Create resources with Terraform

Create resources using custom parameters

To configure parameters based on your needs, follow these steps:

1. Log on to Terraform Explorer. Select a Product and a Resource Type. Fill in the parameters by using the Resource Documentation, and then click Initiate.

   The main parameters for creating a VPC are listed below. For more parameter details, see alicloud_vpc.

   Parameter Name	Description	Example value
   vpc_name	VPC name	tf-test-vpc
   cidr_block	Private CIDR block for the VPC	192.168.0.0/16
   description	Description of the VPC	The VPC was created using Terraform.

2. On the Template Details tab, confirm that the parameters are correct, and then click Plan to view the execution plan.

   terraform {
     required_providers {
       alicloud = {
         source = "aliyun/alicloud"
         version = "1.231.0"
       }
     }
   }
   provider "alicloud" {
     region  = "cn-beijing"
   }
   resource "alicloud_vpc" "default" {
     cidr_block  = "192.168.0.0/16"
     description = "The VPC was created using Terraform."
     vpc_name    = "tf-test-vpc"
   }

3. On the Details tab, review the information about the resources to be created, and then click Execute.

   The preview result shows a Success status and the message Plan: 1 to add, 0 to change, 0 to destroy. This indicates that the alicloud_vpc.default resource will be created. The cidr_block is 192.168.0.0/16, and the description is The VPC was created using Terraform.. Terraform generates other attributes after execution.

4. On the Execution Details tab, view the result. A successful execution displays the message "Apply complete! Resources: 1 added, 0 changed, 0 destroyed." If the execution fails, modify the parameters based on the error message and try again.

5. On the Resource Details tab, view information about the created resource.

   The resource address is alicloud_vpc.default. The page displays various attributes of the VPC, including:

   • cidr_block: 192.168.0.0/16

   • name: tf-test-vpc

   • description: The VPC was created using Terraform.

   • create_time: The time when the VPC was created.

   • Network configurations such as classic_link_enabled and enable_ipv6.

   • Associated resource information such as resource_group_id, route_table_id, and router_id.

6. (Optional) Modify the resource: Adjust the parameters and click Plan & Apply, then repeat steps 2 through 4. A successful update displays the message "Apply complete! Resources: 0 added, 1 changed, 0 destroyed.".

7. (Optional) Destroy the resource: On the Execution Details tab, click Destroy Resources. Then, on the Details tab, click Execute.

   When the operation is complete, the Execution Details tab shows a Success status with the message Apply complete! Resources: 0 added, 0 changed, 1 destroyed, confirming that one VPC resource was destroyed.

Create resources using a sample template

If you are unfamiliar with resource parameters or want a quick start, use a sample template from Terraform Explorer.

1. Log on to Terraform Explorer. Select the corresponding Product, Resource Type, and Sample Template, and then click Initiate. You can view the template details on the Sample Template tab on the right.

   In the Input Parameters area on the left, you can view and modify the parameters required by the template. For example, you can set the name parameter to terraform-example. You can also click Add Parameter to add more parameters.

2. On the Template Details tab, click Plan & Apply.

   This sample template is in the Terraform format. It defines an alicloud_vpc resource with parameters such as ipv6_isp set to BGP, cidr_block set to 10.0.0.0/8, and enable_ipv6 set to true.

3. On the Execution Details tab, you can view the execution result.

4. (Optional) To destroy the created resource, click Destroy Resources on the Execution Details tab. Then, on the Details tab, click Execute.

Alibaba Cloud Cloud Shell is a free operations tool that comes pre-installed with Terraform and pre-configured with identity credentials, so you can run Terraform commands immediately.

Verify the installation

Run this command to confirm Terraform is installed correctly:

terraform version

If the command runs successfully and displays the version number, the installation is complete.

This example walks through the full Terraform orchestration workflow by creating an ECS instance: VPC → vSwitch → security group → ECS instance.

1. Create a working directory and write the Terraform configuration file main.tf:

   mkdir tf-demo && cd tf-demo
   vim main.tf

   Copy the following code into main.tf:

   provider "alicloud" {
     region = var.region
   }
   # Region for resource creation
   variable "region" {
     default = "cn-beijing"
   }
   # ECS instance name
   variable "instance_name" {
     default = "tf-cloudshell-test"
   }
   # ECS instance type
   variable "instance_type" {
     default = "ecs.n2.small"
   }
   # Outbound public bandwidth. A value of 0 means no public network access.
   variable "internet_bandwidth" {
     default = 10
   }
   # ECS OS image
   variable "image_id" {
     default = "ubuntu_18_04_64_20G_alibase_20190624.vhd"
   }
   # ECS system disk type
   variable "disk_category" {
     default = "cloud_efficiency"
   }
   # ECS instance logon password
   variable "password" {
     default = "TF-test@1234"
   }
   # Create a VPC
   resource "alicloud_vpc" "vpc" {
     vpc_name   = "tf_test_foo"
     cidr_block = "172.16.0.0/12"
   }
   # Query for availability zones based on the instance type and disk category
   data "alicloud_zones" "default" {
     available_disk_category     = var.disk_category
     available_resource_creation = "VSwitch"
     available_instance_type     = var.instance_type
   }
   # Create a vSwitch
   resource "alicloud_vswitch" "vsw" {
     vpc_id     = alicloud_vpc.vpc.id
     cidr_block = "172.16.0.0/21"
     zone_id    = data.alicloud_zones.default.zones.0.id
   }
   # Create a security group
   resource "alicloud_security_group" "default" {
     security_group_name   = "default"
     vpc_id = alicloud_vpc.vpc.id
   }
   # Create an inbound security group rule
   resource "alicloud_security_group_rule" "allow_all_tcp" {
     type              = "ingress"
     ip_protocol       = "tcp"
     nic_type          = "intranet"
     policy            = "accept"
     port_range        = "1/65535"
     priority          = 1
     security_group_id = alicloud_security_group.default.id
     cidr_ip           = "0.0.0.0/0"
   }
   resource "alicloud_instance" "instance" {
     # Attach the security group
     security_groups = alicloud_security_group.default.*.id
     instance_type = var.instance_type
     system_disk_category = var.disk_category
     image_id = var.image_id
     instance_name = var.instance_name
     # Specify the vSwitch
     vswitch_id = alicloud_vswitch.vsw.id
     internet_max_bandwidth_out = var.internet_bandwidth
     password  = var.password
   }

   Important

   The security group rule in this example opens all TCP ports (1–65535) and allows traffic from any IP address (0.0.0.0/0). Use this only in test environments. In production, restrict ports and source IP addresses as needed.

2. Initialize the Terraform working directory:

   terraform init

3. Preview the execution plan to confirm which resources will be created:

   terraform plan

   shell@Alicloud:~/tf-demo$ terraform plan
   data.alicloud_zones.default: Reading...
   data.alicloud_zones.default: Read complete after 1s [id=1373912221]
   Terraform used the selected providers to generate the following execution plan. Resource actions are indicated with the following symbols:
     + create
   Terraform will perform the following actions:
     # alicloud_instance.instance will be created
     + resource "alicloud_instance" "instance" {
         + availability_zone                  = (known after apply)
         + cpu                                = (known after apply)
         + create_time                        = (known after apply)
         + credit_specification               = (known after apply)
         + deployment_set_group_no            = (known after apply)
         + description                        = (known after apply)
         + dry_run                            = false
         + enable_jumbo_frame                 = (known after apply)
         + expired_time                       = (known after apply)
         + host_name                          = (known after apply)
         + http_endpoint                      = (known after apply)
         + http_put_response_hop_limit        = (known after apply)
         + http_tokens                        = (known after apply)
         + id                                 = (known after apply)
         + image_id                           = "ubuntu_18_04_64_20G_alibase_20190624.vhd"
         + instance_charge_type               = (known after apply)
         + instance_name                      = "tf-cloudshell-test"
         + instance_type                      = "ecs.n2.small"
         + internet_charge_type               = (known after apply)
         + internet_max_bandwidth_in          = (known after apply)
         + internet_max_bandwidth_out         = 10
         + io_optimized                       = (known after apply)
         + ipv6_address_count                 = (known after apply)
         + ipv6_addresses                     = (known after apply)
         + key_name                           = (known after apply)
         + maintenance_action                 = (known after apply)
         + memory                             = (known after apply)
         + network_interface_id               = (known after apply)
         + network_interface_traffic_mode     = (known after apply)
         + os_name                            = (known after apply)
         + os_type                            = (known after apply)
         + password                           = (sensitive value)
         + period                             = (known after apply)
         + primary_ip_address                 = (known after apply)

4. Create the resources. The output "Apply complete!" means success:

   terraform apply

   Apply complete! Resources: 5 added, 0 changed, 0 destroyed.

5. To release these resources, run:

   terraform destroy