Quickstart: Use Terraform to create a Linux VM

Applies to: ✔️ Linux VMs

Article tested with the following Terraform and Terraform provider versions:

This article shows you how to create a complete Linux environment and supporting resources with Terraform. Those resources include a virtual network, subnet, public IP address, and more.

Terraform enables the definition, preview, and deployment of cloud infrastructure. Using Terraform, you create configuration files using HCL syntax. The HCL syntax allows you to specify the cloud provider - such as Azure - and the elements that make up your cloud infrastructure. After you create your configuration files, you create an execution plan that allows you to preview your infrastructure changes before they're deployed. Once you verify the changes, you apply the execution plan to deploy the infrastructure.

In this article, you learn how to:

Prerequisites

• Install and configure Terraform

Implement the Terraform code

1. Create a directory in which to test the sample Terraform code and make it the current directory.

2. Create a file named providers.tf and insert the following code:

   terraform {
     required_version = ">=0.12"
   
     required_providers {
       azapi = {
         source  = "azure/azapi"
         version = "~>1.5"
       }
       azurerm = {
         source  = "hashicorp/azurerm"
         version = "~>2.0"
       }
       random = {
         source  = "hashicorp/random"
         version = "~>3.0"
       }
     }
   }
   
   provider "azurerm" {
     features {}
   }
   

3. Create a file named ssh.tf and insert the following code:

   resource "random_pet" "ssh_key_name" {
     prefix    = "ssh"
     separator = ""
   }
   
   resource "azapi_resource_action" "ssh_public_key_gen" {
     type        = "Microsoft.Compute/sshPublicKeys@2022-11-01"
     resource_id = azapi_resource.ssh_public_key.id
     action      = "generateKeyPair"
     method      = "POST"
   
     response_export_values = ["publicKey", "privateKey"]
   }
   
   resource "azapi_resource" "ssh_public_key" {
     type      = "Microsoft.Compute/sshPublicKeys@2022-11-01"
     name      = random_pet.ssh_key_name.id
     location  = azurerm_resource_group.rg.location
     parent_id = azurerm_resource_group.rg.id
   }
   
   output "key_data" {
     value = jsondecode(azapi_resource_action.ssh_public_key_gen.output).publicKey
   }
   

4. Create a file named main.tf and insert the following code:

   resource "random_pet" "rg_name" {
     prefix = var.resource_group_name_prefix
   }
   
   resource "azurerm_resource_group" "rg" {
     location = var.resource_group_location
     name     = random_pet.rg_name.id
   }
   
   # Create virtual network
   resource "azurerm_virtual_network" "my_terraform_network" {
     name                = "myVnet"
     address_space       = ["10.0.0.0/16"]
     location            = azurerm_resource_group.rg.location
     resource_group_name = azurerm_resource_group.rg.name
   }
   
   # Create subnet
   resource "azurerm_subnet" "my_terraform_subnet" {
     name                 = "mySubnet"
     resource_group_name  = azurerm_resource_group.rg.name
     virtual_network_name = azurerm_virtual_network.my_terraform_network.name
     address_prefixes     = ["10.0.1.0/24"]
   }
   
   # Create public IPs
   resource "azurerm_public_ip" "my_terraform_public_ip" {
     name                = "myPublicIP"
     location            = azurerm_resource_group.rg.location
     resource_group_name = azurerm_resource_group.rg.name
     allocation_method   = "Dynamic"
   }
   
   # Create Network Security Group and rule
   resource "azurerm_network_security_group" "my_terraform_nsg" {
     name                = "myNetworkSecurityGroup"
     location            = azurerm_resource_group.rg.location
     resource_group_name = azurerm_resource_group.rg.name
   
     security_rule {
       name                       = "SSH"
       priority                   = 1001
       direction                  = "Inbound"
       access                     = "Allow"
       protocol                   = "Tcp"
       source_port_range          = "*"
       destination_port_range     = "22"
       source_address_prefix      = "*"
       destination_address_prefix = "*"
     }
   }
   
   # Create network interface
   resource "azurerm_network_interface" "my_terraform_nic" {
     name                = "myNIC"
     location            = azurerm_resource_group.rg.location
     resource_group_name = azurerm_resource_group.rg.name
   
     ip_configuration {
       name                          = "my_nic_configuration"
       subnet_id                     = azurerm_subnet.my_terraform_subnet.id
       private_ip_address_allocation = "Dynamic"
       public_ip_address_id          = azurerm_public_ip.my_terraform_public_ip.id
     }
   }
   
   # Connect the security group to the network interface
   resource "azurerm_network_interface_security_group_association" "example" {
     network_interface_id      = azurerm_network_interface.my_terraform_nic.id
     network_security_group_id = azurerm_network_security_group.my_terraform_nsg.id
   }
   
   # Generate random text for a unique storage account name
   resource "random_id" "random_id" {
     keepers = {
       # Generate a new ID only when a new resource group is defined
       resource_group = azurerm_resource_group.rg.name
     }
   
     byte_length = 8
   }
   
   # Create storage account for boot diagnostics
   resource "azurerm_storage_account" "my_storage_account" {
     name                     = "diag${random_id.random_id.hex}"
     location                 = azurerm_resource_group.rg.location
     resource_group_name      = azurerm_resource_group.rg.name
     account_tier             = "Standard"
     account_replication_type = "LRS"
   }
   
   # Create virtual machine
   resource "azurerm_linux_virtual_machine" "my_terraform_vm" {
     name                  = "myVM"
     location              = azurerm_resource_group.rg.location
     resource_group_name   = azurerm_resource_group.rg.name
     network_interface_ids = [azurerm_network_interface.my_terraform_nic.id]
     size                  = "Standard_DS1_v2"
   
     os_disk {
       name                 = "myOsDisk"
       caching              = "ReadWrite"
       storage_account_type = "Premium_LRS"
     }
   
     source_image_reference {
       publisher = "Canonical"
       offer     = "0001-com-ubuntu-server-jammy"
       sku       = "22_04-lts-gen2"
       version   = "latest"
     }
   
     computer_name  = "hostname"
     admin_username = var.username
   
     admin_ssh_key {
       username   = var.username
       public_key = jsondecode(azapi_resource_action.ssh_public_key_gen.output).publicKey
     }
   
     boot_diagnostics {
       storage_account_uri = azurerm_storage_account.my_storage_account.primary_blob_endpoint
     }
   }
   

5. Create a file named variables.tf and insert the following code:

   variable "resource_group_location" {
     type        = string
     default     = "eastus"
     description = "Location of the resource group."
   }
   
   variable "resource_group_name_prefix" {
     type        = string
     default     = "rg"
     description = "Prefix of the resource group name that's combined with a random ID so name is unique in your Azure subscription."
   }
   
   variable "username" {
     type        = string
     description = "The username for the local account that will be created on the new VM."
     default     = "azureadmin"
   }
   

6. Create a file named outputs.tf and insert the following code:

   output "resource_group_name" {
     value = azurerm_resource_group.rg.name
   }
   
   output "public_ip_address" {
     value = azurerm_linux_virtual_machine.my_terraform_vm.public_ip_address
   }
   

Initialize Terraform

Run terraform init to initialize the Terraform deployment. This command downloads the Azure provider required to manage your Azure resources.

terraform init -upgrade

Key points:

• The -upgrade parameter upgrades the necessary provider plugins to the newest version that complies with the configuration's version constraints.

Create a Terraform execution plan

Run terraform plan to create an execution plan.

terraform plan -out main.tfplan

Key points:

• The terraform plan command creates an execution plan, but doesn't execute it. Instead, it determines what actions are necessary to create the configuration specified in your configuration files. This pattern allows you to verify whether the execution plan matches your expectations before making any changes to actual resources.
• The optional -out parameter allows you to specify an output file for the plan. Using the -out parameter ensures that the plan you reviewed is exactly what is applied.

Apply a Terraform execution plan

Run terraform apply to apply the execution plan to your cloud infrastructure.

terraform apply main.tfplan

Key points:

• The example terraform apply command assumes you previously ran terraform plan -out main.tfplan.
• If you specified a different filename for the -out parameter, use that same filename in the call to terraform apply.
• If you didn't use the -out parameter, call terraform apply without any parameters.

Cost information isn't presented during the virtual machine creation process for Terraform like it is for the Azure portal. If you want to learn more about how cost works for virtual machines, see the Cost optimization Overview page.

Verify the results

Clean up resources

When you no longer need the resources created via Terraform, do the following steps:

1. Run terraform plan and specify the destroy flag.

   terraform plan -destroy -out main.destroy.tfplan
   

   Key points:

   • The terraform plan command creates an execution plan, but doesn't execute it. Instead, it determines what actions are necessary to create the configuration specified in your configuration files. This pattern allows you to verify whether the execution plan matches your expectations before making any changes to actual resources.
   • The optional -out parameter allows you to specify an output file for the plan. Using the -out parameter ensures that the plan you reviewed is exactly what is applied.

2. Run terraform apply to apply the execution plan.

   terraform apply main.destroy.tfplan
   

Troubleshoot Terraform on Azure

Troubleshoot common problems when using Terraform on Azure

Next steps

In this quickstart, you deployed a simple virtual machine using Terraform. To learn more about Azure virtual machines, continue to the tutorial for Linux VMs.