Top 50 Terraform Interview Question and Answers

Terraform is an open-source IaC tool that enables users to define, provision, and manage infrastructure resources, such as Azure resources, by using a declarative configuration language. Terraform utilises provider plugins to interact with multiple Cloud providers and can manage infrastructure resources across various Cloud Platforms.

Terraform boasts several key features, including Infrastructure as Code, execution plans, resource graphs, change automation, and various plugins for different providers.

Infrastructure as Code (IAC) is a practice that involves managing and provisioning infrastructure through machine-readable script files rather than through physical hardware configuration or interactive configuration tools.

Common Terraform commands include init (initialise a new or existing Terraform configuration), plan (generate and show an execution plan), and apply (apply the changes required to reach the

No, callbacks are not natively supported in Terraform on Azure. Terraform mainly uses a push model for managing infrastructure.

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Terraform works by defining and providing infrastructure configurations in code, creating an execution plan, and then applying the program to provision the infrastructure.

No, history may differ when using TFS API to provide resources. The TFS API allows programmatic access to Team Foundation Server data, enabling resource provisioning. However, specific actions through the API may result in variations from the conventional web-based history, depending on API interactions and configurations.

Terraform facilitates collaboration between development and operations teams, enabling them to automate infrastructure provisioning and ensure consistent environments, a fundamental principle of DevOps.

Terraform Cloud is a hosted service by HashiCorp that facilitates collaborative infrastructure management. It provides a centralised platform for storing and versioning Terraform configurations, managing state files, and executing runs remotely.

With features like variable management, access controls, and workspace isolation, Terraform Cloud enhances team collaboration and ensures a streamlined approach to infrastructure provisioning and management.

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Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) is a comprehensive Cloud Computing platform offered by Oracle Corporation. It provides a suite of infrastructure services, including computing power, storage options, and networking capabilities, designed for enterprise-level performance and scalability. OCI empowers businesses with a secure and reliable Cloud solution, facilitating the deployment and management of applications and workloads in the Oracle Cloud environment. 

The Terraform backend is a configuration block that defines where and how Terraform stores its state files. This could be local, remote, or a more advanced solution like Terraform Cloud. 

There is no specific feature or command known as "Terraform D." It may be a misconception or misunderstanding. Terraform primarily utilises commands like init, plan, and apply for infrastructure management, and there's no widely recognised reference to "Terraform D" within the Terraform toolset.

A null resource is a placeholder resource that does nothing but serve as a dependency for other resources. It is often used to trigger provisioners or for organising resources.

Terraform D is a plugin used on majority of in-service systems and Windows. By default, Terraform init searches next directories for plugins.

The Terraform CLI is used to interact with Terraform. Typical commands include init, plan, apply, destroy, and validate.

Terraform modules are reusable, encapsulated configurations that enable the creation of structured and maintainable infrastructure code. Acting as building blocks, modules streamline the definition of resources, reducing redundancy and promoting scalability. 

They enhance code organisation and facilitate the creation of consistent, modular infrastructure across various projects, fostering code reuse and simplicity in Terraform configurations.
 

A Private Module Registry is a secure and private storage for Terraform modules. It allows organisations to share and reuse modules internally.

Yes, Terraform can be used to provision on-premises infrastructure, making it a versatile tool for managing various types of environments.

A Tainted Resource in Terraform is a resource marked for recreation during the next Terraform application. It signifies that the resource needs to be destroyed and recreated, typically due to changes in its configuration. Tainting ensures the resource aligns with the desired state specified in the Terraform configuration.

Terraform supports a variety of version control systems for managing configurations, including Git, Mercurial, Subversion, and others.  

Terraform supports different versions, and users can specify the desired version in their configuration files. Standard versions include 0.12.x, 0.13.x, and so on.

In Terraform, sensitive data can be stored securely using environment variables, encrypted files, or tools like HashiCorp Vault. Avoid storing sensitive information directly in configuration files to maintain security and adhere to best practices in handling confidential data.

Terraform finds applications in infrastructure provisioning, Cloud adoption, and continuous delivery pipelines, among others.

The Resource Graph is a visual representation of the dependencies between resources in a Terraform configuration, helping users understand the order of resource creation.

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Terragrunt is a thin wrapper for Terraform that provides extra tools for working with Terraform configurations. It helps manage remote states and apply configurations in a more structured way.

State File Locking is a mechanism to prevent multiple users or processes from simultaneously modifying the Terraform state file, avoiding conflicts and ensuring data integrity.

A tainted resource is a resource marked for recreation during the next Terraform. It indicates that the resource needs to be destroyed and recreated.

Terraform module versions can be locked by specifying the desired version in the module source reference.

Terraform Core is the primary execution engine responsible for reading configuration files, generating execution plans, and applying changes to infrastructure. 

provider "aws" { region = "us-west-2" } resource "aws_instance" "example" { ami = "ami-0c55b159cbfafe1f0" instance_type = "t2.micro" }  

To upgrade plugins on Terraform, use the command Terraform init -upgrade. This command fetches the latest versions of the required provider plugins, ensuring your configuration remains up to date with the latest features, improvements, and bug fixes. 

To make an object of one module available for another at a high level in Terraform, I can use outputs. Declare the desired data as an output in the source module and then reference it in the target module. 

By defining outputs in the source module and using them as inputs in the higher-level module, I can establish a clear and organised way to share information across different components. 
 

The Terraform Azure Provider continues to evolve, with the latest factors including enhanced support for new Azure services, improved performance, and increased flexibility in resource configuration. 
 

Rollbacks in Terraform can be handled by versioning configurations, maintaining backups of state files, and using Terraform's Terraform state commands to revert to a previous state.

Dependencies in Terraform represent the relationships between resources. If one resource is dependent on another, Terraform will ensure that the dependencies are created before the dependent resource. This ensures that the infrastructure is made in the correct order and that errors related to missing dependencies are avoided.

A Remote Backend in Terraform refers to storing the Terraform state file remotely, allowing for collaboration and state management across multiple users and teams.

Software-defined networking (SDN) is a networking approach that separates the control plane from the data plane. This method uses software to manage and configure network devices, offering greater agility and flexibility in network operations. With SDN, Network Administrators can define network configurations and policies in software and automatically deploy them to network devices, eliminating the need for manual configuration.

 In Terraform, data can be exported from one module to another using "outputs" to define values other modules can access. To export an output, I define it in the module using the "output" block and reference it in the calling module using the syntax module.MODULE_NAME.OUTPUT_NAME

 The main responsibilities of the Terraform Core include:

1) Interpolation of module and configuration file

2) Establish communication between plugins and RPC

3) Constructing resource graphs

4) Managing the state resources
 

 A Terraform State is defined as the state that represents the current state within the managed infrastructure. The information related to its properties, resources, and dependencies is also managed under the Terraform state.

TRACE is the most verbose option, and it serves as the default if TF_LOG is not set to a log level name. When logging is enabled, TF_LOG_PATH can be set to force the log to always be appended to a specific file.

 Terraform state is mainly used to store the relationships between remote system items and resource instances defined in my configuration. When Terraform creates a remote object due to a configuration change, it records the identification of the remote object to a specific resource instance. This allows Terraform to update or remove that object in response to future configuration changes.

Sentinel enables enforcing policies across infrastructure resources. There are three degrees of Sentinel policing:

1) Advisory: These non-enforcing policies guide users on best practices and recommended actions, offering warnings or suggestions about potential issues.

2) Soft-Mandatory: These policies are enforced but allow exceptions, ensuring compliance with organizational policies while maintaining flexibility in specific situations.

3) Hard-Mandatory: These policies are strictly enforced with no exceptions, upholding critical policies that must be adhered to without compromise.

Terraform supports various version control systems beyond GitHub, offering flexibility for diverse workflows. Users can leverage alternatives such as GitLab, Bitbucket, and Azure DevOps to manage their Terraform configurations and collaborate seamlessly. This versatility ensures compatibility with different version control platforms based on individual or organisational preferences.

Terraform faces competition from various infrastructure automation tools, with major contenders being Ansible, Puppet, and Chef. Ansible emphasises simplicity and agentless architecture. Puppet excels in configuration management, while Chef focuses on automation and scalability. 

Each tool has its strengths, making the choice dependent on specific organisational needs and preferences in the realm of infrastructure management and automation. 

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