Deploy a DigitalOcean Droplet with Terraform

Learn Infrastructure as Code basics by deploying a simple web server on DigitalOcean using Terraform. Perfect for beginners starting their IaC journey.

beginner
cloud
Infrastructure as Code
60 minutes
9 steps
Prerequisites
  • DigitalOcean account (free trial available)
  • Terraform installed (v1.0+)
  • Basic command line knowledge
  • Text editor (VS Code, vim, etc.)
Learning Objectives
  • Understand Infrastructure as Code fundamentals
  • Learn Terraform workflow (init, plan, apply, destroy)
  • Deploy and manage cloud resources programmatically
  • Configure basic web server infrastructure
  • Work with Terraform state and outputs
Technologies Used
Terraform
DigitalOcean
Linux
Nginx
Exercise Steps
1

Prerequisites and Initial Setup

Current

Set up your local environment and create a DigitalOcean API token for Terraform authentication.

2

Configure Terraform Provider

Create the main Terraform configuration file and configure the DigitalOcean provider.

3

Create SSH Key Resource

Generate an SSH key pair and upload the public key to DigitalOcean for secure droplet access.

4

Define Droplet Resource

Create the main droplet resource with basic configuration and cloud-init user data.

5

Configure Terraform Outputs

Define output values to display the droplet's IP address and access URL.

6

Test and Verify Deployment

Verify that the web server is accessible and functioning correctly.

7

Explore Terraform State

Learn about Terraform state management and inspect the current state.

8

Modify Infrastructure

Learn how to update existing infrastructure by modifying Terraform configuration.

9

Clean Up Resources

Destroy all created resources to avoid unnecessary charges. Learn the importance of cleanup.

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