Checklist: Minimizing Human Errors in Terraform Update on the Cloud

checklist-mutable-changes.md

Checklist: Minimizing Human Errors in Terraform Update on AWS

Before Making Changes

1. Use version control (e.g., Git) for all Terraform configurations
2. Create a new branch for proposed changes
3. Ensure you're working with the latest version of the main branch
4. Update Terraform and provider versions to the latest stable releases

Writing and Reviewing Code

5. Follow established naming conventions and code structure
6. Use consistent formatting (run terraform fmt)
7. Implement and update automated tests for your Terraform code
8. Conduct peer code reviews before merging changes

Pre-Deployment Checks

9. Run terraform validate to check for configuration errors
10. Execute terraform plan and carefully review the proposed changes
11. Save the plan output to a file for later application
12. Have a team member review the plan output (explore automation for this review, potentially a LLM)
13. Ensure changes align with the intended modifications
14. Verify that critical resources are not being unintentionally modified or destroyed (Keep a list of critical resources)

Deployment Process

15. Use Terraform workspaces to manage different environments (dev, staging, prod)
16. Apply changes to lower environments (e.g., dev, staging) before production
17. Implement and respect change freeze periods for critical environments
18. Use terraform apply with the saved plan file to ensure consistency
19. Monitor the apply process closely for any unexpected behavior

Post-Deployment

20. Verify that the changes were applied correctly in the AWS console
21. Run relevant integration or smoke tests (Add tests for all previous failures)
22. Monitor affected systems and applications for any issues
23. Document the changes and update relevant documentation (Have a Correct of Errors process in place)

Ongoing Practices

24. Regularly audit and clean up unused resources (Have usage dashboards for all systems at a tier level)
25. Implement and maintain a disaster recovery plan
26. Conduct regular training sessions on Terraform best practices
27. Use Terraform Cloud or a CI/CD pipeline for automated checks and applies
28. Implement strong IAM policies and use least privilege access
29. Regularly review and update your Terraform modules and configurations