Terraform Project Organization and Modules

Terraform modules help make your code reuseable, and external modules can be used to provision pre-configured resources.

What is a Module?

A module is a container for multiple resources defined within your Terraform configuration, bundled in a reusable fashion.

Modules consist of a collection of .tf or .tf.json files kept together within a single directory. We have already been using a default module in previous lessons.

In this lesson, we will learn how to create more structured and reusable modules.

Why use Modules?

Breaking down the system into different components allows for better organization and specialization within a team.

By using modules, infrastructure specialists can define best practices for infrastructure deployment, which can then be consumed by application developers without having to learn the intricacies of Terraform.

Types of Modules

• Root Module: The default module consisting of every .tf file in the main working directory.
• Child Module: A separate module referenced from the root module.

Modules Sources

• Local Path: Reference a module using a relative path.

module "web-app" {
  source = "../web-app"
}

• Terraform Registry: Reference a module from the Terraform registry.

module "consul" {
  source = "hashicorp/consul/aws"
  version = "0.1.0
}

• GitHub: Reference a module using an HTTP or SSH link.

module "example" {
  source = "github.com/hashicorp/example?ref=v1.2.0"
}

• Generic Git Repo: Reference a module using a URL with a username and password.

module "example" {
  source = "git::ssh://username@example.com/storage.git"
}

Module Inputs and Meta-Arguments

Child modules can also receive input variables, allowing for greater customization and adaptability. Meta-arguments like count, for_each, providers, and depends_on can also be used with child modules.

Characteristics of a Good Module

• Raise the abstraction level from the base resource type.
• Group resources into logical groupings.
• Expose necessary input variables for customization.
• Provide useful and usable default values.
• Return outputs necessary for integration with other systems.

Terraform Registry

The Terraform registry hosts many different modules associated with various providers, such as AWS.

These modules can serve as a starting point for your projects

In this lesson, we explored how to organize Terraform projects using modules, create reusable code, and utilize external modules. Modules allow for better organization and specialization within a team, resulting in a more efficient workflow.