Infrastructure as Code (IaC) with Terraform for Azure Fundamentals Training

Course Overview

Introduction

Infrastructure as Code Overview

• Holistic Overview
• IaC vs Scripting

Terraform Basics - Getting Started

• Terraform CLI
• Terraform Project Structure
• Terraform Workflow: Plan, Apply, Destroy
• Terraform HCL Configuration Files
• Resources - Introduction
• Providers - Introduction
• Provisioning Infrastructure using Terraform
• Using Terraform Provider Documentation

Getting Started with Terraform and Azure

• Creating and managing Azure resources using Terraform
• State files and out-of-band changes - reality check

Building Infrastructure

• Terraform Architecture
  • Terraform Development Architecture
  • Terraform State
  • Local State
  • Remote State
  • Intro to Terraform Enterprise and Terraform Cloud
  • Terraform Registry
  • Providers
  • Plugins
  • Modules
  • Terraform CLI vs Provider version pinning
  • CLI Compatibility Promise
  • Provider Backward Compatibility

Azure Provider Fundamentals

• Provider Landscape for creating cloud resources
• Azure Provider Authentication
• Resource Groups
• Compute: Azure Virtual Machines, Azure Functions
• Storage: Azure Blob Storage, Azure Disk Storage
• Databases: Azure SQL Database, Cosmos DB
• Network: Virtual Network, Subnets, Route Tables, Internet Gateways
• Identity: Azure Active Directory Users, Roles, Role Assignments
• Architecting Infrastructure in Azure with Terraform
• Terraform vs ARM and Bicep

Skills Deep Dive

• HCL Programming Basics
  • Variables and Outputs
  • Input
  • Local
  • Output
  • Input Variables in Detail
  • CLI Parameters
  • TFVARS File
  • Environment Variables
  • Validation Rules
  • HCL Expressions Basics
  • Value Data Types
  • Value References
  • Strings
  • Conditionals
  • For
  • Splat
  • Operators
  • Using Functions in Terraform
  • Numeric
  • String
  • Collections
  • Date and Time
  • Type Conversion
  • Encoding
  • Filesystem
  • Cryptographic and Hashing
  • IP Network
  • Terraform Best Practices - Basics
  • HCL Coding Best Practices
  • Terraform Project Best Practices
• Resources Deep Dive
  • Deep dive into HCL resource blocks
  • Resource Blocks
  • Resource Behavior
  • Resource Dependencies
  • Implicit
  • Explicit
  • Meta Arguments
  • count
  • depends_on
  • for_each
  • provider
  • lifecycle
• Data Sources
  • Data Source Blocks
  • Working with Azure Data Sources
• Modules Deep Dive
  • Modules Architectural Overview
  • Writing Custom Modules
  • Consuming Custom Modules
  • Module Meta Arguments
  • Publishing Modules
  • Modules Best Practices
• Terraform State Deep Dive
  • Terraform State Architecture
  • Terraform Backends
  • Local
  • Remote - Enterprise
  • Remote - Cloud
  • Remote - Azure Storage
  • Managing State
  • State Drift
  • Out of Band Changes
  • Convention over Control
  • Importing Existing Resources into Terraform
  • Terraform CLI Import Command Usage
  • 3rd Party Tools

Best Practices and Troubleshooting

• Debugging and Troubleshooting
  • Terraform Log Levels
  • Debugging Terraform Scripts
  • Audit Trails for Troubleshooting
  • Terraform State File Issues
  • Common Terraform Errors and Solutions
• Terraform Best Practices
  • Infrastructure as Code Principles
  • Mutable vs Immutable
  • Declarative Code
  • Version Control
  • Automation
  • Resource Management Strategies
  • Naming Conventions
  • Modularization
  • Resource Dependencies
  • Lifecycle Management
  • Effective Use of Azure Data Sources
  • Security Best Practices
  • Secrets Management
  • Principle of Least Privileges
  • Use of Service Roles
  • Performance Optimization Tips
  • Parallel Resource Creation
  • Reducing Interdependencies
  • Azure Best Practices
  • IaC Code Management
  • Compatibility and Security
  • Testing and Documentation
  • Resource Management
  • Environment and Automation

Advanced Concepts

• Terraform in Organization Context
  • Centralized vs. Distributed Infrastructure Management
  • Hybrid Infrastructure Management
  • DevOps Approach with Terraform
  • Using Managed Terraform Services
  • Team Roles and Responsibilities
  • Governance and Best Practices
  • Case Studies and Real-world Scenarios
• Last Mile Configuration using Provisioners
  • Configuration vs State
  • Integrating configuration management tools
• Terraform in CI/CD Pipelines and GitOps
  • Overview of CI/CD
  • Terraform in CI/CD Context
  • GitOps with Terraform
  • Automated Testing of Terraform Code
  • Infrastructure Deployment Automation
  • Case Studies and Examples
  • Best Practices and Tools
• Integration with Other Tools
  • Azure Key Vault for Secrets Management
  • Azure Monitor for resource monitoring
  • Secrets Management with Vault
  • Service Discovery with Consul
  • Image Creation with Packer
  • Development Environments with Vagrant
  • Application Deployment with Nomad

Conclusion

Prerequisites

• Working experience with Azure Portal and common resource types, including Resource Groups, Virtual Networks, Storage Accounts, Virtual Machines
• Familiarity and some working experience with Azure CLI
• Working experience with command line (PowerShell or Bash)
• Understanding of file system operations and navigation
• Familiarity with VS Code or similar code editor
• Optional: Experience with Git version control