Creating and switching workspaces in Terraform - Visual Walkthrough

Process Flow - Creating and switching workspaces

Start Terraform CLI

↓

Check current workspace

↓

Create new workspace?

No→Use current workspace

Yes↓

Run 'terraform workspace new <name>'

↓

Workspace active

↓

Apply Terraform changes in workspace

↓

End

This flow shows how Terraform starts, checks or creates a workspace, switches to it, and applies changes there.

Execution Sample

Terraform

terraform workspace new dev
terraform workspace select dev
terraform apply

Create a new workspace named 'dev', switch to it, then apply infrastructure changes in that workspace.

Process Table

Step	Command	Action	Workspace Before	Workspace After	Result
1	terraform workspace new dev	Create new workspace 'dev'	default	dev	Workspace 'dev' created and switched to
2	terraform workspace select dev	Select workspace 'dev'	dev	dev	Workspace remains 'dev'
3	terraform apply	Apply changes in current workspace	dev	dev	Infrastructure applied in 'dev' workspace
4	terraform workspace select default	Switch back to 'default'	dev	default	Workspace switched to 'default'
5	terraform apply	Apply changes in 'default'	default	default	Infrastructure applied in 'default' workspace
6	terraform workspace select nonexist	Try to select non-existent workspace	default	default	Error: workspace 'nonexist' does not exist
7	terraform workspace list	List all workspaces	default	default	Shows: default, dev
8	Exit	-	default	default	End of workspace operations

💡 Execution stops after workspace operations complete or error occurs.

Status Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 1	After Step 2	After Step 4	After Step 6	Final
Current Workspace	default	dev	dev	default	default	default

Key Moments - 3 Insights

Why does 'terraform workspace select dev' not change the workspace after creating it?

Because 'terraform workspace new dev' already switches to the new workspace 'dev' as shown in step 1 of the execution_table.

What happens if you try to select a workspace that does not exist?

Terraform returns an error and keeps the current workspace unchanged, as shown in step 6 of the execution_table.

How do you know which workspace is active?

The current workspace is shown before and after each command in the execution_table and can be listed with 'terraform workspace list' (step 7).

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution_table, what is the workspace after step 1?

A dev

B default

C nonexist

D None

💡 Hint

Check the 'Workspace After' column for step 1 in the execution_table.

At which step does Terraform return an error due to a non-existent workspace?

A Step 4

B Step 6

C Step 5

D Step 7

💡 Hint

Look for the 'Result' column mentioning an error in the execution_table.

If you skip 'terraform workspace new dev' and run 'terraform workspace select dev' first, what happens?

A Workspace switches to 'dev' successfully

B Creates 'dev' workspace automatically

C Error because 'dev' workspace does not exist

D Switches to 'default' workspace

💡 Hint

Refer to step 6 where selecting a non-existent workspace causes an error.

Concept Snapshot

Terraform Workspaces:
- Use 'terraform workspace new <name>' to create and switch to a workspace.
- Use 'terraform workspace select <name>' to switch to an existing workspace.
- Workspaces isolate infrastructure states.
- Errors occur if selecting non-existent workspace.
- List workspaces with 'terraform workspace list'.

Full Transcript

This visual execution shows how Terraform manages workspaces. It starts with the default workspace. Creating a new workspace with 'terraform workspace new dev' creates and switches to 'dev'. Selecting the same workspace again keeps it active. Applying changes affects the current workspace only. Switching back to 'default' workspace is done with 'terraform workspace select default'. Trying to select a workspace that does not exist causes an error and keeps the current workspace unchanged. Listing workspaces shows all available workspaces. This helps isolate infrastructure states for different environments.

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