Terraform

Intent Router

Request	Reference	Load When
Install tool, first-time setup, tfenv	`resources/install-and-setup.md`	User needs to install Terraform or manage versions
Provider config, variables, backends	`resources/configuration.md`	User needs provider blocks, variable files, or backend setup
CLI commands, workflows	`resources/command-cookbook.md`	User needs init/plan/apply/destroy patterns or state commands
State management, remote backends	`resources/state-and-backends.md`	User asks about state files, locking, or remote backends

Quick Start

# 1. Initialize working directory (downloads providers)
terraform init

# 2. Preview changes (always run before apply)
terraform plan

# 3. Apply changes (requires confirmation)
terraform apply

# 4. Destroy infrastructure (DANGEROUS — requires confirmation)
terraform destroy

Core Command Tracks

Initialize: terraform init — downloads providers, sets up backend
Validate & format: terraform validate, terraform fmt -recursive
Preview: terraform plan [-out=tfplan] — no changes made
Apply: terraform apply [tfplan] — creates/updates resources
Inspect state: terraform state list, terraform state show <resource>
Workspaces: terraform workspace list, terraform workspace select <name>

Safety Guardrails

Always run terraform plan before terraform apply — review the diff carefully.
terraform destroy is irreversible — confirm resource list before proceeding.
Never commit terraform.tfstate or .tfvars files containing secrets to version control.
Use -target sparingly; it can leave state inconsistent.
Enable state locking on remote backends to prevent concurrent modifications.

# Inspect managed resources in state before making changes
terraform state list
terraform state show aws_instance.web

Workflow

Write or edit .tf configuration files.
Run terraform fmt to normalize formatting.
Run terraform validate to catch syntax errors.
Run terraform plan and review the proposed changes.
Run terraform apply only after reviewing the plan.
Commit updated terraform.lock.hcl but never terraform.tfstate.

Related Skills

pulumi — IaC using general-purpose languages (TypeScript, Python, Go, C#)
ansible — configuration management and agentless automation

References

resources/install-and-setup.md
resources/configuration.md
resources/command-cookbook.md
resources/state-and-backends.md
Official docs: https://developer.hashicorp.com/terraform/docs
Provider registry: https://registry.terraform.io
Best practices: https://www.terraform-best-practices.com
Tutorials: https://developer.hashicorp.com/terraform/tutorials