Terraform Files Structure

A standard Terraform project is organized into multiple .tf files, with each file typically having a specific responsibility. Terraform automatically loads and merges all .tf files in the same directory. The separation is mainly for readability and organization, not functionality.

Common Terraform Files

• main.tf — Primary file for defining resources.
• *.tf — Other Terraform configuration files. You can split resources and configurations across multiple .tf files as needed.
• provider.tf — Defines provider configurations and provider-related settings.
• outputs.tf — Defines output values that can be displayed or consumed by other modules.
• variables.tf — Defines input variables.
• terraform.tfvars — Provides values for input variables and can override their default values.
• backend.tf — Configures where Terraform stores its state file, such as an Amazon S3 bucket or Azure Blob Storage.
• modules/ — Contains reusable Terraform modules.
• data.tf — Defines data sources used to retrieve information about existing resources or external data.

Note: Terraform does not require these specific filenames. You can use any .tf filenames you prefer. Terraform loads all .tf files in the same directory automatically.

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