Advanced Terraform: Efficient Infrastructure as Code

• An understanding of basic Terraform syntax and operations
• Experience with cloud infrastructure, preferably AWS, and familiarity with CI/CD concepts

Audience

• DevOps engineers
• Cloud architects
• Infrastructure specialists
• Technical leads and managers 

Terraform is an open-source infrastructure as code software tool that provides a consistent CLI workflow to manage hundreds of cloud services.

This instructor-led, live training (online or onsite) is aimed at intermediate-level to advanced-level DevOps engineers, cloud architects, and infrastructure specialists who wish to enhance their skills in managing and orchestrating distributed infrastructure using Terraform's advanced features.

By the end of this training, participants will be able to:

• Utilize Terraform's advanced features to create dynamic, scalable infrastructure.
• Structure and manage Terraform modules for optimal reusability and efficiency.
• Integrate Terraform with CI/CD pipelines for seamless automation.
• Debug and troubleshoot complex Terraform configurations effectively.
• Implement best practices for maintaining and scaling cloud infrastructure with Terraform.

Format of the Course

• Interactive lecture and discussion.
• Lots of exercises and practice.
• Hands-on implementation in a live-lab environment.

Course Customization Options

• To request a customized training for this course, please contact us to arrange.

Advanced Terraform Syntax and Constructs

• Deep dive into Terraform syntax
• Advanced loops with for_each and count
• Utilizing maps and lists for dynamic configurations

Expressions and Dynamic Configurations

• Basic expressions and their use cases
• Advanced expressions for complex infrastructure setups
• Practical exercises on expressions

Terraform Modules Best Practices

• Local vs shared modules: When to use each
• Structuring modules for reusability and maintainability
• Versioning and managing module sources

Terraform Best Practices and Patterns

• Review of instance index keys for state management
• Best practices for writing and organizing Terraform code
• Ensuring idempotency and minimizing side effects

Managing Terraform State

• Importing resources and understanding the state file
• State locking, state backends, and remote state management
• Handling state file in distributed environments

Keeping Up with Terraform Updates

• Reviewing documentation alongside new Terraform releases
• Strategies for upgrading Terraform versions
• Dealing with deprecations and migration paths

Integrating Terraform with CI/CD Pipelines

• Overview of YAML and pipeline configurations
• Setting up Terraform with popular CI/CD tools
• Automating Terraform workflows in pipelines

Advanced Troubleshooting and Debugging

• Systematic approaches to troubleshooting Terraform plans and applies
• Debugging common and advanced errors in Terraform
• Using logs and verbose output for error resolution

Outputs and Data Flow in Terraform

• Understanding and utilizing outputs in Terraform
• Data flow between modules and root configurations
• Securing sensitive information in outputs

Conditional Logic in Terraform

• Writing conditional statements with count, for_each, and if
• Conditional creation of resources
• Use cases for conditional logic in modules

Running Terraform Locally

• Setting up a local Terraform environment
• Running and testing Terraform code on local machines
• Local development best practices

Handling Circular Dependencies

• Identifying and resolving circular dependencies
• Refactoring code to prevent dependency cycles
• Advanced techniques for dependency management

Summary and Next Steps