📚 Terraform Documentation Index¶

Complete guide for Terraform Associate 004 Certification

🎯 Quick Start¶

Terraform Associate 004 Cheat Sheet - Complete exam reference

📖 Core Concepts¶

1. Infrastructure as Code¶

IaC Concepts
Declarative vs Imperative
Idempotency
Day 0 vs Day 1+
Immutable vs Mutable Infrastructure

2. Core Workflow¶

Workflow Commands
terraform init
terraform plan
terraform apply
terraform destroy
Complete Workflow Guide
Examples

3. HCL Configuration¶

Configuration Syntax
Resource blocks
Data sources
Variables
Outputs
Meta-Arguments
count
for_each
depends_on
provider
Lifecycle
create_before_destroy
prevent_destroy
ignore_changes
Variable Types

4. State Management¶

State Overview
terraform.tfstate
State commands
Remote state
Backends
S3
GCS
Azure
Terraform Cloud

5. Providers & Registry¶

Providers
Provider configuration
Version constraints
Provider aliases
.terraform.lock.hcl

6. Modules¶

Module Basics
Creating modules
Using modules
Module inputs/outputs
Module Sources
Local paths
Terraform Registry
GitHub
Git
S3/GCS

7. Built-in Functions¶

Functions Reference
String functions
Collection functions
Filesystem functions
Network functions

8. Expressions & Loops¶

Expressions
Conditional expressions
For expressions
Splat expressions
Dynamic blocks

9. Workspaces¶

Workspaces Guide
Creating workspaces
Switching workspaces
Using terraform.workspace
Environment-specific configs

10. Best Practices¶

Best Practices
Project structure
Naming conventions
State management
Security practices

11. Terraform Cloud & Enterprise¶

Terraform Cloud
Remote state & execution
VCS integration
Workspaces
Sentinel policies
Cost estimation
Private registry
Agent pools

12. Security Best Practices¶

Security Guide
Sensitive data management
Secret management
State file security
IAM and access control
Encryption
Compliance and auditing

🎓 Exam Preparation¶

Exam Objectives by Weight¶

Domain	Weight	Topics
Terraform Basics	32%	Commands, HCL, Resources
Terraform Cloud	25%	Workspaces, Remote state, VCS
IaC Concepts	16%	Declarative, Idempotent, Immutable
Terraform State	16%	State files, Backends, Locking
Terraform's Purpose	9%	Benefits, Use cases
Advanced Concepts	2%	Complex scenarios

Study Path¶

Week 1-2: Core Concepts & Workflow
IaC fundamentals
Basic commands (init, plan, apply)
HCL syntax
Week 3-4: Configuration & State
Variables and outputs
Meta-arguments
State management
Remote backends
Week 5-6: Advanced Topics
Modules
Functions
Workspaces
Terraform Cloud
Week 7-8: Practice & Review
Hands-on labs
Practice exams
Review cheat sheet

🔗 Quick Links¶

Official Resources¶

Community¶

📝 Exam Tips¶

Before the Exam¶

✅ Review the cheat sheet thoroughly
✅ Practice with hands-on labs
✅ Understand command differences (deprecated vs current)
✅ Know variable precedence order
✅ Memorize version constraint operators

During the Exam¶

📖 Read questions carefully
🎯 Look for keywords: "best practice", "recommended"
⚠️ Watch for deprecated command traps
🔍 Eliminate obviously wrong answers
⏰ Manage your time (57 questions in 60 minutes)

Common Traps¶

terraform taint → Use terraform apply -replace
terraform refresh → Use terraform apply -refresh-only
count vs for_each → Prefer for_each for stability
Backend config → Not shown in plan output
CLI workspaces ≠ TFC workspaces

🚀 Getting Started¶

# 1. Install Terraform
# Download from: https://www.terraform.io/downloads

# 2. Verify installation
terraform version

# 3. Create your first configuration
mkdir my-terraform-project
cd my-terraform-project

# 4. Create main.tf
cat > main.tf <<EOF
terraform {
  required_version = ">= 1.0"
}

provider "aws" {
  region = "us-east-1"
}

resource "aws_instance" "example" {
  ami           = "ami-0c55b159cbfafe1f0"
  instance_type = "t2.micro"

  tags = {
    Name = "HelloTerraform"
  }
}
EOF

# 5. Initialize
terraform init

# 6. Plan
terraform plan

# 7. Apply
terraform apply

Good luck with your Terraform Associate 004 certification! 🎉