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GitHub Actions

Guide to using GitHub Actions for Terraform modules.

Overview​

GitHub Actions provides CI/CD capabilities directly in your repository.

Workflow Components​

Triggers​

Define when workflows run:

on:
  pull_request:
    branches: [main, dev]
  push:
    branches: [main]
  workflow_dispatch:  # Manual trigger

Jobs​

Organize workflow steps:

jobs:
  terraform-validation:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Setup Terraform
        uses: hashicorp/setup-terraform@v3

Steps​

Individual actions within jobs:

- name: Checkout code
  uses: actions/checkout@v4

- name: Run command
  run: terraform validate

Common Actions​

Checkout Code​

- uses: actions/checkout@v4

Setup Terraform​

- uses: hashicorp/setup-terraform@v3
  with:
    terraform_version: "1.6.0"

Setup Python​

- uses: actions/setup-python@v5
  with:
    python-version: '3.x'

Setup TFLint​

- uses: terraform-linters/setup-tflint@v4

Secrets​

Store sensitive values securely:

- name: Use secret
  env:
    SECRET_VALUE: ${{ secrets.MY_SECRET }}
  run: echo "$SECRET_VALUE"

Matrix Strategy​

Run jobs across multiple configurations:

strategy:
  matrix:
    terraform-version: ['1.5.0', '1.6.0']
    os: [ubuntu-latest, windows-latest]

Conditional Execution​

Run steps conditionally:

- name: Run if condition
  if: github.event_name == 'pull_request'
  run: echo "PR workflow"

Artifacts​

Share files between jobs:

- name: Upload artifact
  uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
  with:
    name: terraform-plan
    path: terraform.tfplan

- name: Download artifact
  uses: actions/download-artifact@v3
  with:
    name: terraform-plan

Learn More​