So, recently I've been learning about terraform. Terraform automates deploying, configuring, and managing servers for cloud providers or in-house solutions. I found it fascinating how easy it is to use Terraform in creating and destroying resources. This might sound like a basic concept in the world of Infrastructure as Code (IAC), but I hadn't delved into it before. I was fresh in my DevOps studies and hadn't quite reached that point yet.
My journey into Terraform began when I reached out to a DevOps mentor. I told my mentor I was focusing on technical writing and losing touch with DevOps, which I hadn't mastered yet. It felt like jumping into a foreign language without learning English. It's as if you have to start all over again, relearning your ABCs... and that's how it felt to me.
I began my Terraform journey by exploring the official Terraform website. I enrolled in a Terraform course on KodeKloud and invested in a DevOps course on Udemy. This Udemy course introduced me to Terraform projects and deepened my Terraform knowledge.
Terraform uses HCL, a declarative language known for its user-friendliness. If you're acquainted with YAML and JSON, you'll find HCL a walk in the park. It's like writing a recipe for your infrastructure. You describe what you want, and Terraform makes it happen. And even if you have trouble with HCL, wanna know what the amazing thing is? There is a comprehensive code library housed within the Terraform registry. This repository includes all the code snippets you might need.
The discovery of modules opened me up to a new world and I went crazy with power. I started small, working with the AWS provider to create an EC2 instance. I proceeded to establish an EC2 instance using a Bash script to deploy a website.
Additionally, I ensured remote state file management by storing it in an S3 bucket. Next, I decided to step up my game and create all the resources for my instance from scratch. I created the VPC, subnet, internet gateway, route table, and EBS volume I needed for my instance. It was a moment of triumph when I ran Terraform Apply and that green "Apply complete" sign popped up.
And then, as I saw the Destroy Complete message, I thought to myself, "Yup, this is how villains are born." The power to destroy many resources with two words seemed like too much power for one person. I imagined my supervillain's name, ready to create and destroy resources at will. You can call me Terrabomb.
But it's best to wrap things up here before I venture too far into the dark side of tech. I'm still learning Terraform, but I don't have time to master it with so many other tools on my list. Nonetheless, every day, I'm amazed by what I discover. Colour me terra-impressed.