Terraform at Scale: 7 Patterns That Saved Us From Config Hell
Stop fighting Terraform state locks and drift. Here's how to structure modules, manage state, handle secrets, and implement safe CI/CD pipelines for infrastructure changes.
Terraform is incredible—until your team grows, state files collide, and a typo nukes production. Here are the organizational patterns that let us manage 100+ infrastructure repos without chaos.
1) Module structure: DRY but not too DRY
Create reusable modules but don't over-abstract. Each module should have a clear purpose.
- ✓Separate root modules (environments) from child modules (components).
- ✓Version your modules and pin versions in prod.
- ✓Keep modules focused: network, compute, database—not "everything".
2) State management that prevents disasters
- ✓Use remote state (S3 + DynamoDB locks, GCS, Terraform Cloud).
- ✓One state file per environment/service, not one giant state.
- ✓Enable state locking and versioning.
- ✓Never commit state files or .terraform directories.
3) Secrets management (never in plain text)
- ✓Use AWS Secrets Manager, HashiCorp Vault, or similar.
- ✓Reference secrets via data sources, never hardcode.
- ✓Rotate secrets regularly and track usage.
4) CI/CD for Terraform: plan on PR, apply on merge
Automate terraform plan on every PR, require approval, then auto-apply on merge to main.
- ✓Run terraform plan and post results as PR comment.
- ✓Block merges if plan fails or shows unexpected changes.
- ✓Use CODEOWNERS for sensitive resource changes.
5) Drift detection and reconciliation
- ✓Run scheduled terraform plan to detect drift.
- ✓Alert on unexpected changes (manual modifications).
- ✓Use policy-as-code (Sentinel/OPA) for compliance checks.
6) Testing: don't skip it
Use tools like Terratest or kitchen-terraform to validate module behavior.
- ✓Test modules in isolated accounts/projects.
- ✓Validate resource creation, configuration, and deletion.
- ✓Run tests in CI before merging.
7) Documentation and naming conventions
- ✓Document every module with examples and required variables.
- ✓Use consistent naming: {env}-{service}-{resource}.
- ✓Tag all resources with owner, env, cost-center.
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Need help organizing your Terraform chaos? We can audit your setup, implement proper state management, CI/CD pipelines, and module structure—usually in 1-2 weeks.
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