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Course Outline: Terraform with AWS

Introduction to Terraform and AWS Fundamentals

Module 1: Introduction to Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

• Concepts and Benefits
  • Definition and importance of IaC
  • Comparison of IaC with traditional infrastructure management
  • Key benefits: automation, consistency, scalability, versioning
• Overview of IaC Tools
  • Brief introduction to popular IaC tools (Terraform, Ansible, CloudFormation)
  • Why Terraform is a preferred choice

Module 2: Getting Started with Terraform

• What is Terraform?
  • Overview of Terraform’s purpose and functionality
  • Core components: Providers, Resources, Modules, State
• Installing and Configuring Terraform
  • Installation steps on different platforms (Windows, macOS, Linux)
  • Setting up AWS CLI and configuring access keys and credentials
  • Establishing connections between AWS and Terraform, as well as Azure and Terraform

Module 3: AWS Basics for Terraform

• Understanding AWS Architecture
  • Overview of key AWS services (EC2, S3, RDS, VPC, IAM)
  • AWS Regions and Availability Zones
  • AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) basics

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Terraform Configuration and State Management

Module 4: Writing Basic Terraform Configurations

• Terraform Configuration Language (HCL)
  • Syntax and structure of Terraform configuration files
  • Defining resources, providers, and variables
• Creating Basic Resources
  • Hands-on: Creating an S3 bucket and EC2 instance
  • Understanding Terraform commands: terraform init, terraform plan, terraform apply, terraform destroy, terraform import, terraform fmt, terraform refresh, terraform workspace

Module 5: State Management in Terraform

• Understanding Terraform State
  • Purpose and structure of the state file
  • State management commands (terraform state list, terraform state show) and best practices
• Remote State Storage
  • Setting up remote state with AWS S3
  • Benefits of remote state: collaboration, security, backup
  • Implementing state locking with DynamoDB
  • Recovering resources using the state file

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Terraform Variables and Outputs

Module 6: Managing Variables and Outputs

• Using Variables in Terraform
  • Defining input variables
  • Variable types and validation
  • Overriding default values using command line, environment variables, and tfvars files
• Outputs in Terraform
  • Defining and using outputs to capture resource attributes
  • Using outputs for inter-module communication

Module 7: Managing Secrets and Sensitive Data

• Handling Sensitive Data in Terraform
  • Best practices for managing sensitive information (e.g., API keys, passwords)
  • Using AWS Secrets Manager and SSM Parameter Store
  • Secure storage of state files

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Advanced Terraform Features

Module 8: Terraform Modules

• Introduction to Modules
  • Concept of modules and their advantages
  • Creating reusable modules: structure and design principles
• Using and Publishing Modules
  • Utilizing community modules from the Terraform Registry
  • Publishing and versioning custom modules

Module 9: Working with Multiple Environments

• Environment Management Strategies
  • Structuring Terraform configurations for multiple environments (Dev, Staging, Prod)
  • Using workspaces to manage environments
• Isolation and Security Considerations
  • Isolating environment resources
  • Managing access control with IAM roles and policies

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Terraform Best Practices and CI/CD Integration

Module 10: Terraform Best Practices

• Code Quality and Structure
  • Organizing Terraform code: file structure, naming conventions
  • Best practices for managing resource dependencies and avoiding common pitfalls
• Version Control and Collaboration
  • Using Git for version control
  • Collaborating with teams: branching strategies, pull requests

Module 11: Integrating Terraform with CI/CD Pipelines

• Automating Terraform Deployments
  • Setting up Terraform in CI/CD tools (Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions)
  • Handling Terraform state in CI/CD
• Testing and Validation
  • Using terraform validate, terraform fmt, and terraform plan
  • Implementing automated testing with tools like Terratest

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Advanced Use Cases and Real-World Applications

Module 12: Advanced Terraform Use Cases

• Infrastructure Scaling and Optimization
  • Auto-scaling with Terraform
  • Managing large-scale infrastructure
• Integrating with Other Tools
  • Using Terraform with Packer for image building
  • Integrating Terraform with AWS CloudFormation

Module 13: Case Studies and Examples

• Real-World Scenarios
  • Case studies on managing multi-account AWS environments
  • Migrating existing infrastructure to Terraform-managed
• Discussion and Analysis
  • Analyzing challenges and solutions in real-world applications
  • Lessons learned and best practices

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Practical Labs, Review, and Q&A

Module 14: Hands-On Lab Exercises

• Lab 1: Deploying a Multi-Tier Application
  • Designing and deploying a VPC, EC2 instances, RDS, and S3
  • Implementing security groups, IAM roles, and policies
• Lab 2: Managing Infrastructure Changes
  • Making updates to the existing infrastructure
  • Handling state and dealing with common issues

Module 15: Course Review and Q&A

• Recap of Key Concepts
  • Reviewing key topics covered during the course
  • Common pitfalls and troubleshooting tips
• Open Q&A Session
  • Addressing participant questions and concerns
  • Discussing advanced topics or specific challenges faced by participants