AWS Deployment with Terraform: From Installation to Cleanup

A quick guide to deploy and destroy your first AWS resource using Terraform.

Prerequisites

• AWS Account with programmatic access (Access Key + Secret Key)

• Terminal access on macOS/Linux

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Step 1: Install AWS CLI

# Install via Homebrew (macOS)
brew install awscli

# Or download from AWS documentation

Step 2: Configure AWS Credentials

aws configure

Enter your:

• AWS Access Key ID

• AWS Secret Access Key

• Default region (e.g., ap-south-1)

• Output format (json)

Verify configuration:

aws configure list

Step 3: Install Terraform

# Install via Homebrew (macOS)
brew install terraform

# Verify installation
terraform --version

Step 4: Create Terraform Configuration

Create main.tf:

provider "aws" {
  region = "ap-south-1"
}

resource "aws_s3_bucket" "my_poc_bucket" {
  bucket = "this-is-wed-third-june"
}

output "bucket_name" {
  value = aws_s3_bucket.my_poc_bucket.bucket
}

Note: S3 bucket names must be globally unique. Replace with your own name.

Step 5: Initialize Terraform

terraform init

Downloads the AWS provider plugin.

Step 6: Preview Deployment

terraform plan

Shows resources to be created without making changes.

Step 7: Deploy to AWS

terraform apply

Type yes to confirm. Creates the S3 bucket.

Verify in AWS:

aws s3 ls

Step 8: View Deployed Resources

terraform show

Displays current state and all resource details.

Step 9: Clean Up

terraform destroy

Type yes to delete all Terraform-managed resources.

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Summary

Command	Purpose
aws configure	Set up AWS credentials
terraform init	Initialize provider plugins
terraform plan	Preview changes
terraform apply	Deploy resources
terraform show	View current state
terraform destroy	Remove all resources

Your infrastructure is now code - version it, review it, and keep it clean!