terraform

name	terraform
description	Terraform infrastructure as code patterns, modules, and state management.
globs	["**/*.tf","**/*.tfvars","**/terraform*"]
priority	80
tags	["devops"]

Terraform Best Practices

Structure

• Use modules for reusable infrastructure
• Separate environments with workspaces or directories
• Use terraform.tfvars for environment-specific values
• Keep state remote (S3 + DynamoDB, Terraform Cloud)
• Use consistent naming conventions

Code Quality

• Use terraform fmt and terraform validate
• Use tflint for additional checks
• Pin provider versions
• Use for_each over count for resources
• Use locals for computed values
• Tag all resources

State Management

• Never edit state manually
• Use state locking (DynamoDB)
• Import existing resources with terraform import
• Use moved blocks for refactoring
• Back up state files

Security

• Never commit secrets to .tf files
• Use variables for sensitive values
• Use Vault or AWS Secrets Manager
• Enable encryption on state backend