Creating and switching workspaces in Terraform - Practice Exercises

Challenge - 5 Problems

❓ service_behavior

intermediate

What happens after creating a new workspace?

You run the command terraform workspace new dev in your project directory. What is the immediate effect on your Terraform environment?

A The current workspace is renamed to 'dev'.

B A new workspace named 'dev' is created but you remain in the current workspace.

C A new workspace named 'dev' is created and automatically switched to.

D An error occurs because you must switch manually after creating a workspace.

💡 Hint

Think about what Terraform does immediately after creating a workspace.

When you create a new workspace with 'terraform workspace new ', Terraform creates it and switches to it automatically.

❓ Configuration

intermediate

Which command switches to an existing workspace?

You have workspaces named 'default', 'staging', and 'production'. Which command switches your current workspace to 'staging'?

A terraform workspace select staging

B terraform workspace new staging

C terraform workspace use staging

D terraform workspace switch staging

💡 Hint

Look for the official command to switch workspaces.

The correct command to switch to an existing workspace is 'terraform workspace select '.

❓ Architecture

advanced

How do workspaces affect your Terraform state files?

You have multiple workspaces in your Terraform project. How does Terraform manage state files for these workspaces?

A Terraform merges all workspace states into one file automatically.

B All workspaces share the same state file but use different prefixes.

C Workspaces do not affect state files; all changes go to a single state file.

D Each workspace has its own separate state file stored in the backend.

💡 Hint

Think about isolation of environments in Terraform.

Terraform stores a separate state file for each workspace to isolate their resources.

❓ security

advanced

What is a security risk when sharing Terraform workspaces?

If multiple team members share the same Terraform workspace, what is a potential security risk?

A Workspaces automatically encrypt state files, so no risk exists.

B Accidental overwriting of state causing resource conflicts or data loss.

C Terraform prevents multiple users from accessing the same workspace.

D Workspaces expose sensitive variables publicly by default.

💡 Hint

Consider what happens if multiple people change infrastructure at once.

Sharing a workspace can cause state conflicts if multiple users apply changes simultaneously, risking data loss.

✅ Best Practice

expert

What is the best practice for managing environments with Terraform workspaces?

You want to manage multiple environments (dev, staging, prod) using Terraform workspaces. Which approach is best?

A Use separate workspaces for each environment and keep environment-specific variables outside the main config.

B Avoid workspaces and manage environments by copying the entire Terraform project folder.

C Create a workspace per environment but store all variables in one file without separation.

D Use a single workspace and switch variables manually before each apply.

💡 Hint

Think about isolation and maintainability of environments.

Using separate workspaces per environment with environment-specific variables managed separately is best practice for isolation and clarity.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of Terraform workspaces?

easy

A. To separate different infrastructure environments

B. To store Terraform state files locally

C. To create new Terraform modules

D. To manage user permissions

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand workspace concept

   Terraform workspaces allow you to manage multiple distinct environments like development and production within the same configuration.

2. Step 2: Identify the purpose

   Separating infrastructure environments helps avoid conflicts and keeps states isolated.

3. Final Answer:

   To separate different infrastructure environments -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Workspaces separate environments = A [OK]

Hint: Workspaces isolate environments like folders for projects [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing workspaces with modules
• Thinking workspaces manage permissions
• Believing workspaces store files locally only

2. Which command correctly creates a new workspace named staging?

easy

A. terraform workspace create staging

B. terraform workspace new staging

C. terraform workspace add staging

D. terraform workspace select staging

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall workspace creation syntax

   The correct command to create a new workspace is terraform workspace new <name>.

2. Step 2: Match the command to the option

   terraform workspace new staging uses terraform workspace new staging, which is correct.

3. Final Answer:

   terraform workspace new staging -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Create workspace = terraform workspace new [OK]

Hint: Use 'terraform workspace new' to create workspaces [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using 'create' instead of 'new'
• Using 'add' which is invalid
• Confusing 'select' with creation

3. Given the commands:

terraform workspace new test-env
tf workspace select test-env
tf workspace show

What will be the output of terraform workspace show?

medium

A. test-env

B. Error: workspace not found

C. No workspace selected

D. default

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze command correctness

   The first command terraform workspace new test-env is correct and creates the workspace 'test-env'.

2. Step 2: Identify invalid commands

   The next two commands use the alias tf instead of terraform, which will cause errors unless 'tf' is defined as an alias.

3. Step 3: Determine output of terraform workspace show

   Since tf workspace select test-env likely fails, the workspace is not switched, so terraform workspace show will output the current workspace, which remains default.

4. Final Answer:

   default -> Option D

5. Quick Check:

   Invalid alias causes select to fail, so workspace remains default [OK]

Hint: Use full 'terraform' command unless alias is defined [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming 'tf' alias works by default
• Expecting workspace switch without correct command
• Ignoring command syntax errors

4. You run terraform workspace select prod but get an error: Workspace 'prod' does not exist. What should you do to fix this?

medium

A. Run terraform workspace new prod to create it first

B. Run terraform init to initialize the workspace

C. Delete the default workspace and retry

D. Run terraform workspace list to delete 'prod'

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the error

   The error means the workspace 'prod' does not exist yet, so it cannot be selected.

2. Step 2: Create the missing workspace

   You must create it first using terraform workspace new prod before selecting it.

3. Final Answer:

   Run terraform workspace new prod to create it first -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Select workspace requires existing workspace [OK]

Hint: Create workspace before selecting it [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to select without creating
• Running init instead of new
• Deleting default workspace unnecessarily

5. You want to maintain separate Terraform states for dev and prod environments using workspaces. Which sequence of commands correctly sets this up and switches to prod?

hard

A. terraform workspace new prodterraform workspace select dev

B. terraform workspace select devterraform workspace select prod

C. terraform workspace new devterraform workspace new prodterraform workspace select prod

D. terraform workspace new devterraform workspace select devterraform workspace new prod

Solution

1. Step 1: Create both workspaces

   Use terraform workspace new dev and terraform workspace new prod to create separate environments.

2. Step 2: Switch to the desired workspace

   Use terraform workspace select prod to switch to the production environment.

3. Final Answer:

   terraform workspace new dev
   terraform workspace new prod
   terraform workspace select prod -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Create then select workspace sequence [OK]

Hint: Create all workspaces before selecting one [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Selecting workspace before creating it
• Not creating both environments
• Switching to wrong workspace after creation