources - Introduction
• Providers - Introduction
• Provisioning Infrastructure using Terraform
• Using Terraform Provider Documentation

Getting Started with Terraform and AWS

• Creating and managing AWS resources using Terraform
• State files and out-of-band changes - reality check

Terraform Architecture

• Terraform Development Architecture
• Terraform State
• Local State
• Remote State
• Intro to Terraform Enterprise and Terraform Cloud
• Terraform Registry
• Providers
• Plugins
• Modules
• Terraform CLI vs Provider version pinning
• CLI Compatibility Promise
• Provider Backward Compatibility

AWS Provider Fundamentals

• Provider Landscape for creating cloud resources
• AWS Provider Authentication
• Creating AWS resources:
• Compute: EC2 Instances, Lambda Functions, PaaS Applications
• Storage: S3 Buckets, EBS Volumes
• Databases: RDS, DynamoDB
• Network: VPC, Subnets, Route Tables, Internet Gateways
• Identity: IAM Users, Roles, Policies and attachments
• Architecting Infrastructure in AWS with Terraform
• Terraform vs CloudFormation and CDK
• Skills Deep Dive

HCL Programming Basics

• Variables and Outputs
• Input
• Local
• Output
• Input Variables in Detail
• CLI Parameters
• TFVARS File
• Environment Variables
• Validation Rules
• HCL Expressions Basics
• Value Data Types
• Value References
• Strings
• Conditionals
• For
• Splat
• Operators
• Using Functions in Terraform
• Numeric
• String
• Collections
• Date and Time
• Type Conversion
• Encoding
• Filesystem
• Cryptographic and Hashing
• IP Network
• Terraform Best Practices - Basics
• HCL Coding Best Practices
• Terraform Project Best Practices

Resources Deep Dive

• Deep dive into HCL resource blocks
• Resource Blocks
• Resource Behavior
• Resource Dependencies
• Implicit
• Explicit
• Meta Arguments
• count
• depends_on
• for_each
• provider
• lifecycle

Data Sources

• Data Source Blocks
• Working with AWS Data Sources

Modules Deep Dive

• Modules Architectural Overview
• Writing Custom Modules
• Consuming Custom Modules
• Module Meta Arguments
• Publishing Modules
• Modules Best Practices

Terraform State Deep Dive

• Terraform State Architecture
• Terraform Backends
• Local
• Remote - Enterprise
• Remote - Cloud
• Remote - AWS S3
• Managing State
• State Drift
• Out of Band Changes
• Convention over Control
• Importing Existing Resources into Terraform
• Terraform CLI Import Command Usage
• 3rd Party Tools

Debugging and Troubleshooting

• Terraform Log Levels
• Debugging Terraform Scripts
• Audit Trails for Troubleshooting
• Terraform State File Issues
• Common Terraform Errors and Solutions

Terraform Best Practices

• Infrastructure as Code Principles
• Mutable vs Immutable
• Declarative Code
• Version Control
• Automation
• Resource Management Strategies
• Naming Conventions
• Modularization
• Resource Dependencies
• Lifecycle Management
• Effective Use of Data Sources
• Security Best Practices
• Secrets Management
• Principle of Least Privileges
• Use of Service Roles
• Performance Optimization Tips
• Parallel Resource Creation
• Reducing Interdependencies
• AWS Best Practices
• IaC Code Management
• Compatibility and Security
• Testing and Documentation
• Resource Management
• Environment and Automation

Advanced Concepts

• Terraform in Organization Context
  • Centralized vs. Distributed Infrastructure Management
  • Hybrid Infrastructure Management
  • DevOps Approach with Terraform
  • Using Managed Terraform Services
  • Team Roles and Responsibilities
  • Governance and Best Practices
  • Case Studies and Real-world Scenarios
• Last Mile Configuration using Provisioners
  • Configuration vs State
  • Integrating configuration management tools
• Terraform in CI/CD Pipelines and GitOps
  • Overview of CI/CD
  • Terraform in CI/CD Context
  • GitOps with Terraform
  • Automated Testing of Terraform Code
  • Infrastructure Deployment Automation
  • Case Studies and Examples
  • Best Practices and Tools
• Integration with Other Tools
  • AWS Secrets Manager for Secrets Management
  • AWS CloudWatch for resource monitoring
  • Secrets Management with Vault
  • Service Discovery with Consul
  • Image Creation with Packer
  • Development Environments with Vagrant
  • Application Deployment with Nomad

Conclusion

Prerequisites

• Working knowledge of Linux and Windows-based systems including Bash or PowerShell
• Basic understanding of AWS