Automating AWS Infrastructure with Terraform and Jenkins: A Step-by-Step Guide

Automating AWS Infrastructure with Terraform and Jenkins: A Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction:

In today’s fast-paced world, automating the provisioning and management of infrastructure is essential for efficient and reliable deployment of services. Terraform, a popular infrastructure as code (IaC) tool, combined with Jenkins, a powerful automation server, provides a robust solution for creating and managing AWS resources. This blog aims to guide you through the process of integrating Terraform with Jenkins to automate the creation of services on AWS. By leveraging the power of these tools, you can achieve consistent and reproducible infrastructure deployments, reducing manual effort and increasing operational efficiency.

Objective:

The objective of this blog is to demonstrate how to integrate Terraform and Jenkins to automate the provisioning of AWS resources. We will explore the step-by-step process of setting up Jenkins, configuring the necessary plugins, and creating a pipeline that triggers Terraform to create and manage infrastructure on AWS. By the end of this blog, you will have a clear understanding of how to leverage Terraform and Jenkins together, enabling you to automate infrastructure provisioning, deployments, and updates, ultimately streamlining your AWS service delivery.

Prerequisites:

Basic understanding of AWS: Familiarity with Amazon Web Services (AWS) is essential for understanding the concepts and terminology used throughout this blog. It is recommended to have prior experience working with AWS services like EC2, VPC, IAM, and S3.
Knowledge of Terraform: A foundational understanding of Terraform is necessary to follow along with the integration process. Familiarize yourself with the basics of Terraform, including resource creation, variables, modules, and state management.
Understanding of Jenkins: Having prior knowledge of Jenkins and its core concepts, such as pipelines, stages, and steps, will help you grasp the integration process more effectively. If you are new to Jenkins, it is recommended to explore introductory resources or tutorials to get acquainted with its basic functionalities.
AWS Account and Access Key: You will need an active AWS account with appropriate permissions to create and manage resources. Additionally, obtain an Access Key and Secret Access Key with the necessary permissions to interact with your AWS account programmatically.
Jenkins Installation: Set up a Jenkins instance that is accessible and operational. This could be a local installation or a hosted Jenkins server. Ensure that you have administrative access to configure Jenkins and install plugins.
Terraform Installation: Install Terraform on the machine or server where Jenkins is hosted. Follow the official Terraform documentation to download and set up the appropriate version of Terraform for your operating system.
Jenkins Plugins: Install the necessary Jenkins plugins to integrate Terraform with your Jenkins environment. Key plugins include “Terraform Plugin” and “AWS Steps Plugin.” Ensure that these plugins are installed and properly configured in your Jenkins instance.
Git Repository: Set up a Git repository to host your Terraform code. This repository will serve as the source for your Jenkins pipeline, allowing it to retrieve the Terraform configuration and execute the necessary deployment steps.

By fulfilling these prerequisites, you will be well-prepared to follow the step-by-step integration guide and successfully automate the creation and management of AWS services using Terraform and Jenkins.

Hands-On

Step:1

Firstly, in order for Jenkins to run the Terraform commands that create the infrastructure, AWS credentials are required. To achieve this, you need to download two Jenkins plugins:

1. CloudBees AWS Credentials Plugin: This plugin enables you to securely store AWS access keys and secret access keys within Jenkins. It provides a centralized location to manage and configure AWS credentials that can be used by your Jenkins jobs.

2. AWS Steps Plugin: This plugin integrates AWS functionality directly into Jenkins pipelines. It offers a set of pipeline steps that enable you to interact with AWS services, including managing AWS credentials, executing AWS CLI commands, and working with AWS resources.

By installing and configuring these two plugins within your Jenkins environment, you can securely store AWS credentials and leverage the AWS-specific pipeline steps to interact with your AWS account during the Terraform deployment process.

Step 2:
To save your AWS credentials in Jenkins, follow these steps:

Go to your Jenkins dashboard and navigate to “Manage Jenkins”.
This time, select “Manage Credentials” from the dropdown menu.
On the Credentials page, click on “Global credentials (unrestricted)”.
On the new page, click on the “Add Credentials” link on the left-hand side.
Fill in the required fields, including the AWS access key and AWS secret access key. You can choose an appropriate description for the credentials to help you identify them later.
Click on the “OK” button to save the credentials.

You have now successfully saved your AWS access key and secret access key in Jenkins. These credentials can be used in your Jenkins jobs and pipelines to interact with AWS services securely.

Step 3:

Now, We have to create the Jenkins Pipeline which is our main task

Step 4:

The following is a basic Pipeline script written using Pipeline Syntax. If you would like to add additional parameters or explore more advanced configurations, you can refer to my GitHub repository where I have provided examples based on my specific requirements.

Step 5:

Now, as I click on Build Now. I’ve created the Infrastructure.

Some useful links:
Jenkinsfile- https://github.com/AmanPathak-DevOps/Terraform-for-AWS/blob/master/Non-Modularized/Jenkinsfile

Terraform Code to create Infra- https://github.com/AmanPathak-DevOps/Terraform-for-AWS/tree/master/Non-Modularized

In conclusion, integrating Terraform with Jenkins allows for streamlined and automated AWS infrastructure provisioning. By leveraging Terraform’s declarative configuration and Jenkins’ automation capabilities, you can achieve consistent and efficient deployments. With this powerful combination, you can focus on delivering value and adapt to changing business needs effortlessly. Start your journey toward infrastructure automation today and unlock the benefits of scalability, reliability, and agility. Happy automating!

Stay updated with my blog for advanced techniques and tutorials on integrating Terraform with Jenkins for efficient AWS infrastructure automation. Keep learning, and automate better!

LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/aman-devops/

Github- https://github.com/AmanPathak-DevOps/

Happy Learning!

Aman Pathak