Terraform's declarative approach - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What does it mean that Terraform uses a declarative approach?

Terraform lets you declare the desired state of your infrastructure, and it figures out how to reach that state automatically.

beginner

How does Terraform know what changes to make when you update your configuration?

Terraform compares the current state of your infrastructure with the desired state you declared, then plans and applies only the necessary changes.

beginner

Why is Terraform's declarative approach helpful compared to manual setup?

It reduces mistakes by automating changes, ensures consistency, and makes it easy to track and repeat setups.

intermediate

In Terraform, what file stores the current state of your infrastructure?

The terraform.tfstate file stores the current state, helping Terraform know what exists and what needs updating.

beginner

What command in Terraform shows you the changes it will make before applying them?

The terraform plan command previews the changes Terraform will make to reach the desired state.

What is the main idea behind Terraform's declarative approach?

A Terraform randomly changes resources

B You write step-by-step instructions for changes

C You manually update resources one by one

D You declare the desired end state and Terraform figures out the steps

Terraform uses a declarative approach where you declare the desired state, and it plans the steps to reach it.

Which file does Terraform use to track the current infrastructure state?

A main.tf

B variables.tf

C terraform.tfstate

D outputs.tf

The terraform.tfstate file stores the current state of your infrastructure.

What does the terraform plan command do?

A Deletes all resources

B Shows the changes Terraform will make

C Applies changes immediately

D Creates a backup of your code

terraform plan previews the changes before applying them.

Why is using a declarative tool like Terraform better than manual setup?

A It automates changes and reduces errors

B It only works for small projects

C It requires no learning

D It makes changes randomly

Terraform automates infrastructure changes, reducing mistakes and ensuring consistency.

When you update your Terraform configuration, what happens next?

A Terraform compares current and desired states and updates only what changed

B Terraform ignores the changes

C Terraform deletes everything and starts over

D Terraform asks you to manually update resources

Terraform compares the current state with the desired state and applies only necessary updates.

Explain in your own words how Terraform's declarative approach works and why it is useful.

Think about how you tell Terraform what you want, not how to do it.

Describe the role of the terraform.tfstate file in Terraform's workflow.

It's like Terraform's memory of what exists.