How to Create Terraform from Existing Resources Azure Using Azure Import

Creating Terraform from existing Azure resources can be a daunting task, but Azure Import provides a straightforward solution. Azure Import allows you to create a Terraform configuration from your existing Azure resources.

To get started, you'll need to have the Azure CLI installed on your machine. This is a requirement for the Azure Import process.

Azure Import uses the Azure Resource Graph to discover and map your existing resources to a Terraform configuration. This process can be automated, making it a convenient option for large-scale deployments.

The Azure Import process can be initiated from the Azure portal or the Azure CLI. This flexibility allows you to choose the approach that works best for you.

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To get started with creating Terraform from existing resources in Azure, you'll need to have a few things in place.

First and foremost, you'll need an Azure account and subscription. This will give you access to the resources you need to work with.

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Having Terraform installed on your machine is also crucial. This will allow you to use Terraform's powerful features to manage your infrastructure.

Azure CLI, or Command Line Interface, is another essential tool you'll need. It allows you to interact with Azure resources programmatically.

To use Azure CLI effectively, you'll need to configure your Azure profile within it. This will enable you to read resources in your Azure subscription.

Here are the prerequisites in a concise list:

To set up Azure for Terraform, you'll need an existing environment for deployment. This can be achieved by deploying a resource group, a virtual network, and three subnets, as demonstrated in the main.tf file.

The main.tf file deploys a resource group named terraformimport-rg, a virtual network named vnet-webapp-westus2, and three subnets named snet-web, snet-app, and snet-db.

To deploy this configuration, you'll first need to authenticate out to Azure using the Azure CLI.

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To install Azure Export for Terraform, you can use several methods.

One option is using brew, a package manager for macOS.

You can also use Windows Package Manager, which is a straightforward process.

The command to install using Windows Package Manager is simple.

Alternatively, you can use Go, Chocolatey, or get the latest binaries from the releases in GitHub.

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To prepare your Terraform files, you'll need to add the azurerm backend configuration.

This involves providing the details from the storage account created previously, including the storage account name, container name, resource group, and key of your workload.

You'll need to run the terraform plan command again to get the address information for the resource to import, which is necessary for adding it to the Terraform state file using the import command.

The plan command output will show the new resource defined in the subnets variable is not in the current state, and Terraform will show that it will add the new resource with the resource address.

You can use either Option 1 or Option 2 to get the resource ID of the snet-logs subnet, which is required for the terraform import command.

Here are the steps to get the resource ID:

Once you have the resource address and ID, you can use the terraform import command in PowerShell to import the resource into the Terraform state.

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Terraform is a great tool for defining infrastructure using code and deploying it to Azure or other cloud providers. It's a game-changer for managing infrastructure through code.

You'll often hear the term "state file" when working with Terraform. This file stores information about your managed infrastructure and configuration, allowing Terraform to map real-world resources back to your configuration.

Terraform stores its state by default in a local file named terraform.tfstate. However, you can also store it remotely, which is a common choice for large-scale enterprises to avoid local state files.

There are three typical steps to import cloud resources into Terraform: defining your infrastructure, running Terraform import to update your state file, and running Terraform plan to verify the import is successful.

Here are the three steps to import cloud resources into Terraform:

A new tool called Azure Terrafy aims to automate the import process, making it easier to get started with Terraform.

To import existing resources into Terraform, you can use the Terraform import command. This command allows you to bring existing Azure infrastructure under Terraform management. You can import resources such as resource groups, virtual networks, and subnets.

You can use the Terraform import command to import a resource group and all the resources inside it. To do this, you need to issue the command with the resource group name, and then select the option to import all the resources. The tool will then generate the Terraform scripts for you, including any dependencies and update the Terraform state file.

To import a single resource, you need to write the resource configuration block manually for the added resource. This involves modifying the Terraform configuration and variable files as needed, and then running the terraform plan command to get the address information for the resource to import.

Here are the steps to import a single resource:

By following these steps, you can import existing Azure resources into Terraform and bring them under Terraform management.

To import existing resources from Azure into Terraform, you can use the Microsoft Azure Export for Terraform tool. Once installed, you can specify the resource or resource group you want to import into a Terraform file. Type `w` to import all the resources it has found, and the tool will generate Terraform scripts for you, including any dependencies and updating the Terraform state file.

You can also use the `terraform import` command in PowerShell to import existing Azure resources into Terraform. First, modify the Terraform configuration and variable files with the new resource, then run the `terraform plan` command to get the address information for the resource to import. You'll need to copy the resource address and use it with the `terraform import` command, specifying the resource ID and other necessary information.

For complex imports, such as importing a virtual network that contains subnets or a network security group that contains security rules, you'll need to capture all the child resources in the main.tf Terraform configuration file. This will ensure that all the child resources are preserved when running `terraform apply`.

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Here's a step-by-step process for importing existing resources:

1. Deploy an Azure Resource Group and a static web app resource using the Azure CLI.

2. Create a new directory/folder to store the Terraform files.

3. Run `az login` and set the subscription that contains the RG and web app created earlier.

4. Use Terrafy to begin the import process, scanning the RG and presenting you with a list of resources to import.

5. Select the resource you want to import, or hit `W` on your keyboard to import all resources.

6. Verify the files have been generated and check the main.tf file for the definition of your static web app and resource group.

Remember, Terrafy does not support all resource types, so if you see "skip" listed next to a resource, it cannot be imported.

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