Skip to content

GNU Make Terraform Workflow Automation

GNU Make Terraform Workflow Automation involves using GNU Make to script and streamline the execution of standard Terraform commands. This approach is often utilized in local development environments, such as those using [[Localstack]] to simulate cloud infrastructure, to reduce repetitive typing and enforce a consistent operational sequence^[demo-terraform-localstack__README.md].

Purpose

In a standard workflow, developers must frequently execute initialization, planning, and application steps. By encapsulating these commands within a Makefile, the process becomes a single, unified target.^[demo-terraform-localstack__README.md]

A key advantage is the integration with infrastructure simulators. For example, a Makefile can manage the lifecycle of a [[Docker]] container running Localstack—handling tasks like starting the service (make up), checking health status (make health), or verifying resources—before Terraform attempts to interact with the API endpoints^[demo-terraform-localstack__README.md].

Common Targets

Typical targets defined in a Makefile for Terraform automation include:

  • make up: Used to bring up the local infrastructure environment (e.g., starting the Localstack container).^[demo-terraform-localstack__README.md]
  • make plan: Invokes terraform plan to determine the actions required to reach the desired state^[demo-terraform-localstack__README.md].
  • make apply: Invokes terraform apply to create or update the defined resources^[demo-terraform-localstack__README.md].
  • make health: A custom command to check the status of the local services, ensuring dependencies like S3 and DynamoDB are running before Terraform operations^[demo-terraform-localstack__README.md].
  • [[Infrastructure as Code]]
  • Terraform
  • [[Localstack]]

Sources

  • demo-terraform-localstack__README.md