Provisioner failure behavior in Terraform - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to specify the provisioner that runs a script on the resource.

Terraform

resource "null_resource" "example" {
  provisioner "[1]" {
    script = "setup.sh"
  }
}

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

Afile

Blocal-exec

Cnull

Dremote-exec

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'remote-exec' when the script should run locally.

Using 'file' provisioner instead of executing a script.

The local-exec provisioner runs a command locally on the machine running Terraform.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to make Terraform continue even if the provisioner fails.

Terraform

resource "null_resource" "example" {
  provisioner "local-exec" {
    command = "exit 1"
    [1] = true
  }
}

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

Aignore_errors

Bcontinue_on_error

Cfail_on_error

Dallow_failure

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'fail_on_error' which causes Terraform to stop on failure.

Using non-existent arguments like 'continue_on_error'.

The ignore_errors argument tells Terraform to continue even if the provisioner command fails.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the provisioner block to correctly handle failure behavior.

Terraform

resource "null_resource" "example" {
  provisioner "local-exec" {
    command = "exit 1"
    ignore_errors = [1]
  }
}

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

A"true"

B1

Cyes

Dtrue

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using quotes around true, which makes it a string.

Using numbers or words like 'yes' instead of boolean.

The ignore_errors argument expects a boolean value true or false, not a string or number.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to configure a remote-exec provisioner that retries on failure.

Terraform

resource "null_resource" "example" {
  provisioner "remote-exec" {
    inline = ["echo Hello"]
    [1] = 3
    [2] = 10
  }
}

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

Amax_retries

Bretry_delay_sec

Cretry_delay

Dmax_attempts

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'max_attempts' which is not a valid argument.

Using 'retry_delay' without '_sec' suffix.

max_retries sets how many times Terraform retries the provisioner on failure, and retry_delay_sec sets the delay in seconds between retries.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to define a provisioner that uploads a file and ignores failure.

Terraform

resource "null_resource" "example" {
  provisioner "file" {
    source      = "app.zip"
    destination = "/tmp/app.zip"
    [1] = "ubuntu"
    [2] = "/home/ubuntu/.ssh/id_rsa"
    [3] = true
  }
}

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

Auser

Bprivate_key

Cignore_errors

Dusername

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'username' instead of 'user' which is the correct argument.

Not setting 'ignore_errors' to true to allow continuation on failure.

The user specifies the SSH user, private_key specifies the SSH key path, and ignore_errors allows Terraform to continue if the provisioner fails.

Practice

1.

What does the on_failure argument in a Terraform provisioner control?

easy

A. It controls what happens if the provisioner script or command fails.

B. It sets the timeout duration for the provisioner execution.

C. It defines the order in which provisioners run.

D. It specifies the operating system for the provisioner.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand provisioner purpose

   Provisioners run scripts or commands after resource creation.

2. Step 2: Role of on_failure

   The on_failure argument controls what Terraform does if the provisioner fails.

3. Final Answer:

   It controls what happens if the provisioner script or command fails. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   on_failure controls failure behavior [OK]

Hint: Remember: on_failure decides action on provisioner failure [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing on_failure with timeout settings
• Thinking on_failure sets provisioner order
• Assuming on_failure defines OS type

2.

Which of the following is the correct syntax to make a provisioner continue even if it fails?

provisioner "local-exec" {
  command = "echo Hello"
  on_failure = ?
}

easy

A. "continue"

B. "fail"

C. "ignore"

D. "skip"

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall valid on_failure values

   Terraform supports fail and continue as valid on_failure values.

2. Step 2: Identify correct value to continue on failure

   To continue even if the provisioner fails, use continue.

3. Final Answer:

   "continue" -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   on_failure = "continue" continues on failure [OK]

Hint: Use "continue" to ignore failure and proceed [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using invalid values like "ignore" or "skip"
• Confusing "fail" with continuing on failure
• Omitting quotes around the value

3.

Given this Terraform snippet, what happens if the local-exec provisioner command fails?

resource "null_resource" "example" {
  provisioner "local-exec" {
    command = "exit 1"
    on_failure = "fail"
  }
}

medium

A. Terraform retries the provisioner command automatically.

B. Terraform ignores the failure and continues applying other resources.

C. Terraform stops and reports an error, halting the apply process.

D. Terraform logs a warning but marks the resource as created.

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze provisioner command and on_failure

   The command "exit 1" will fail. The on_failure is set to "fail".

2. Step 2: Understand effect of on_failure = "fail"

   This setting causes Terraform to stop and report an error if the provisioner fails.

3. Final Answer:

   Terraform stops and reports an error, halting the apply process. -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   on_failure = "fail" stops on failure [OK]

Hint: Fail stops Terraform; continue lets it proceed [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming Terraform retries automatically
• Thinking failure is ignored with "fail"
• Believing resource is created despite failure

4.

Identify the error in this provisioner block that causes Terraform to ignore failures unexpectedly:

provisioner "remote-exec" {
  inline = ["false_command"]
  on_failure = fail
}

medium

A. The on_failure argument is not allowed in provisioners.

B. The on_failure value should be a string with quotes.

C. The provisioner type remote-exec is not supported.

D. The inline command is invalid and causes syntax error.

Solution

1. Step 1: Check on_failure syntax

   The value for on_failure must be a quoted string, e.g., "fail" or "continue".

2. Step 2: Identify impact of missing quotes

   Without quotes, Terraform treats it as an identifier, causing unexpected behavior or ignoring the setting.

3. Final Answer:

   The on_failure value should be a string with quotes. -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   on_failure values require quotes [OK]

Hint: Always quote on_failure values "fail" or "continue" [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Omitting quotes around on_failure values
• Confusing command errors with syntax errors
• Thinking on_failure is unsupported

5.

You want to run a local-exec provisioner that might fail but should not stop Terraform from creating other resources. Which configuration achieves this?

resource "null_resource" "example" {
  provisioner "local-exec" {
    command = "some_command"
    on_failure = ?
  }
}

hard

A. "fail" to stop on failure

B. "retry" to try again on failure

C. "ignore" to silently skip failure

D. "continue" to ignore failure and proceed

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand requirement to not stop Terraform

   The provisioner may fail but Terraform should continue creating other resources.

2. Step 2: Choose correct on_failure value

   Using on_failure = "continue" tells Terraform to ignore provisioner failure and proceed.

3. Final Answer:

   "continue" to ignore failure and proceed -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   on_failure = "continue" allows continuation on failure [OK]

Hint: Use "continue" to keep going despite provisioner failure [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using unsupported values like "retry" or "ignore"
• Choosing "fail" which stops Terraform
• Not quoting the on_failure value