Terraform Module Scaffolder

This skill helps create well-structured Terraform modules following best practices and conventions.

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• •Creating a new Terraform module from scratch
• •Setting up standardized module structure
• •Need templates for common AWS/Azure/GCP resources
• •Want to ensure module follows Terraform conventions

Module Structure

Generate modules with this standard structure:

module-name/
├── main.tf           # Primary resource definitions
├── variables.tf      # Input variables
├── outputs.tf        # Output values
├── versions.tf       # Provider and Terraform version constraints
├── README.md         # Module documentation
└── examples/         # Usage examples (optional)
    └── basic/
        └── main.tf

Instructions

1. Gather Requirements

Ask the user:

• •What is the module name?
• •What cloud provider (AWS, Azure, GCP, multi-cloud)?
• •What resources should the module create?
• •Any specific requirements or constraints?

2. Create Core Files

main.tf - Include:

• •Resource definitions with clear naming
• •Local values for computed attributes
• •Data sources if needed

variables.tf - Include:

• •Required variables first, then optional
• •Clear descriptions for each variable
• •Sensible defaults where appropriate
• •Type constraints (string, number, bool, list, map, object)
• •Validation rules for critical inputs

outputs.tf - Include:

• •Resource IDs and ARNs
• •Connection information (endpoints, URLs)
• •Computed attributes that other modules might need
• •Clear descriptions for each output

versions.tf - Include:

• •Terraform version constraint (use ~> for minor version)
• •Provider version constraints
• •Required providers block

README.md - Include:

• •Module description and purpose
• •Usage example
• •Requirements section
• •Inputs table (can be auto-generated later)
• •Outputs table (can be auto-generated later)

3. Apply Best Practices

• •Use consistent naming: resource_type-purpose (e.g., s3-logs, vpc-main)
• •Add tags to all taggable resources with variables for custom tags
• •Use terraform fmt formatting
• •Include lifecycle blocks where appropriate
• •Add depends_on only when implicit dependencies don't work
• •Use count or for_each for conditional resources

4. Add Example Usage

Create examples/basic/main.tf showing minimal working example:

module "example" {
  source = "../.."
  
  # Required variables
  name = "example"
  
  # Optional variables with common values
  tags = {
    Environment = "dev"
    ManagedBy   = "terraform"
  }
}

Validation Checklist

Before completing, verify:

• • All files use consistent formatting (terraform fmt)
• • Variables have descriptions and appropriate types
• • Outputs have descriptions
• • Version constraints are specified
• • README includes usage example
• • Module follows naming conventions
• • Tags are configurable via variables