Are you getting ready for Terraform interviews? You're in the right place. I've carefully compiled the top 50 Terraform interview questions and answers in this blog. Whether you're a beginner or an advanced learner, the Terraform interview questions will help enhance your Terraform knowledge. So, why wait? Dive into the blog to explore Terraform and ace your interviews effortlessly.
Terraform is a popular IT infrastructure automation tool. According to Statista, DevOps engineers mostly choose Terraform for infrastructure provisioning over other DevOps tools. The critical feature of Terraform is that it enables you to build, modify, and deploy IT infrastructure with ease.
As enterprises increasingly prefer Terraform for their infrastructure automation, the demand for Terraform professionals continually increases. Terraform offers various job roles, including Terraform Architect, Terraform Engineer, DevOps Engineer, Terraform Developer, and more, leading to numerous job opportunities.
To help you prepare for your interview, I have collected the essential Terraform interview questions with detailed answers in this blog. After going through the blog, you can confidently face Terraform interviews and secure lucrative job opportunities in top companies.
Table of Contents:
Before we dive into Terraform interview questions, we will look at the skillset of Terraform developers. In this section, I have listed the essential primary and secondary skills that current employers seek from Terraform developers.
Let’s see what they are!
Primary Skills:
Secondary Skills:
Sure! By understanding the Terraform developer's skillset, you can prepare well for Terraform interviews and ace your interviews intelligently.
In this section, I have included the job responsibilities of Terraform developers at various expertise levels. It will help you understand the role of Terraform developers in the workplace and sharpen your Terraform interview preparation.
Here we go!
We hope that you have become familiar with the job responsibilities of Terraform professionals. It will help you to excel in your job from day one.
If you want to enrich your career and become a professional in Terraform, then enrol in "Terraform Online Training" - This course will help you to achieve excellence in this domain. |
In this section, I have meticulously hand-picked the top 50 Terraform interview questions for your adequate preparation. I have also divided this section into two categories for beginners and advanced learners. So, you will gradually learn Terraform from the basics to the advanced level.
I have included the basic Terraform questions and answers in this section to provide a solid foundation on Terraform concepts. In this part, you will learn about Infrastructure as Code, Terraform modules, Terraform commands, and many more.
Terraform is a DevOps tool that we use to automate infrastructure provisioning. Also, it is an Infrastructure as a Code (IaC) tool with which we can build and modify on-premises and cloud resources efficiently.
Terraform supports designing, updating, and versioning Amazon Web Services (AWS) infrastructure. Terraform in AWS is part of the AWS DevOps competency and an advanced AWS Partner Network (APN) technology.
With Terraform's custom AWS CloudFormation, we can control the on-premises and public cloud resources. We may access the resources directly from the CloudFormation user interface. We can also access the resources through the AWS Service catalogue, which provides an extra degree of governance and control.
The essential features of Terraform are given as follows:
Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is the software approach in which developers use code to build, modify, and maintain an IT infrastructure using configuration files. The IT provisioning is done automatically, replacing the manual efforts. Note that we can alter and transfer configuration files securely within the organisation.
The latest stable release of Terraform is v1.8.4, which was released on May 22, 2024.
The crucial Terraform commands are:
Callbacks are possible with Terraform on Azure if you use Azure Event Hubs. Terraform's Azure supplier offers users simple functionality. The Terraform occurrence has already been set up in Microsoft Azure Cloud Shell.
Terraform init is a Terraform command that initialises the configuration files stored in a working directory. It is the first command we execute after creating a new Terraform design. It allows setting up an operational index using the Terraform pattern files. We can repeat this operation several times.
The following are a few updates made in the latest version of Terraform (v1.8.4).
Terraform D is a Windows plugin that works with almost all in-service systems. By default, Terraform init looks for plugins in the following directory.
The primary responsibilities of a Terraform provider plugin include:
Yes, we can use Team Foundation Service (TFS) API to deliver resources for the web, too. The user interface uses API as its foundation in this scenario.
DevOps engineers employ Terraform to automate infrastructure provisioning. They use Hashicorp Configuration Language (HCL) to script human-readable configuration files. We can reuse and share the configuration files.
HCL provides many commands that allow DevOps engineers to build and apply infrastructure settings across multiple cloud environments and on-premises data centres.
Related Article: DevOps Tutorial
The null resource in Terraform is the same as the standard resource, which follows the resource lifecycle model. It acts as a placeholder to execute arbitrary actions included in Terraform configurations. However, it doesn’t perform any action other than initialisation.
Terraform Cloud is a platform that supports managing Terraform codes. It bridges the gap between DevOps engineers and developer teams, simplifying workflows and improving security.
Workspace is one of the crucial components of the Terraform Cloud. It plays a vital role in storing states, executing runs, and storing environment variables. Moreover, the project is another Terraform Cloud component that contains workspaces.
Oracle Cloud infrastructure is essentially a cloud computing platform comprising storage, applications, servers, services, and networks. We can access these resources from the global network of Oracle Corporation-managed data centres anytime.
We can define a Terraform backend in any Terraform setup. We use a Terraform backend to determine the location for storing state data files. It allows multiple users to access the state data and collaborate.
Local is one of the Terraform backends we can use to store state files as local files in the current working directory. If the configuration doesn’t include any backend block, Terraform assumes the local backend as the default.
Terraform supports the following Terraform versions.
Terraform's key competitors are:
We use Terraform's Command-Line Interface (CLI) to manage infrastructure. Not only that, we use the CLI to communicate with Terraform state and configuration files.
Terraform supports the following version control options:
I have curated the advanced Terraform interview questions in this section to enhance your Terraform expertise. Once you complete reading this section, you will gain in-depth knowledge of various key terraform topics.
Terraform's Command-Line Interface (CLI) is used to manage infrastructure and communicate with Terraform state, configuration files, and providers, among other things.
Here are some simple CLI commands to get you started:
A module in Terraform is typically a container that has multiple resources. We use modules to pack and reuse Terraform configurations to boost productivity.
Terraform has three modules: Root, Child, and Published.
Terraform’s Private Module Registry allows developers to distribute Terraform modules and providers across the organisation. The private module registry works in the same way as the public registry. Further, it provides support for versioning and a list of available modules and providers.
Yes, we can use Terraform to create on-premises infrastructure. We can configure the infrastructure based on user requirements.
Yes, Terraform supports multi-provider installations. It includes on-premises solutions like VMware, OpenStack , and SDN management.\
We can avoid the duplicate resource error with the following options:
The following version controls are supported:
The pre-installed Terraform provisioners are:
We use the following command to remove a Terraform-managed infrastructure.
[options] [dir] terraform destroy
The following are some of the significant applications of Terraform:
Jotted down are the key components of terraform architecture.
Terraform creates a resource graph based on the configuration details. We can use this graph to build execution plans, refresh state files, and more. A resource graph in Terraform shows resources that allow for developing and modifying resources at a time.
Terraform’s execution plan supports updating the state of a resource graph’s configuration. We can also identify the drawbacks of the resources from the graph at a glance.
Celebrate! I’m sure that you are thorough in Terraform fundamentals. No doubt you are now ready to jump into learning advanced interview questions.
Below are a few examples of sentinel policies:
There are three degrees of enforcement in Sentinel: advisory, soft mandatory, and hard obligatory.
[ Check out: Terraform Private Registry]
Terraform requires credentials to interact with your cloud provider's API. These credentials, on the other hand, are typically left unencrypted on your desktop. Significant numbers of API and cryptographic keys are exposed to GitHub every day. As a result, you should never save your API keys explicitly in Terraform code. Anything that shouldn't be retained in plain text, such as passwords, TLS certificates, and SSH keys, should be encrypted.
GitOps | DevOps |
It is a branch of DevOps that focuses on Git code repositories for code deployment and infrastructure management. | It bridges the gap between the development and IT operations teams tightly. |
It mainly depends on automation for code management and deployment. | It heavily depends on communication and collaboration between teams. |
We use GitOps in conjunction with any containerisation tool. | We use DevOps with any application |
The Git repository is essentially the source of truth in GitOps. | Application or server configuration files are the source of truth in DevOps. |
We must use credentials to interact with any cloud provider API to store the sensitive data.
Terragrunt is a lightweight wrapper for Terraform that offers extra capabilities, including DRY setups, remote state management, and support for a variety of Terraform modules. It is employed for the following purposes:
State file locking is one of Terraform's backend procedures. This method prevents multiple users to perform the same task. Only when a user exits a task can other users access that task. It helps to keep state files from becoming corrupted.
We can delete and regenerate a tainted resource by using Terraform commands. When a resource is identified as contaminated, the state files are changed. But at the same time, the infrastructure remains the same.
We can lock Terraform module versions by leveraging the Terraform module registry as a source. Also, we can use the Terraform configuration file version attribute.
Terraform Core is a compiled binary written in the Go language.
The primary responsibilities of the Terraform Core are given as follows:
The Terraform setup for launching a single EC2 instance on AWS is given as follows:
"AWS" as a provider
"region" = "
"AWS instance" is a resource.
"as an example"
"" = ami
"" instance type="" instance type="" instance type="" instance_
tagging
"example" as a name
Related Article: AWS EC2 Tutorial
When executing 'Terraform init,' we must use the '-upgrade' option. This command looks for the acceptable new provider versions in the repository. If they are available, it also downloads the versions.
In resource configuration, an output variable is defined.
New data resources, such as Azure batch certificates, are provided in recent editions. We use this resource to control things when networking.
We must recommit the earlier code version to make it new. It will start the Terraform run command by running the earlier code. Terraform is highly declarative, so the codes will soon be reverted to their previous state. If the state file is damaged, we can use the Terraform enterprise rollback feature to restore the earlier details.
It depends on the configuration scenario. If we have made changes in the configured backend, we must re-run ‘Terraform init’ to re-initialize the configuration. If we have changed the non-Terraform configuration codes, executing only the ‘Terraform plan’ is enough.
But at the same time, if we are making changes in modules, we must re-run the ‘Terraform get-update’ to include the changes in the configuration.
Yes, it is possible to use callbacks with Terraform on Microsoft Azure. For instance, we can send a callback to a trigger, logging system, or any event. We can use callbacks only when we use Azure Event Hubs.
The Terraform Init command initialises the configuration files stored in a working directory. It is the first command that we run after writing the configuration scripts. Note that we must run this command multiple times to avoid errors.
On the other hand, the ‘Terraform Apply’ command executes the actions of a Terraform plan. First, this command assesses the current infrastructure, identifies the gaps, and updates resources based on the plan.
We can use the Terraform validate command to validate configuration files in a working directory. This command examines the configuration files to determine whether they are syntactically correct and consistent. Besides, we validate the files to verify the reusable modules by examining the accuracy of attribute names and value types.
We must run this command safely in two ways. One way is to run this command as a post-save check in a text editor. Another way is to run this command as a test step for a reusable module in a continuous integration system.
Terraform is an IaC tool that can streamline multi-environments with a single codebase. In other words, we can use the same configuration files to provision resources across multiple environments without compromising consistency.
Additionally, we can use modules, workspaces, and variables to streamline multi-environments.
Terraform stores state files in a local directory by default. When multiple users access the state files, it leads to severe complications. However, Terraform stores state files in a remote data store when we employ the remote state. So, all the users can access the data in the state files simultaneously without any complications.
Know that Terraform stores state files in the HCP Terraform, Amazon S3, Hashicorp Consul, and Google Cloud storage.
Cheers! Now, you are supercharged with learning all the Terraform interview questions and answers. We hope you are ready to nail your Terraform interviews and climb your career ladder.
Yes, Terraform is easy to learn. You will quickly learn to Terraform if you provide sheer focus, dedication, and practice. Learning Terraform is a piece of cake if you polish your DevOps skills. MindMajix delivers top-class Terraform training from industry-experienced trainers. The cutting-edge course modules will boost your Terraform knowledge to new levels. Your learning journey in MindMajix will be smooth, seamless, and fruitful.
Yes, learning Terraform is a big investment for your future. According to Glassdoor, Terraform developers can get an average base pay of over 9 LPA in India. In the USA, Terraform DevOps engineers make over 150k USD per year, according to Talent. These figures are indeed attractive and hopeful. So, learning Terraform is a great choice. You can kick start your career with confidence.
Harshicorp offers Terraform associate certification for DevOps professionals to test their knowledge of Terraform professionals. The certification proves you can showcase your expertise to recruiters and smoothly breeze through your Terraform interviews. MindMajix offers in-depth Terraform training for all learners. It empowers anyone with zero or any expertise to positively crack the Terraform certification exam on the very first attempt.
Indeed, there is no prerequisite to learning Terraform. However, if you have good exposure to the following, it will be a significant advantage.
You can truly learn Terraform in a short span. MindMajix offers 50 hours of standalone Terraform training in two modes – live instructor-led and self-paced videos. You will learn Terraform within 15 days if you prefer live online training. On the other hand, if you choose the self-paced video mode, you will learn Terraform within 15 days by watching videos three hours per day.
Terraform interviews may be tough at times, therefore familiarity with the platform is essential. It's advisable to keep exploring and experimenting with the platform to improve your chances of passing the interview.
Our work-support plans provide precise options as per your project tasks. Whether you are a newbie or an experienced professional seeking assistance in completing project tasks, we are here with the following plans to meet your custom needs:
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Terraform Training | Dec 07 to Dec 22 | View Details |
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Soujanya is a Senior Writer at Mindmajix with tons of content creation experience in the areas of cloud computing, BI, Perl Scripting. She also creates content on Salesforce, Microstrategy, and Cobit. Connect with her via LinkedIn and Twitter.