From 858d62c08fd4e3e2e0dec702ed3c44f6bb53fd8e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: marksie1988 Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2024 22:04:58 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] minor updates --- _posts/2024-07-19-opentofu-getting-started.md | 63 ++++++++++--------- 1 file changed, 35 insertions(+), 28 deletions(-) diff --git a/_posts/2024-07-19-opentofu-getting-started.md b/_posts/2024-07-19-opentofu-getting-started.md index f8ea5f5d..a37633f7 100644 --- a/_posts/2024-07-19-opentofu-getting-started.md +++ b/_posts/2024-07-19-opentofu-getting-started.md @@ -1,5 +1,5 @@ --- -title: OpenTofu - Getting started, Installation and basic overview +title: "Getting Started with OpenTofu: Infrastructure as Code for Cloud Providers" date: 2024-07-19 10:14:35 +0100 image: path: assets/img/posts/opentofu-getting-started/thumb.png @@ -10,14 +10,21 @@ toc: true comments: true --- -Great news for the DevOps and Infrastructure as Code world, since Terraform shifted to Business -Source License (BSL) in August 2023, the release of OpenTofu a community-driven open-source fork of -Terraform that has matured into a powerful, production ready tool has opened up continuing opportunities. +In August 2023, the infrastructure-as-code community was sent into a frenzy when HashiCorp announced that Terraform would be shifting to a Business Source License (BSL). This move sparked widespread concern among developers and DevOps professionals who had grown accustomed to the open-source nature of Terraform. However, in the face of this change, a remarkable opportunity arose: the chance to create an open-source alternative that would preserve the spirit of collaboration and innovation that Terraform had embodied. + +Thus, OpenTofu was born – a community-driven fork of Terraform that has rapidly evolved into a powerful, production-ready tool. With its commitment to openness and transparency, OpenTofu has become a beacon of hope for those seeking a truly open-source IaC solution. In this article, we'll delve into the world of OpenTofu, exploring its features, benefits, and the exciting possibilities it holds for the DevOps community. ## What is OpenTofu? -OpenTofu (formerly OpenTF) began as a fork of Terraform after Hashicorp announced in August 2023 -that it was moving to a BSL for Terraform, which was previously open source. +OpenTofu, formerly known as OpenTF, is an open-source infrastructure-as-code (IaC) tool that originated from a fork of Terraform. In August 2023, HashiCorp announced its decision to move Terraform under the Business Source License (BSL), which means that while the code would remain available for free use, it would no longer be open source in the classical sense. + +In response to this change, a community-driven effort was initiated to create an open-source alternative that would maintain the spirit of transparency and collaboration that Terraform had embodied. OpenTofu was born, with the goal of providing a similar set of features and capabilities as Terraform while ensuring that it remains truly open source. + +As an IaC tool, OpenTofu allows users to define and manage infrastructure resources, such as cloud instances, databases, and networks, using a human-readable configuration file. This approach enables developers, DevOps engineers, and IT professionals to version control and track changes to their infrastructure, making it easier to manage complex systems and collaborate with teams. + +By choosing OpenTofu, users can ensure that they have full control over the codebase, free from the restrictions imposed by proprietary licenses. This flexibility is particularly important for organisations that rely heavily on open-source solutions or have specific requirements for customisation and extensibility. + +In the following sections, we'll dive deeper into the features and benefits of OpenTofu, as well as provide guidance on how to get started with this exciting new project. ## Why OpenTofu? @@ -238,7 +245,7 @@ local block and are referenced with the `local` prefix They can be useful for reducing repetition and making your code more readable and maintainable. This capability to define and manipulate a wide range of attributes and operations through locals is essential for creating efficient and streamlined infrastructure code. It ensures that -configurations remain functional, organized and easy to understand, an important +configurations remain functional, organised and easy to understand, an important consideration in the evolving landscape of infrastructure management. ##### Example Local @@ -292,31 +299,31 @@ output "instance_ip_addr" { ## Key Features -- Modular Design - This gives the ability to organise as modules, promoting reusability and - maintainability in complex infrastructures easier. -- State management - Keeps track of the state of the managed infrastructure, ensuring changes are - applied consistently. This state assists in understanding current and passed configurations. -- Execution Plans - These show what steps will be undertaken by OpenTofu and will require user - confirmation prior to execution, allowing you to review and ensure the changes are as expected. -- Provider ecosystem - Works with a range of providers to extend its functionality to many different - technology stacks and services. +OpenTofu offers several key features that make it a powerful tool for managing infrastructure as code: + +- **Modular Design**: Organize your code into reusable modules, making it easier to manage complex infrastructures. +- **State Management**: Keep track of the state of your managed infrastructure and ensure changes are applied consistently. +- **Execution Plans**: Review and confirm changes before they're executed, ensuring you understand what's being changed. +- **Provider Ecosystem**: Leverage a range of providers to extend OpenTofu's functionality to various technology stacks and services. ## Best practices -Being a fork of Terraform, many best practices are the same, such as: +To get the most out of OpenTofu, follow these best practices: -- **Use version control** - This helps ensuring that changes are controlled, easier for collaboration - and retrieval of older versions is much easier if required -- **Modularise your code** - Make code DRY, ensure you can reuse it and maintain a clean structure - for your projects -- **Use remote state** - Taking advantage of remote state is a must, it enhances collaboration across the - team and ensures that there are no parallel operations happening. -- **Use variables** - This will promote reusability and flexibility. If you also leverage outputs, you can easily - share information about resources and export them from modules -- **Limit manual changes** - Once you use IaC, all changes should be done via IaC and only in rare cases - should manual changes be made +- **Version Control**: Use version control systems like Git to track changes, facilitate collaboration, + and easily retrieve older versions if needed. +- **Modular Code**: Write modular code that's easy to reuse, maintain, and scale. This will help you + keep your projects organised and DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself). +- **Remote State**: Take advantage of remote state storage to enhance team collaboration and prevent + parallel operations from causing conflicts. +- **Variables and Outputs**: Use variables to promote reusability and flexibility, and leverage + outputs to share information about resources and export them from modules. +- **Limit Manual Changes**: Whenever possible, use infrastructure as code (IaC) to manage changes, + rather than making manual changes. This will help you maintain consistency and reduce errors. ## Key Points -OpenTofu is stable now, its a great time to start moving across whilst there is still feature parity -with Terraform, it is likely that over time this will drift and become more difficult to migrate. +Now that OpenTofu has reached a stable state, it's an excellent time to start migrating your projects. +While feature parity with Terraform is currently maintained, it's likely that this will drift over +time, making migration more challenging. By starting early, you can take advantage of OpenTofu's +unique features and avoid potential issues later on.