Step by step instruction for to integrated the git hub account with ci/cd pipeline for terraform code as infrastructure as code

Integrating a Git repository with a CI/CD pipeline for managing Terraform configurations for AWS infrastructure involves several steps. You’ll typically use services like GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD, or Jenkins for the CI/CD pipeline. Here, I’ll outline the steps using GitHub Actions as an example.

Step 1: Set Up Your AWS Credentials

1. Create AWS IAM User: In AWS IAM, create a new user with programmatic access and assign appropriate permissions (e.g., AmazonEC2FullAccess, AmazonS3FullAccess, etc.).
2. Store AWS Credentials: Store the AWS Access Key ID and Secret Access Key. You’ll need these for your CI/CD pipeline.
3. Use Environment Variables: The recommended way to provide AWS credentials to Terraform is through environment variables. Set AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID and AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY as environment variables in your CI/CD pipeline settings.
4. GitHub Secrets:
   • Store your AWS Access Key and Secret Key in GitHub Secrets. GitHub Secrets provide a secure way to store and manage sensitive information in your GitHub repository.
   • In your GitHub repository, go to Settings > Secrets and add your AWS credentials as secrets.

Step 2: Prepare Your GitHub Repository

1. Create or Use an Existing Repository: If you haven’t already, create a new GitHub repository or use an existing one for your Terraform code.
2. Push Your Terraform Code: Ensure your Terraform code (.tf files) is in the repository.

Step 3: Set Up GitHub Secrets

1. Navigate to Repository Settings: In your GitHub repository, go to ‘Settings’ and then ‘Secrets’.
2. Add Secrets: Add your AWS Access Key ID and Secret Access Key as secrets. Name them, for example, AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID and AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY.

Step 4: Create GitHub Actions Workflow

1. Create Workflow Directory: In your repository, create a directory named .github/workflows if it doesn’t already exist.
2. Add Workflow File: Create a new YAML file in the workflows directory (e.g., terraform.yml).
3. Define Workflow Steps: Edit the YAML file to define the CI/CD steps. Here’s an example:

name: Terraform CI/CD

on:
push:
branches:
– main

jobs:
terraform:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest

steps:
- name: Checkout Repository
  uses: actions/checkout@v2

- name: Configure AWS Credentials
  uses: aws-actions/configure-aws-credentials@v1
  with:
    #Please try to encrpt using KMS services for AWS access and secretkey 
    aws-access-key-id: ${{ secrets.AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID }}
    aws-secret-access-key: ${{ secrets.AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY }}
    aws-region: us-west-2

- name: Setup Terraform
  uses: hashicorp/setup-terraform@v1

- name: Terraform Init
  run: terraform init

- name: Terraform Plan
  run: terraform plan

- name: Terraform Apply
  run: terraform apply -auto-approve

1. This workflow will trigger on pushes to the main branch, set up AWS credentials, set up Terraform, and then run terraform init, terraform plan, and terraform apply.

Step 5: Push Workflow File to GitHub

1. Commit the Workflow File: Add the .github/workflows/terraform.yml file to your repository, commit, and push it to GitHub.

git add .github/workflows/terraform.yml
git commit -m "Add Terraform CI/CD workflow"
git push origin main

1. Verify Actions: Go to the ‘Actions’ tab in your GitHub repository to see the CI/CD pipeline in action after the push.

Additional Considerations

• Terraform State Management: Consider how to manage your Terraform state (e.g., using an S3 bucket and DynamoDB for state locking).
• Security: Be cautious with sensitive data and access permissions. Please try to encrypt of aws accesskey and secret key
• Testing: Include steps for testing your Terraform code, if necessary.
• Manual Approval: For production, you might want to include a manual approval step before applying changes.

Remember, these are the basic steps. Depending on your project’s complexity and requirements, you might need to add additional steps or modify this workflow.