Using the Terraform Enterprise GUI is perfect to start working with Terraform as a human, but it's not when implementing a machine to machine interaction. Joern will present some examples of how to demystify the Terraform Enterprise API.

2. Demystifying the
Terraform Enterprise
API
Abstracting the steps of an entire workflow
through the API
Copyright © 2019 HashiCorp

3. Jörn Stenkamp
Sr. Solutions Engineer

4. Agenda
What we are going to cover
▪ Terraform Enterprise from a workflow perspective
▪ The three ways to perform a “run workflow”
▪ Business needs -> Business Process -> Workflow
▪ API Authentication
▪ Demo 1) Five steps to setup a VCS driven workflow
▪ Demo 2) Seven steps to deploy IaC via API

5. Terraform Enterprise
from a Workflow
perspective

6. Workflow over Technology
TFE as Shared Service within your Organization

7. Workflow over Technology
TFE as Shared Service within your Organization

8. Workflow over Technology
TFE as Shared Service within your Organization

9. Workflow over Technology
TFE as Shared Service within your Organization

10. Three ways to perform a
“run workflow”

11. Three ways to perform a “run workflow”
VCS/UI
CLI>
{API}
In the UI/VCS workflow, every workspace is associated
with a specific branch of a VCS repo. A VCS commit on
that repository automatically queues a Terraform run.
The OSS way on TFE. You plan/apply your code locally on
your system while using the “remote backend” provider
to utilize TFE.
The CI/CD way. Capable of abstracting your workflow up
to the highest level but needs external tooling around it.

12. VCS/UI driven Run Workflow

13. CLI driven Run Workflow

14. API driven Run Workflow
API can interact with any Tool as long as it is
capable to make web requests. (ServiceNow,
Jenkins, ITSM, Bash, …)

15. Business Process is key
to Workflow abstraction

16. The role of IT operations is to
ensure a continuous, fast, and
reliable flow of tasks that supports
the overall business process.

17. The Second Way
Create fast and continuous
feedback from Operations to
Development.
Measure and React
The First Way
Let us understand how we can
ensure the fast flow of work
from Development to
Operation.
Processes -> Workflow ->
Automation
The Third Way
The technical practices of
continual learning and
experimentation.
Culture and Habit
DevOps: The 3 Ways

18. API Authentication via
Token

19. API Authentication
We need a Team Token

20. API Authentication
We need a Team Token

21. Demo 1)
Setup a GitOps
Continuous Deployment
Environment

22. Business Process Requirements
▪ Continuous Deployment pipeline for practitioners
– VCS driven workflow for IaC
▪ Automatically setup Terraform Cloud environment
– API driven workflow to create: Workspace, Variables, VCS, Policy, ...
▪ Ensuring governance and control
– Secure assignment of credentials and Sentinel policies
▪ Fire and forget
– Remove and re-create with a push of a button

23. High Level Workflow of our Demo
Using the API to setup a VCS orientated “run workflow”

24. The definition of Flow
Logical order of the 5 underlying API steps
Create
Workspace
Assign
Variables to
Workspace
Create
policy-set
Attach
policy-set to
Workspace
Assign VCS
repo to
Workspace
and trigger
run
01)
Create a
workspace
within your TFC
organization
02)
Assign
credentials and
variables to
Workspace
03)
Create policy-set
based on a
pre-existing VCS
repository
04)
Attach policy-set
to the prior
created
workspace
05)
Assign pre-existing
VCS repository to
workspace and
change to:
- auto-queue
- auto-apply
SEC
PaC
OPS
IaC

25. API Documentation
https://www.terraform.io/docs/cloud/api/workspaces.html

26. Let’s get started - First API Request
Create a Workspace

27. 01) Create Workspace
here

28. 01) Create Workspace
here

29. 02) Assign Variables
here

30. 02) Assign Variables
here

31. 02) Assign Variables
here

32. 03) Create Policy-Set
here

33. 03) Create Policy-Set
here

34. 04) Attach Policy-Set to Workspace
here

35. 04) Attach Policy-Set to Workspace
here

36. 05) Assign VCS and trigger run
here

37. 05) Assign VCS and trigger run
here

38. Demo 2)
Deploy Code directly via
API (no VCS)

39. Business Process Requirements
▪ Deploy IaC out of an ITSM tool, a CI/CD,
or any other API aware tool
▪ This is more a snippet than an entire
process

40. The definition of Flow
Logical order of the 7 underlying API steps
Create
Workspace
Assign
Variables to
Workspace
Create
Config-
Version
Upload
Config
Perform
Run
(trigger
plan)
Parse Run
Result
Apply Run
variables.csv config.tar.gz
workspace-id
workspace-id
workspace-id
upload-url
configversion-id
run-id
ok
yes
no
run-id

41. 01) Create Workspace
here

42. 01) Create Workspace
here

43. 02) Assign Variables
here

44. 02) Assign Variables
here

45. 02) Assign Variables
here

46. 03) Create Configuration-Version
here

47. 03) Create Configuration-Version
here

48. 04) Upload Configuration
here

49. 05) Run Plan
here

50. 05) Run Plan
here

51. 06 & 07) Parse Result and Apply
here

52. 06 & 07) Parse Result and Apply
here

53. Thank You
hello@hashicorp.com
www.hashicorp.com
53