Terraform Intermediate Quiz

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Test your knowledge of state, variables, and modules.

Instructions:

• Select the best answer for each question.
• Your score will be shown at the end.

#

Which file is automatically loaded by Terraform to populate variable values?

terraform.tfvars

variables.tf

main.tf

outputs.tf

Files named terraform.tfvars or *.auto.tfvars are automatically loaded to set variable values.

#

What is the purpose of the output block?

To expose values to the CLI or other root modules

To print debug logs

To save data to a file

To create a resource

Outputs display information on the CLI and allow data to be passed between modules.

#

If a variable has no default value and is not set via CLI or tfvars, what happens?

Terraform will prompt the user to enter a value

It uses "null"

It uses an empty string

The build fails immediately

Terraform prompts for input interactive when required variables are not set.

#

Which keyword is used to access values from a Data Source?

data

resource

var

module

You access data sources using data.TYPE.NAME.ATTRIBUTE.

#

Why is local state not recommended for team environments?

It does not support locking and is hard to share

It is too slow

It cannot store sensitive data

It requires a paid license

Local state creates a single point of failure and risk of conflicts (race conditions) when multiple people apply changes.

#

Which command is used to format your Terraform configuration files to a canonical format?

terraform fmt

terraform style

terraform fix

terraform clean

terraform fmt recursively updates files in the current directory for standard formatting.

#

What is a "root module"?

The directory where you run Terraform commands

A module installed as root user

The module that contains the backend config

A module provided by HashiCorp

The working directory where you run Terraform is always the root module.

#

How do you reference an output called "instance_ip" from a module named "web_server"?

module.web_server.instance_ip

var.web_server.instance_ip

output.web_server.instance_ip

web_server.outputs.instance_ip

Outputs from a child module are accessed via module.MODULE_NAME.OUTPUT_NAME.

#

Which backend supports state locking via DynamoDB?

s3

local

consul

gcs

The AWS S3 backend supports state locking and consistency checking via DynamoDB.

#

What will happen if you delete the terraform.tfstate file locally?

Terraform will lose track of existing resources and try to recreate them

Terraform will regenerate it automatically from the cloud

Nothing happens

The cloud resources are deleted immediately

If state is lost, Terraform thinks the resources don't exist and will attempt to create duplicates (which often fails due to name conflicts).

#

What is the locals block used for?

To calculate local variables (constants/expressions) for reuse

To define region specific resources

To save state locally

To define local inputs

Local values allow you to assign a name to an expression, so you can use it multiple times within a module.

#

How can you specify that a variable must pass a specific condition (Validation)?

Using a validation block inside the variable definition

Using assert keyword

Using unit tests

Variables cannot be validated

Terraform variables support a validation block with a condition and error_message.

#

Which command removes an item from the Terraform state without destroying the real resource?

terraform state rm

terraform destroy -target

terraform delete

terraform untrack

terraform state rm tells Terraform to stop managing the resource, leaving the real infrastructure functioning.

#

What does the prevent_destroy lifecycle argument do?

Prevents the resource from being destroyed by Terraform plans

Prevents manual deletion in AWS

Backs up the resource

Locks the state file

It adds a safety check to cause an error if a plan would destroy the resource.

#

Which function allows you to select an item from a list safely?

element(list, index)

select(list, index)

pick(list, index)

get(list, index)

element retrieves a single element from a list, but unlike square brackets, it wraps around (modulo) if index is too large.

#

What is the purpose of the moved block in Terraform 1.1+?

To refactor code (rename resources) without deleting/recreating them

To move resources between regions

To move state files

To archive resources

moved blocks document where a resource was moved from, allowing Terraform to automatically handle the state migration.

#

What does the Splat expression [*] do?

It iterates over a list and returns a list of attributes

It multiplies values

It comments out the line

It selects all files

It allows you to get a list of values from a list of objects, e.g., aws_instance.web[*].private_ip.

#

How do you assign the dependency of a module explicitly?

depends_on = [module.name]

wait_for = [module.name]

after = [module.name]

require = [module.name]

Modules support the depends_on meta-argument.

#

Which command lists all resources in the state file?

terraform state list

terraform resources

terraform show --list

terraform list

terraform state list prints a list of all resources tracked in the state.

#

What happens if you run terraform apply on a configuration that is already applied and unchanged?

It will show "No changes" and exit

It will recreate everything

It will error out

It will run indefinitely

Terraform is idempotent; if the state matches the config, no actions are taken.

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