Terraform with AWS Infrastructure Setup

This project demonstrates how to use Terraform to define, provision, and manage AWS infrastructure using Infrastructure as Code (IaC). It covers core Terraform functionalities such as initializing, applying, and managing state files, as well as deploying an Ubuntu EC2 instance with networking configurations.

Key Concepts Practiced

• Terraform: Automates AWS infrastructure provisioning.
• Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Manages cloud resources via code.
• State Management: Tracks deployed resources.
• EC2 Deployment: Launches an AWS instance with Terraform.
• Networking: Configures VPC, subnets, route tables, and security groups.

⚙️ Setting Up Terraform

🔧 Prerequisites

• Install Terraform: brew install terraform (Mac) or choco install terraform (Windows).
• Ensure you have an AWS account and AWS CLI configured: aws configure
• Set up an SSH key pair in AWS to access EC2 instances.

🚀 Essential Terraform Commands

Action	Command	Description
Initialize Terraform	terraform init	Initializes Terraform in the working directory.
Preview Changes	terraform plan	Shows the changes Terraform will apply before execution.
Apply Changes	terraform apply	Creates or updates AWS infrastructure as defined in the code.
Destroy Infrastructure	terraform destroy	Deletes all Terraform-managed resources.
List Tracked Resources	terraform state list	Displays all resources tracked in the Terraform state file.
Show Details of a Resource	terraform state show aws_instance.web-server	Shows the current state and attributes of a specific resource.
Rename/Move a Resource	terraform state mv aws_instance.old-name aws_instance.new-name	Renames or moves a resource within the Terraform state.
Remove a Resource Without Deleting It	terraform state rm aws_s3_bucket.my_bucket	Stops tracking a resource in Terraform without destroying it.

Terraform Output Variables

Retrieve EC2 Public IP

Add the following to main.tf to output the EC2 public IP:

output "instance_public_ip" {
  description = "Public IP of the EC2 instance"
  value       = aws_instance.web-server.public_ip
}

Run this command to display the value:

terraform output instance_public_ip

---

Deploying an AWS EC2 Instance

Terraform Configuration for an EC2 Instance

resource "aws_instance" "web-server-instance" {
  ami               = "ami-04b4f1a9cf54c11d0"
  instance_type     = "t2.micro"
  availability_zone = "us-east-1a"
  key_name          = "terraform-main-key"
network_interface {
device_index         = 0
network_interface_id = aws_network_interface.web-server-nic.id
}
user_data = <<-EOF
#!/bin/bash
sudo apt update -y
sudo apt install apache2 -y
sudo systemctl start apache2
sudo bash -c 'echo "Your very first web server" > /var/www/html/index.html'
EOF
tags = {
Name = "web-server"
}
}

Networking Setup: VPC, Subnets, Security Groups

VPC & Subnet Configuration

It is recommended to use the same Availability Zone (AZ) as the subnet.

• VPC: Defines a private network in AWS.
• Subnet: Divides a VPC into isolated networks.
• Internet Gateway: Allows outbound internet traffic from the VPC.
• Route Table: Controls traffic routing within the VPC.
• Security Groups: Control inbound/outbound traffic to instances.

Accessing EC2 on Mac/Linux

ssh -i "your-key.pem" ubuntu@

Accessing EC2 on Windows (Using PuTTY)

• 1️⃣ Download and install PuTTY.
• 2️⃣ Open PuTTYgen → Load your .pem key → Save as .ppk.
• 3️⃣ Open PuTTY → Enter Hostname: ubuntu@34.232.56.18.
• 4️⃣ Under SSH → Auth → Select your .ppk key.
• 5️⃣ Click **Open** to connect.

📜 Credit

Inspired by this tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLB_c_ayRMo