Terraform plan for preview - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to preview changes before applying them in Terraform.

Terraform

terraform [1]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Ainit

Bplan

Capply

Ddestroy

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'apply' instead of 'plan' runs changes immediately.

Using 'init' only initializes the working directory.

Using 'destroy' deletes resources immediately.

The terraform plan command shows the changes Terraform will make without applying them.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the command to save the Terraform plan to a file for later use.

Terraform

terraform plan -out=[1]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aplanfile

Boutput

Ctfplan

Dstatefile

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'planfile' which is not a standard name.

Using 'output' which is a different command.

Using 'statefile' which relates to state, not plan.

The -out=tfplan option saves the plan to a file named tfplan.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the command to preview changes with detailed output.

Terraform

terraform plan [1]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A-detailed-exitcode

B-detailed

C-detailed-output

D-detailed-plan

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using flags that do not exist like '-detailed' or '-detailed-output'.

Misspelling the flag name.

The correct flag is -detailed-exitcode to get detailed exit codes after planning.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to preview changes and specify the directory with Terraform configuration.

Terraform

terraform [1] -chdir=[2]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aplan

Bapply

Cconfig

Ddestroy

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'apply' instead of 'plan' for preview.

Using 'destroy' as a directory name.

Use plan to preview and -chdir= to specify the directory.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to preview changes, save the plan, and specify the input directory.

Terraform

terraform [1] -out=[2] -chdir=[3]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aplan

Btfplan

Cconfig

Dapply

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'apply' instead of 'plan' for preview.

Using wrong file names or directory names.

Use plan to preview, -out=tfplan to save, and -chdir=config to specify directory.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of the terraform plan command?

easy

A. To destroy all existing infrastructure

B. To apply changes directly to cloud resources

C. To initialize the Terraform working directory

D. To preview changes Terraform will make without applying them

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the role of terraform plan

   This command shows what changes Terraform will make but does not apply them.

2. Step 2: Compare with other commands

   terraform apply applies changes, terraform destroy removes resources, and terraform init initializes the directory.

3. Final Answer:

   To preview changes Terraform will make without applying them -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Preview changes = terraform plan [OK]

Hint: Plan previews changes, apply makes changes [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing plan with apply
• Thinking plan modifies resources
• Mixing plan with init or destroy

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to run a Terraform plan with a specific variable file named vars.tfvars?

easy

A. terraform plan --vars-file=vars.tfvars

B. terraform plan --varfile vars.tfvars

C. terraform plan -var-file=vars.tfvars

D. terraform plan -varfile=vars.tfvars

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall correct flag for variable files

   The correct flag is -var-file with a hyphen between var and file.

2. Step 2: Check syntax correctness

   terraform plan -var-file=vars.tfvars uses -var-file=vars.tfvars, which is the official syntax. Other options use incorrect flags.

3. Final Answer:

   terraform plan -var-file=vars.tfvars -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Use -var-file=filename for variable files [OK]

Hint: Use -var-file=filename to specify variable files [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using --varfile instead of -var-file
• Mixing underscores or missing hyphens
• Using --vars-file which is invalid

3. Given this Terraform plan output snippet:

  # aws_instance.example will be created
  + resource "aws_instance" "example" {
      + ami           = "ami-123456"
      + instance_type = "t2.micro"
    }

What does the plus sign (+) before the resource indicate?

medium

A. The resource will be created

B. The resource will be destroyed

C. The resource will be updated in place

D. The resource is unchanged

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Terraform plan symbols

   The plus sign (+) means Terraform plans to add or create the resource.

2. Step 2: Differentiate from other symbols

   Minus (-) means destroy, ~ means update, no symbol means unchanged.

3. Final Answer:

   The resource will be created -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Plus sign (+) = create resource [OK]

Hint: Plus (+) means create, minus (-) means destroy [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing + with update or destroy
• Ignoring symbols and guessing
• Assuming no symbol means create

4. You run terraform plan but get this error:

Error: No configuration files found!

What is the most likely cause?

medium

A. You ran the command outside the Terraform configuration directory

B. You forgot to run terraform init first

C. Your Terraform version is outdated

D. Your cloud provider credentials are missing

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze the error message

   The error says no configuration files found, meaning Terraform can't find .tf files.

2. Step 2: Identify common causes

   This usually happens if you run the command outside the folder containing Terraform files.

3. Final Answer:

   You ran the command outside the Terraform configuration directory -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   No config files = wrong directory [OK]

Hint: Run plan inside folder with .tf files [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming init fixes missing files
• Blaming credentials for config file errors
• Ignoring current working directory

5. You want to preview changes only for a specific resource named aws_s3_bucket.mybucket without affecting others. Which command achieves this?

hard

A. terraform plan -only=aws_s3_bucket.mybucket

B. terraform plan -target=aws_s3_bucket.mybucket

C. terraform plan --filter=aws_s3_bucket.mybucket

D. terraform plan -resource=aws_s3_bucket.mybucket

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall how to target specific resources in plan

   The -target flag limits the plan to specified resources.

2. Step 2: Verify correct flag usage

   terraform plan -target=aws_s3_bucket.mybucket uses -target=aws_s3_bucket.mybucket, which is the correct syntax. Other options are invalid flags.

3. Final Answer:

   terraform plan -target=aws_s3_bucket.mybucket -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Use -target to preview specific resources [OK]

Hint: Use -target=resource_name to limit plan scope [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using non-existent flags like -only or --filter
• Forgetting to specify resource type and name
• Assuming plan always shows all resources