15 Useful Ansible Modules for Terraform Automation

In the realm of infrastructure as code (IaC), the marriage of Ansible and Terraform has proven to be a powerful alliance for automating and managing infrastructure. Ansible, with its agentless architecture, seamlessly integrates with Terraform to provide a robust automation solution. In this article, we'll explore 15 indispensable Ansible modules that enhance the Terraform automation experience, making your infrastructure management more efficient and scalable.

1. Installing Ansible and Terraform

Before diving into the Ansible modules, ensure you have both Ansible and Terraform installed. Use the following commands to install them:

# Install Ansible
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install ansible

# Install Terraform
sudo apt-get install unzip
wget https://releases.hashicorp.com/terraform/0.14.11/terraform_0.14.11_linux_amd64.zip
unzip terraform_0.14.11_linux_amd64.zip
sudo mv terraform /usr/local/bin/

2. Ansible Modules for Terraform Initialization

a. terraform_init

The terraform_init module allows you to initialize a Terraform configuration:

- name: Initialize Terraform
  hosts: localhost
  tasks:
    - name: Initialize Terraform
      community.general.terraform_init:
        backend_config:
          storage_account_name: ""
          container_name: ""

3. Managing Terraform Workspaces

a. terraform_workspace

Create and select Terraform workspaces effortlessly with the terraform_workspace module:

- name: Manage Terraform Workspaces
  hosts: localhost
  tasks:
    - name: Create Terraform Workspace
      community.general.terraform_workspace:
        name: dev

    - name: Select Terraform Workspace
      community.general.terraform_workspace:
        name: prod
        state: present

4. Ansible Modules for Terraform Configuration Deployment

a. terraform_apply

Deploy your Terraform configuration using the terraform_apply module:

- name: Deploy Terraform Configuration
  hosts: localhost
  tasks:
    - name: Apply Terraform Configuration
      community.general.terraform_apply:
        directory: /path/to/terraform/config

5. Automating Terraform Destroy

a. terraform_destroy

Automate the destruction of Terraform resources with the terraform_destroy module:

- name: Destroy Terraform Resources
  hosts: localhost
  tasks:
    - name: Destroy Terraform Resources
      community.general.terraform_destroy:
        directory: /path/to/terraform/config

6. Ansible Modules for Terraform State Management

a. terraform_remote_data

Manage Terraform remote data with the terraform_remote_data module:

- name: Manage Terraform State Data
  hosts: localhost
  tasks:
    - name: Get Terraform Remote State
      community.general.terraform_remote_data:
        backend_type: azurerm
        config: /path/to/backend/config.tf

7. Automating Terraform Plan

a. terraform_plan

Automate the generation of Terraform plans with the terraform_plan module:

- name: Generate Terraform Plan
  hosts: localhost
  tasks:
    - name: Create Terraform Plan
      community.general.terraform_plan:
        directory: /path/to/terraform/config

8. Managing Terraform Variables

a. terraform_variable

Efficiently manage Terraform variables with the terraform_variable module:

- name: Manage Terraform Variables
  hosts: localhost
  tasks:
    - name: Set Terraform Variable
      community.general.terraform_variable:
        key: instance_type
        value: t2.micro

9. Ansible Modules for Terraform Provider Installation

a. terraform_providers

Install Terraform providers seamlessly with the terraform_providers module:

- name: Install Terraform Providers
  hosts: localhost
  tasks:
    - name: Install AWS Terraform Provider
      community.general.terraform_providers:
        providers:
          - name: aws
            version: "~> 3.0"

10. Terraform Backend Configuration

a. terraform_backend_config

Configure your Terraform backend with the terraform_backend_config module:

- name: Configure Terraform Backend
  hosts: localhost
  tasks:
    - name: Set Azure Storage Backend Configuration
      community.general.terraform_backend_config:
        backend_type: azurerm
        config: /path/to/backend/config.tf

11. Ansible Modules for Terraform Output Retrieval

a. terraform_output

Retrieve Terraform output values effortlessly with the terraform_output module:

- name: Retrieve Terraform Output
  hosts: localhost
  tasks:
    - name: Get Terraform Output
      community.general.terraform_output:
        module_path: /path/to/terraform/config
        output_name: instance_ip

12. Dynamic Inventory with Terraform

a. terraform_inventory

Generate dynamic inventories using Terraform with the terraform_inventory module:

- name: Generate Dynamic Inventory
  hosts: localhost
  tasks:
    - name: Create Terraform Dynamic Inventory
      community.general.terraform_inventory:
        executable: /path/to/terraform/inventory/script

13. Ansible Modules for Terraform Locking

a. terraform_lock

Implement Terraform state locking with the terraform_lock module:

- name: Implement Terraform Locking
  hosts: localhost
  tasks:
    - name: Lock Terraform State
      community.general.terraform_lock:
        lock: true
        lock_id: my-lock

14. Terraform Import Automation

a. terraform_import

Automate the import of existing resources into Terraform with the terraform_import module:

- name: Import Existing Resources
  hosts: localhost
  tasks:
    - name: Import EC2 Instance into Terraform
      community.general.terraform_import:
        addr: aws_instance.my_instance
        id: i-0123456789abcdef0

15. Ansible Modules for Terraform Environment Variables

a. terraform_env_var

Manage Terraform environment variables with the terraform_env_var module:

- name: Manage Terraform Environment Variables
  hosts: localhost
  tasks:
    - name: Set AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID
      community.general.terraform_env_var:
        key: AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID
        value: my_access_key