Automate EC2 Deployment on AWS Using Terraform Variables
From Zero to Cloud: Automating EC2 Deployment on AWS with Terraform Variables
1. Problem Statement
In cloud environments, provisioning infrastructure manually is time-consuming, error-prone, and inconsistent across different environments. This becomes a significant challenge when multiple EC2 instances, networking resources, and security configurations need to be deployed across various AWS environments (Dev, Test, Prod).
The lack of automation leads to:
Increased deployment time
Manual errors in configuration
Difficulty in replicating environments
Inefficient resource management
By using Terraform variables, we can externalize configuration details, allowing us to automate EC2 deployments in AWS with repeatable, consistent, and scalable infrastructure setups.
2. Why We Need This Use Case
This use case demonstrates how to provision a virtual machine (EC2 instance) in AWS using Terraform with string variables, which enables:
Automation of infrastructure provisioning (Infrastructure as Code).
Reusability of the code across environments by externalizing configuration via variables.
Simplicity and speed in deploying consistent and repeatable cloud environments.
Centralized control over networking (VPC, subnet, routing) and access.
It’s an essential foundational use case for anyone starting with infrastructure automation in AWS.
3. When We Need This Use Case
You would typically use this setup:
When creating a development or test environment for quick deployments.
When provisioning infrastructure repeatedly across environments (Dev/Test/UAT/Prod).
When learning Infrastructure as Code concepts using Terraform.
When bootstrapping cloud infrastructure with minimal manual effort.
When demonstrating or teaching how to securely expose an EC2 instance with full internet access.