Lifecycle customization in Terraform - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is lifecycle customization in Terraform?

It is a way to control how Terraform creates, updates, or deletes resources by setting special rules inside the resource block.

beginner

What does the prevent_destroy lifecycle argument do?

It stops Terraform from deleting a resource, even if you run a destroy command or remove it from the config.

intermediate

Explain the purpose of ignore_changes in lifecycle customization.

It tells Terraform to ignore changes to specified resource attributes so they won't trigger updates.

intermediate

How does create_before_destroy affect resource updates?

Terraform creates the new resource first before deleting the old one to avoid downtime.

beginner

Give an example use case for lifecycle customization in Terraform.

Protecting a database instance from accidental deletion by using prevent_destroy.

Which lifecycle argument prevents Terraform from deleting a resource?

A create_before_destroy

B ignore_changes

C prevent_destroy

D replace_triggered_by

prevent_destroy stops deletion of a resource.

What does ignore_changes do in Terraform lifecycle?

A Ignores changes to specified attributes

B Deletes resource attributes

C Creates resource before destroying old one

D Triggers replacement on attribute change

ignore_changes tells Terraform to skip updates for certain attributes.

Why use create_before_destroy in lifecycle?

A To prevent resource creation

B To delete resource before creating new

C To ignore resource changes

D To create new resource before deleting old

This avoids downtime by creating the new resource first.

Which lifecycle argument helps avoid accidental resource deletion?

A ignore_changes

B prevent_destroy

C create_before_destroy

D replace_triggered_by

prevent_destroy protects resources from deletion.

Can lifecycle customization affect resource update behavior?

A Yes, it can ignore changes or control update order

B No, only creation and deletion

C No, lifecycle only controls destroy

D Yes, but only for resource import

Lifecycle can control updates by ignoring changes or ordering.

Describe the main lifecycle customization options in Terraform and their effects.

Think about how Terraform handles create, update, and delete actions.

Explain a scenario where you would use lifecycle customization to protect a resource.

Consider resources that are costly or risky to lose.