Initialise

Use `terraform init` to initialise a terraform environment, downloading providers and modules.

Overview

In this short lab you will

create a provider.tf in Cloud Shell
use the terraform init command to download the azurerm provider locally

Create a provider.tf

Open the Cloud Shell

Authenticate and check you are in the right subscription.
Create a directory
```
mkdir terraform-basics
```
Use CTRL+SHIFT+V to paste as plain text into the Cloud Shell’s terminal.
Change to the directory
```
cd terraform-basics
```
Open the Monaco editor

The Azure Cloud Shell includes the integrated open source Monaco editor.
```
code provider.tf
```
Copy the example provider.tf

Click on the copy icon that appears when you hover over the example code block below.
```
terraform {
  required_providers {
    azurerm = {
      source  = "hashicorp/azurerm"
      version = "~>3.1"
    }
  }
}

provider "azurerm" {
  features {}

  storage_use_azuread = true
}
```
Terraform can use providers for multiple clouds and other technologies. This example provider.tf has provider requirements so that we are assured a minimum version of the azurerm provider, and also specifies a couple of azurerm provider features.
Paste into the editor window

Click on the main editor pain and paste using CTRL+V.

The circle next to the file name indicates that the file has unsaved changes.
Save the file

Click on the ellipsis (…) and select Save, or use CTRL+S.
Close the editor

Select Close Editor from the ellipsis, or use CTRL+Q.

Initialise terraform

Run terraform version
```
terraform version
```
You may ignore any message saying that your Terraform version is out of date.

The cloud shell container image includes the terraform binary and you cannot update it.

In later labs you will see how to install the terraform binary for other scenarios where you do have full control over the versions.

Run terraform init

This is the first of the key commands in the Terraform workflow.

terraform init

Example output:

Initializing the backend...

Initializing provider plugins...
- Finding hashicorp/azurerm versions matching "~> 3.1"...
- Installing hashicorp/azurerm v3.1.0...
- Installed hashicorp/azurerm v3.1.0 (signed by HashiCorp)

Terraform has created a lock file .terraform.lock.hcl to record the provider
selections it made above. Include this file in your version control repository
so that Terraform can guarantee to make the same selections by default when
you run "terraform init" in the future.

Terraform has been successfully initialized!

You may now begin working with Terraform. Try running "terraform plan" to see
any changes that are required for your infrastructure. All Terraform commands
should now work.

If you ever set or change modules or backend configuration for Terraform,
rerun this command to reinitialize your working directory. If you forget, other
commands will detect it and remind you to do so if necessary.

List the new files

find .terraform* -type f

Example output:

.terraform/providers/registry.terraform.io/hashicorp/azurerm/3.1.0/linux_amd64/terraform-provider-azurerm_v3.1.0_x5
.terraform.lock.hcl

The azure provider has been downloaded and a dependency lock file has been created.

Run terraform providers
```
terraform providers
```
The terraform providers command shows the required providers, their sources and the version constraints. This command becomes more useful when we start to make use of modules.

Example output:
```
Providers required by configuration:
.
└── provider[registry.terraform.io/hashicorp/azurerm] ~> 3.1
```
Run terraform version again
```
terraform version
```
Confirms the version of the terraform binary and the providers.

Summary

We have reached the end of the lab. You have initialised the azurerm provider.

Move onto the next lab and we’ll create a couple of Terraform files.

Table of Contents

Initialise

Overview

Create a provider.tf

Initialise terraform

Summary