Mastering HCP Terraform Runs: A Guide for CI/CD Success
HCP Terraform runs exist to simplify and enhance the execution of Terraform configurations in a cloud environment. By managing runs as remote operations, it allows teams to execute Terraform commands without the need for local infrastructure, solving the problem of isolated environments and enabling smoother CI/CD workflows.
When you initiate a run in HCP Terraform, it locks the run to a specific configuration version and set of variable values. This ensures consistency and reliability in your deployments. You can trigger these runs through various methods, including webhooks from your version control system (VCS), UI controls, API calls, or directly via the Terraform CLI. The workspace acts as a persistent directory that holds your configuration, state, and variables, similar to how it functions locally. HCP Terraform also supports saved plans, allowing you to manage your infrastructure changes more effectively.
In production, be aware that if a plan contains no changes, HCP Terraform will not apply it, resulting in a status of "Planned and finished." Additionally, retrying a plan requires permission to queue plans for that workspace, which can introduce friction in your workflow. Remember that Terraform Enterprise does not support this workflow yet, and using saved plans from the CLI requires at least Terraform CLI v1.6.0. Also, note that HCP Terraform does not support remote execution for the terraform import command, which could limit your use cases.
Key takeaways
- →Initiate remote operations through webhooks, UI, API calls, or CLI.
- →Lock runs to specific configuration versions for consistency.
- →Use workspaces to manage configuration, state, and variables effectively.
- →Be aware that no-change plans will not trigger an apply action.
- →Ensure you have Terraform CLI v1.6.0 or higher for saved plans.
Why it matters
Using HCP Terraform runs can significantly reduce deployment times and improve collaboration across teams by centralizing execution and management of Terraform configurations. This leads to faster iterations and more reliable infrastructure changes.
Code examples
terraform applyterraform plan -out <FILE>terraform apply <FILE>When NOT to use this
HCP Terraform does not support remote execution for the terraform import command. If your workflow heavily relies on importing existing infrastructure, consider using local execution instead.
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