🎯 Objective
In this hands-on, we will:
👉 This is your first real-world Terraform task
🧩 Step 1: Generate SSH Key
ssh-keygen
✔ This creates:
👉 We will use this to access EC2
touch ec2.tf
🧱 Step 3: Add Terraform Code
# Create Key Pair
resource "aws_key_pair" "my_key" {
key_name = "terra-key-aws"
public_key = file("terra-key-aws.pub")
}
# Default VPC
resource "aws_default_vpc" "default" {}
# Security Group
resource "aws_security_group" "my_groups" {
name = "my-group"
description = "Security group for EC2"
vpc_id = aws_default_vpc.default.id
ingress {
from_port = 22
to_port = 22
protocol = "tcp"
cidr_blocks = ["0.0.0.0/0"]
description = "Allow SSH"
}
ingress {
from_port = 80
to_port = 80
protocol = "tcp"
cidr_blocks = ["0.0.0.0/0"]
description = "Allow HTTP"
}
egress {
from_port = 0
to_port = 0
protocol = "-1"
cidr_blocks = ["0.0.0.0/0"]
description = "Allow all outbound"
}
tags = {
Name = "automate-sg"
}
}
# EC2 Instance
resource "aws_instance" "my_instance" {
ami = "ami-0cb91c7de36eed2cb"
instance_type = "t2.micro"
key_name = aws_key_pair.my_key.key_name
vpc_security_group_ids = [aws_security_group.my_groups.id]
root_block_device {
volume_size = 10
volume_type = "gp3"
}
tags = {
Name = "terra-ec2"
}
}
terraform init
✔ Downloads AWS provider
✔ Prepares working directory
✅ Step 5: Validate Configuration
terraform validate
✔ Ensures syntax is correct
📊 Step 6: Plan Execution
terraform plan
✔ Shows resources to be created:
Key Pair
VPC
Security Group
EC2 Instance
🚀 Step 7: Apply (Create Infrastructure)
terraform apply
👉 Type yes to confirm
❌ Common Error: Not Authorized
👉 Reason:
- IAM user does not have required permissions
✔ Fix:
Go to AWS IAM → Attach Policy
🖥 Step 8: Verify in AWS Console
Go to EC2 Dashboard:
✔ Instance running
✔ Security group attached
✔ Key pair created
🔐 Step 9: Fix Key Permission
chmod 400 terra-key-aws
👉 Required before SSH
🔗 Step 10: Connect to EC2
ssh -i terra-key-aws ubuntu@<your-public-ip>
👉 Now your server is live 🚀
🧹 Step 11: Destroy Resources (IMPORTANT)
terraform destroy
👉 Prevent unnecessary AWS charges 💸
👨💻 About the Author
“A complete Terraform series covering everything from fundamentals to advanced real-world infrastructure automation in a DevOps environment.”
📬 Let's Stay Connected
