This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Haripriya Veluchamy
Hey there! 👋 Let's talk about two super useful features in Terraform: workspaces and conditional expressions. I'll explain them in the simplest way possible!
Understanding Workspaces vs Conditionals 🤔
Let me explain this with a simple analogy:
Imagine you're building a house 🏠:
Workspaces Are Like Different Houses 🏘️
- Development house (small and basic)
- Staging house (medium-sized with some features)
- Production house (large with all features)
Each house is completely separate from the others. They might look similar, but they're different buildings.
Conditionals Are Like Room Settings 🎛️
Think of conditionals like light switches in a single house:
- Turn on/off features
- Adjust settings
- Enable/disable options
Let's See Some Real Examples! 💡
Using Workspaces
# Create different workspaces (like building different houses)
terraform workspace new dev # Small house
terraform workspace new staging # Medium house
terraform workspace new prod # Big house
# main.tf
resource "aws_instance" "server" {
# Different size server for each workspace
instance_type = lookup({
dev = "t2.micro" # Small server for dev
staging = "t2.medium" # Medium server for staging
prod = "t2.large" # Large server for prod
}, terraform.workspace, "t2.micro")
}
When to use Workspaces:
- When you need completely separate environments
- When you want to test changes safely
- When you need different sized resources for dev/staging/prod
Using Conditionals
# variables.tf
variable "enable_backups" {
type = bool
default = false
}
variable "environment" {
type = string
default = "dev"
}
# main.tf
resource "aws_instance" "server" {
instance_type = "t2.micro"
# Like switches that turn features on/off
monitoring {
enabled = var.environment == "prod" # Only on in production
}
backup {
enabled = var.enable_backups # On/off based on variable
}
}
When to use Conditionals:
- When you want to turn features on/off
- When you need to make small adjustments
- When you want to enable/disable certain settings
Real-World Example: Web Application 🌐
Let's say you're building a web application. Here's how you might use both:
Using Workspaces (Different Environments)
# Each workspace gets its own setup
resource "aws_instance" "web_app" {
# Number of servers based on workspace
count = terraform.workspace == "prod" ? 3 : 1
# Server size based on workspace
instance_type = lookup({
dev = "t2.micro" # Small for development
staging = "t2.medium" # Medium for testing
prod = "t2.large" # Large for production
}, terraform.workspace, "t2.micro")
tags = {
Environment = terraform.workspace
}
}
Using Conditionals (Feature Toggles)
# In the same workspace, turning features on/off
resource "aws_instance" "web_app" {
instance_type = "t2.micro"
# Enable HTTPS only if SSL is needed
enable_https = var.ssl_required ? true : false
# Set backup retention based on importance
backup_retention = var.is_important_data ? 30 : 7
# Enable enhanced monitoring in production
monitoring {
enabled = var.environment == "prod"
}
}
Quick Summary 📝
Think of it this way:
Workspaces:
- Like having different houses
- Completely separate environments
- Different sizes and setups
- Perfect for dev/staging/prod
Conditionals:
- Like switches in one house
- Turn features on/off
- Make small adjustments
- Perfect for feature toggles
Common Use Cases 🎯
Use Workspaces When:
- Setting up development environment
- Creating staging for testing
- Running production systems
- Need completely separate setups
Use Conditionals When:
- Enabling/disabling backups
- Turning on/off monitoring
- Adjusting resource sizes
- Configuring optional features
Best Practices 💪
-
For Workspaces:
- Keep workspace names simple (dev, staging, prod)
- Use consistent naming across projects
- Don't mix production and development resources
-
For Conditionals:
- Keep conditions simple
- Use clear variable names
- Document why you're using conditions
That's it! Now you know when to use workspaces and when to use conditionals. Remember:
- Workspaces = Different houses
- Conditionals = Switches in one house
Questions? Drop them in the comments below! 👇
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Haripriya Veluchamy
Haripriya Veluchamy | Sciencx (2025-02-28T04:40:15+00:00) Getting Started with Terraform: Understanding Workspaces and Conditionals (Part 4) 🚀. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2025/02/28/getting-started-with-terraform-understanding-workspaces-and-conditionals-part-4-%f0%9f%9a%80/
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