Infrastructure Automation with OpenTofu – Hands-On DevOps

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Overview

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Updated in May 2025. This course now features Coursera Coach! A smarter way to learn with interactive, real-time conversations that help you test your knowledge, challenge assumptions, and deepen your understanding as you progress through the course. Unlock the power of OpenTofu to automate infrastructure provisioning and management with this hands-on DevOps course. You'll start by understanding the fundamentals of OpenTofu, its comparison to Terraform, and how to navigate its documentation. Through guided demos, you’ll set up OpenTofu across various environments and configure it for cloud platforms like AWS. As you progress, you'll dive into the OpenTofu Configuration Language, CLI commands, and provider management. You'll also explore registries, workflows, and resource handling, gaining the skills to define, update, and manage infrastructure as code. Dedicated modules will cover migration from Terraform, using input and output variables, and working with provisioners for automated deployments. Further, you'll master advanced concepts such as state management, remote backends, debugging techniques, and integrating OpenTofu with registries and modules. Hands-on projects will help you apply these skills in real-world scenarios, including AWS infrastructure, compute resources, and Kubernetes orchestration. This course is ideal for DevOps engineers, cloud architects, and system administrators looking to streamline infrastructure automation. A basic understanding of cloud computing and infrastructure as code (IaC) is recommended. Whether you're transitioning from Terraform or starting fresh with OpenTofu, this course will help you automate with confidence.

Syllabus

Introduction

In this module, we will introduce you to the fundamentals of Infrastructure Automation with OpenTofu, highlighting its differences with Terraform. You will also get hands-on experience exploring OpenTofu documentation, providing a solid foundation for the rest of the course.

Getting Started with OpenTofu

In this module, we will guide you through the essential setup steps for OpenTofu, including prerequisite installation and configuration. You'll also explore hands-on demos for integrating OpenTofu with AWS and setting it up on macOS, ensuring you're ready to start automating infrastructure efficiently.

OpenTofu Configuration Language

In this module, we will dive into the OpenTofu Configuration Language, explaining its syntax and structure for creating automation scripts. You'll also explore the CLI and experience hands-on demonstrations of how to use it to manage and execute OpenTofu configurations efficiently.

OpenTofu Providers

In this module, we will explore OpenTofu providers, covering the different types and how to manage multiple providers in a configuration. You will also learn how to work with provider documentation and get hands-on experience creating and using providers in OpenTofu projects.

Registries with GUI [Update June 2024]

In this module, we will introduce you to Library.tf, a crucial registry for managing resources in OpenTofu. You’ll also explore how to use the GUI to interact with the registry, followed by a demonstration of integrating Library.tf into your OpenTofu configurations.

OpenTofu Workflow and Resources

In this module, we will cover the OpenTofu workflow for managing infrastructure resources, including how to handle resource updates and references. Through hands-on demos, you'll explore resource documentation, create instances on AWS, and practice updating resources both in-place and by recreation.

Migrating from Terraform to OpenTofu

In this module, we will guide you through the migration and rollback process from Terraform to OpenTofu. You will also participate in a hands-on demonstration of migrating a Terraform configuration to OpenTofu, ensuring you are equipped with the skills to manage the transition confidently.

Input Variables in OpenTofu

In this module, we will cover everything you need to know about input variables in OpenTofu, from file structure to advanced variable usage. You’ll learn how to define, pass, and manage input variables using different methods, with hands-on demonstrations to reinforce these concepts and best practices.

Output Values in OpenTofu

In this module, we will focus on output values in OpenTofu, explaining how to retrieve and display useful information after executing your configurations. You'll also participate in a hands-on demonstration of using the Tofu Console command and output blocks to manage and visualize your output values.

Provisioners and Connection Block

In this module, we will explore provisioners and the connection block in OpenTofu, including their different types and configurations. You will see hands-on demonstrations of local, remote, and file provisioners, along with how to manage their execution and handle failures. This module will equip you with the tools to automate resource setup more effectively.

Data Sources in OpenTofu

In this module, we will explore the role of data sources in OpenTofu, focusing on how they help retrieve and manage external information. You will see demonstrations that highlight the challenges of not using data sources and how incorporating them can resolve common configuration issues.

Modules and Registry Operations

In this module, we will cover how to use and manage modules in OpenTofu, including creating both root and child modules. You’ll also explore how to navigate module documentation and the module registry, followed by a demonstration of publishing custom code to the registry, enabling reuse and efficient infrastructure management.

State and State Files in OpenTofu

In this module, we will explore the concept of state and state files in OpenTofu, detailing their purpose in tracking infrastructure changes. Through hands-on demos, you will work with terraform.tfstate and terraform.tfstate.backup files, and learn how to use the "tofu state" command to manage and interact with state files effectively.

OpenTofu Remote State and Backends

In this module, we will cover the importance of remote state and backends in OpenTofu, focusing on how they enhance infrastructure management and collaboration. Through practical demos, you'll learn how to prepare and implement remote backends to store and manage state remotely, ensuring a scalable and secure approach to your configurations.

Working with OpenTofu

In this module, we will dive into advanced OpenTofu features, covering timeouts, debugging, taints, and untaints to manage infrastructure effectively. You’ll explore practical demos on debugging, using the "tofu graph" command, importing existing infrastructure, and managing local values blocks and provider aliases to optimize your configurations.

Meta-Arguments, Functions and Workspaces

In this module, we will explore key OpenTofu concepts such as meta-arguments, functions, and workspaces. You’ll learn how to apply lifecycle rules, manage dependencies with depends_on, dynamically create resources with count and for_each, and use built-in functions. Additionally, we'll cover how to use workspaces for managing different environments, with hands-on demos to solidify your understanding.

Sample OpenTofu Projects

In this module, we will dive into sample OpenTofu projects, starting with an overview of VPC and compute resources. You will get hands-on experience with configuring and deploying VPC networks and compute components. Additionally, we will guide you through the setup of Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS), offering a practical approach to container orchestration in AWS using OpenTofu.