Course Outline
Module 1: Introduction to Infrastructure as Code and Terraform
- Key IaC concepts and their benefits for on-premises and hybrid environments.
- Terraform overview: providers, resources, state management, and lifecycle.
- Installation of Terraform, Azure CLI, and necessary tools.
- First hands-on exercise: writing a simple Terraform configuration and applying it locally.
Module 2: HashiCorp Configuration Language (HCL) and Configuration Basics
- HCL syntax, including resources, attributes, and expressions.
- Working with variables, outputs, locals, and type constraints.
- Using the Terraform CLI: init, plan, apply, destroy, and fmt commands.
- Hands-on lab: building a parameterized configuration for both on-premises and Azure resources.
Module 3: Providers, Resources, and Azure Provider Fundamentals
- Understanding providers and configuring the AzureRM provider.
- Mapping infrastructure elements to Terraform resources (networking, compute, storage).
- Managing Azure authentication and service principals for automation.
- Hands-on: provisioning an Azure virtual network and a simple VM via Terraform.
Module 4: State Management, Backends, and Collaboration
- Terraform state: its purpose, format, and lifecycle considerations.
- Remote backends using Azure Storage Account and state locking strategies.
- Workspaces, environments, and collaboration patterns for teams.
- Lab: configuring remote state in Azure Storage and performing a multi-user workflow.
Module 5: Modularization, Reusability, and Best Practices
- Authoring and consuming Terraform modules.
- Module inputs and outputs, versioning, and registry patterns.
- Folder layout, naming conventions, and maintaining a structured repository.
- Hands-on: creating a reusable module for Azure VM, disk, and network, testing it across environments.
Module 6: Managing Azure Virtual Devices and On-Prem Integration
- Managing Azure Virtual Machines, Virtual Desktop components, and device lifecycles via Terraform.
- Patterns for hybrid device management: connecting on-premises resources with Azure-managed devices.
- Integrating volumetric or device management systems through data sources and external providers.
- Lab: deploying an Azure VM fleet representing operator units and configuring inventory tagging and basic monitoring.
Module 7: CI/CD, Automation, and Deployment Pipelines
- Integrating Terraform with CI/CD tools (GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps pipelines).
- Automating plan and apply processes with secured secrets and service principals.
- Policy as Code basics (Sentinel or Open Policy Agent patterns) and pre-deployment checks.
- Hands-on: creating a simple GitHub Actions workflow to plan and apply Terraform against a sandbox subscription.
Module 8: Security, Secrets, and Operational Practices
- Managing secrets: integrating with Azure Key Vault and avoiding sensitive data in state files.
- Access control, RBAC, and enforcing least privilege for automation accounts.
- Drift detection, state reconciliation, and basic remediation practices.
- Checklist: backup, auditing, and governance for Terraform-managed infrastructure.
Module 9: Testing, Debugging, and Troubleshooting
- Debugging Terraform configurations and effectively reading plan diffs.
- Unit and integration testing approaches (terraform validate, tflint, kitchen-terraform).
- Common error patterns and resolution strategies.
- Lab: running validation and linting tools and fixing discovered issues.
Module 10: Capstone Project — Hybrid Deployment Scenario
- Design exercise: planning an on-premises + Azure device deployment using learned patterns.
- Implementing core components using modules, remote state, and CI/CD pipeline snippets.
- Presenting the solution, discussing trade-offs, and reviewing the operational runbook.
Summary and Next Steps
Requirements
- A solid understanding of basic networking and virtualization concepts.
- Familiarity with Windows or Linux command-line interfaces.
- Basic knowledge of cloud or on-premises infrastructure principles.
Audience
- System administrators and platform engineers.
- DevOps practitioners new to Infrastructure as Code.
- IT teams responsible for managing hybrid (on-premises + Azure) infrastructure.
Testimonials (3)
pacing for the most part was fantastic. Michal was very good at ensuring the audience were engaged and ensured everyone was following along for the most part
Asif Shaikh - Carpmaels & Ransford
Course - Terraform on Microsoft Azure
Checking all the details in practice - by writing real code
Michal Pipala - EY
Course - Advanced Terraform: Efficient Infrastructure as Code
the instructor was very well prepared
