‍‍Terraform is an open-source infrastructure automation tool that enables you to deploy and manage servers and other resources using a command-line interface. With Terraform, you can build, modify, and control your infrastructure by defining configurations in a human-readable file. It supports various cloud providers like AWS, Azure, GCP, and Alibaba Cloud, allowing you to automate and provision servers, databases, firewalls, load balancers, and more. In this article, we will walk you through the process of installing Terraform on Ubuntu Server 22.04, ensuring that you can harness its power to streamline your infrastructure management.

Prerequisites for Installing Terraform

Before we dive into the installation process, let’s ensure that you have everything in place to install Terraform on your Ubuntu Server 22.04:

1. A server running Ubuntu 22.04.
2. A configured root password for the server.

Installing Terraform from the Ubuntu Repository

By default, the Terraform package is not available in the Ubuntu 22.04 default repository. Therefore, we need to add the Terraform official repository to your system. Follow the steps below:

1. Start by installing the required dependencies by executing the following command:

apt install -y gnupg software-properties-common curl -y

2. Once the dependencies are installed, add the Terraform GPG key and repository using the following command:

curl -fsSL https://apt.releases.hashicorp.com/gpg | apt-key add -
apt-add-repository "deb [arch=amd64] https://apt.releases.hashicorp.com $(lsb_release -cs) main"

3. After adding the repository, you can proceed with the installation of the Terraform package:

apt install terraform -y

4. To verify that Terraform has been successfully installed, use the following command:

terraform --version

This should display the Terraform version, confirming the successful installation.

Installing Terraform from Source

Alternatively, you can install Terraform by downloading the latest version from the official website. Follow the steps below:

1. Start by downloading the Terraform binary using the wget command:

wget https://releases.hashicorp.com/terraform/1.3.6/terraform_1.3.6_linux_amd64.zip

2. After the download is complete, unzip the downloaded file:

unzip terraform_1.3.6_linux_amd64.zip

3. Next, move the Terraform binary to the system location:

mv terraform /usr/bin/

4. To verify that Terraform has been successfully installed, use the following command:

terraform --version

This should display the Terraform version, confirming the successful installation.

Installing the Terraform “auto-complete” Feature

The Terraform “auto-complete” feature allows you to see all available sub-commands by pressing the TAB key. To install this convenient feature, follow the steps below:

1. Install the “auto-complete” feature by running the following command:

terraform -install-autocomplete

2. To activate the “auto-complete” feature, either log out and log in again to your terminal shell or run the following command:

source ~/.bashrc

3. To verify that the “auto-complete” feature is working, run the Terraform command and press the TAB key twice. This should display all available sub-commands.

terraform

Using Terraform: A Quick Guide

Now that you have successfully installed Terraform on your Ubuntu Server 22.04, let’s explore how to use it to provision resources. We’ll walk you through the process step-by-step.

1. Start by creating a directory for your project:

mkdir aws

2. Navigate to your project directory:

cd aws

3. Create a Terraform configuration file named main.tf:

nano main.tf

4. In the main.tf file, add the following code:

# Provider
 provider "aws" {
   access_key = ""
   secret_key = ""
   region = "us-west-1"
 }

5. Save and close the file.
6. Initialize Terraform by running the following command:

terraform init

This command will automatically download the necessary provider configurations to the .terraform directory.

7. Define resource definitions, set AWS variables, and generate an execution plan using the following command:

terraform plan

This command will analyze your configuration and display a summary of the changes that Terraform will make to your infrastructure.

8. Finally, build and deploy your infrastructure using the following command:

terraform apply

This command will execute the changes defined in your Terraform configuration and provision the required resources.

9. If you ever need to destroy the Terraform-managed infrastructure, run the following command:

terraform destroy

This will remove all the resources created by Terraform.

Conclusion

In this comprehensive guide, we have walked you through the process of installing Terraform on Ubuntu Server 22.04. We have also provided a quick guide on how to use Terraform to provision AWS instances. Now, armed with this knowledge, you can create your own Terraform configuration files and leverage the power of infrastructure automation. For more information and detailed documentation, visit the official Terraform documentation page.

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Christian Wells