Simplifying Terraform Configurations Using Dynamic Blocks

Applying the software development principle of DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) is considered a best practice when using Terraform. For example, multiple instances of the same resource can be created using the for_each or count meta-arguments.

Some resource types include repeatable nested blocks representing separate resources or attributes that are embedded within the resource. These nested blocks can be defined using the dynamic block type, which can further improve the maintainability of your Terraform template.

In this lab, you will refactor a Terraform template to use dynamic blocks. You will also learn how dynamic blocks differ from Terraform meta-arguments.

Learning objectives

Upon completion of this intermediate-level lab, you will be able to:

• Identify when to use dynamic blocks in Terraform
• Refactor an AWS configuration to use dynamic blocks

Intended audience

• Individuals studying for the HashiCorp Certified: Terraform Associate exam
• Cloud Engineers
• DevOps Engineers

Prerequisites

Familiarity with the following will be beneficial but is not required:

• Terraform Loops

The following content can be used to fulfill the prerequisites:

• Creating Loops in Terraform and Scaling Resources