Workspaces vs directory-based separation in Terraform - Interactive Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to select the Terraform workspace named 'dev'.

Terraform

terraform workspace select [1]

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

Aprod

Btest

Cdev

Dstaging

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using a workspace name that does not exist

Typing the workspace name incorrectly

The command terraform workspace select dev switches to the 'dev' workspace.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to initialize Terraform in the current directory.

Terraform

terraform [1]

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

Ainit

Bdestroy

Cplan

Dapply

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'apply' before initialization

Confusing 'plan' with 'init'

The terraform init command initializes the working directory containing Terraform configuration files.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the command to create a new workspace named 'test'.

Terraform

terraform workspace [1] test

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

Aselect

Bdelete

Cnew-workspace

Dnew

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'select' instead of 'new'

Using invalid commands like 'new-workspace'

The correct command to create a new workspace is terraform workspace new test.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to define a backend configuration for Terraform state stored in an S3 bucket.

Terraform

terraform {
  backend "[1]" {
    bucket = "my-terraform-state"
    region = "[2]"
  }
}

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

As3

Bgcs

Cus-west-2

Dus-east-1

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'gcs' which is for Google Cloud Storage

Using invalid region names

The backend type for AWS S3 is 's3'. The region 'us-east-1' is a valid AWS region.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to create a directory-based separation with environment-specific variables in Terraform.

Terraform

variable "region" {
  type    = string
  default = "[1]"
}

provider "aws" {
  region = var.[2]
}

resource "aws_instance" "example" {
  ami           = "ami-123456"
  instance_type = "t2.micro"
  tags = {
    Environment = "[3]"
  }
}

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

Aus-west-1

Bregion

Cdev

Dprod

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using mismatched variable names

Setting environment tag incorrectly

The default region is set to 'us-west-1'. The provider uses the variable 'region'. The tag 'Environment' is set to 'dev' for this environment.

Practice

1. What is the main difference between Terraform workspaces and directory-based separation?

easy

A. Workspaces require separate folders; directory-based uses one folder with multiple states.

B. Workspaces store state remotely; directory-based stores state locally only.

C. Workspaces and directory-based separation are exactly the same.

D. Workspaces use one folder with multiple states; directory-based uses separate folders for each environment.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand workspace concept

   Workspaces allow multiple states inside the same folder by switching context.

2. Step 2: Understand directory-based separation

   Directory-based separation uses different folders, each with its own code and state files.

3. Final Answer:

   Workspaces use one folder with multiple states; directory-based uses separate folders for each environment. -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Workspaces = one folder, multiple states [OK]

Hint: Workspaces = one folder, directory = multiple folders [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing workspace with directory-based separation
• Thinking workspaces require multiple folders
• Assuming directory-based uses one state file

2. Which Terraform command correctly switches to a workspace named dev?

easy

A. terraform workspace select dev

B. terraform select workspace dev

C. terraform switch workspace dev

D. terraform workspace change dev

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall Terraform workspace commands

   The correct command to switch workspace is terraform workspace select <name>.

2. Step 2: Match command to options

   Only terraform workspace select dev matches the correct syntax exactly.

3. Final Answer:

   terraform workspace select dev -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Switch workspace = terraform workspace select [OK]

Hint: Use 'terraform workspace select' to switch workspaces [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using incorrect command order
• Using non-existent commands like 'switch' or 'change'
• Confusing workspace commands with other terraform commands

3. Given this folder structure:

envs/
  ├─ dev/
  │    └─ main.tf
  └─ prod/
       └─ main.tf

and using directory-based separation, what happens if you run terraform apply inside envs/dev?

medium

A. Terraform applies changes to both dev and prod environments simultaneously.

B. Terraform applies changes only to the dev environment using its own state.

C. Terraform throws an error because state is missing.

D. Terraform applies changes to the prod environment instead.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand directory-based separation behavior

   Each folder has its own Terraform code and state, so running inside envs/dev affects only dev.

2. Step 2: Analyze command effect

   terraform apply in envs/dev applies changes only to dev environment's resources.

3. Final Answer:

   Terraform applies changes only to the dev environment using its own state. -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Directory-based apply affects current folder environment [OK]

Hint: Apply runs in current folder's environment only [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming apply affects all environments
• Thinking state is shared across folders
• Expecting errors due to missing state

4. You created a new workspace named staging but when running terraform apply, changes apply to the default workspace instead. What is the likely cause?

medium

A. You forgot to run terraform workspace select staging before applying.

B. The staging workspace does not exist.

C. Terraform does not support multiple workspaces.

D. You need to rename the default workspace to staging.

Solution

1. Step 1: Check workspace usage

   Creating a workspace does not switch to it automatically; you must select it explicitly.

2. Step 2: Identify missing command

   If you don't run terraform workspace select staging, Terraform stays in default workspace.

3. Final Answer:

   You forgot to run terraform workspace select staging before applying. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Must select workspace before apply [OK]

Hint: Always select workspace before applying changes [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming workspace auto-switches after creation
• Thinking workspace names must be renamed
• Believing Terraform lacks workspace support

5. You want to manage three environments: dev, staging, and prod. You want to keep code DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) and share most configuration but keep states isolated. Which approach is best?

hard

A. Use one folder and switch backend configuration files for each environment.

B. Create three separate folders, each with full copies of code and state.

C. Use one folder with Terraform workspaces for each environment.

D. Use one folder and manually rename state files for each environment.

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze DRY and state isolation needs

   Sharing code but isolating state fits well with workspaces, which share code folder but separate states.

2. Step 2: Compare options

   Use one folder with Terraform workspaces for each environment uses workspaces to keep one codebase and separate states per environment, avoiding code duplication.

3. Step 3: Evaluate other options

   Create three separate folders, each with full copies of code and state duplicates code, violating DRY. Use one folder and manually rename state files for each environment is error-prone and manual. Use one folder and switch backend configuration files for each environment requires backend changes, complex to manage.

4. Final Answer:

   Use one folder with Terraform workspaces for each environment. -> Option C

5. Quick Check:

   Workspaces = shared code, separate states [OK]

Hint: Workspaces share code, separate states for DRY environments [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Duplicating code in multiple folders unnecessarily
• Trying manual state file renaming
• Switching backend configs frequently