CDKTF Demo S3 Deployment

This guide shows how to deploy Amazon S3 buckets using CDK for Terraform (CDKTF) with TypeScript. You’ll learn how to:

configure providers (AWS and random),
build a reusable construct that adds an env tag,
create two S3 buckets (one with a random suffix),
synthesize and deploy using the Terraform engine.

Prerequisites: Node.js, Yarn, and basic TypeScript knowledge. For more details see the CDKTF docs and Terraform docs:

CDKTF: https://developer.hashicorp.com/terraform/cdktf
Terraform: https://www.terraform.io/docs
AWS S3: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/s3/latest/userguide/Welcome.html

Install dependencies

Change into the CDKTF project directory and install dependencies with Yarn:

cd cdktf/
yarn install

Example (trimmed) output:

$ yarn install
> YN0000: · Yarn 4.4.1
> YN0000: · Resolution step
> YN0000: · Fetch step
> YN0000: · Link step

CDKTF TypeScript example (complete)

Below is a concise, complete TypeScript example that demonstrates:

AWS and random provider configuration
a reusable S3BucketWithEnvTag construct that adds an env tag
a stack creating two S3 buckets (one with a random suffix)
app instantiation and synthesize

// main.ts
import { Construct } from 'constructs';
import { App, TerraformStack } from 'cdktf';
import { AwsProvider, S3Bucket } from '@cdktf/provider-aws';
import { RandomProvider, Id as RandomId } from '@cdktf/provider-random';

interface S3BucketWithEnvTagProps {
  env: 'dev' | 'prod';
  name: string;
}

class S3BucketWithEnvTag extends Construct {
  constructor(scope: Construct, id: string, { env, name }: S3BucketWithEnvTagProps) {
    super(scope, id);

    // Create the S3 bucket with tags and object lock enabled
    new S3Bucket(this, 's3-bucket', {
      bucket: name,
      objectLockEnabled: true,
      tags: {
        env: env,
      },
    });
  }
}

class MyStack extends TerraformStack {
  constructor(scope: Construct, id: string) {
    super(scope, id);

    // Configure the AWS provider
    new AwsProvider(this, 'aws-provider', {
      region: 'us-east-1', // change to your preferred region
    });

    // Configure the random provider
    new RandomProvider(this, 'random-provider');

    // Create a random id for bucket suffix
    const randomId = new RandomId(this, 'random-id', {
      byteLength: 4,
    });

    // Create the first S3 bucket with a random suffix and object lock enabled
    new S3Bucket(this, 's3-bucket', {
      bucket: `cdktf-demo-bucket-1-${randomId.hex}`,
      objectLockEnabled: true,
    });

    // Create the second S3 bucket using the reusable construct
    new S3BucketWithEnvTag(this, 's3-bucket-with-env-tag', {
      name: `cdktf-demo-bucket-2-${randomId.hex}`,
      env: 'dev',
    });
  }
}

const app = new App();
new MyStack(app, 'cdktf-demo');
app.synth();

Notes about the example:

The S3BucketWithEnvTag class is a reusable construct (component) that encapsulates bucket creation and tagging logic.
The RandomId from the random provider is used to create unique bucket names to avoid collisions.
objectLockEnabled: true is set in the example; ensure your bucket configuration and AWS account support object lock if you plan to use it.

Quick reference: common commands

Command	Purpose	Example output / notes
`yarn install`	Install project dependencies	Example trimmed output shown above
`yarn cdktf synth`	Synthesize Terraform JSON from the CDKTF app	Produces `terraform.json` / Terraform config files
`yarn cdktf deploy`	Synthesize then apply via Terraform	Prompts to confirm apply, then provisions resources

Deploy with CDKTF

When ready to deploy, run:

yarn cdktf deploy

You will be prompted to confirm the apply, similar to the Terraform CLI. Example (trimmed) output after a successful deploy:

Initializing...
Synthesizing Terraform configuration...
Applying changes...

cdktf-demo  random_id.random-id: Creating...
cdktf-demo  random_id.random-id: Creation complete after 0s [id=Nx4LnQ]
cdktf-demo  aws_s3_bucket.s3-bucket: Creating...
cdktf-demo  aws_s3_bucket.s3-bucket-with-env-tag_s3-bucket_D552D986: Creating...
cdktf-demo  aws_s3_bucket.s3-bucket: Creation complete after 2s [id=cdktf-demo-bucket-1-37l1e0b9d]
cdktf-demo  aws_s3_bucket.s3-bucket-with-env-tag_s3-bucket_D552D986: Creation complete after 2s [id=cdktf-demo-bucket-2-37l1e0b9d]
Apply complete! Resources: 3 added, 0 changed, 0 destroyed.

No outputs found.

What CDKTF does under the hood

Your TypeScript code is synthesized by CDKTF into Terraform configuration (HCL/JSON).
The generated Terraform configuration is executed by the Terraform engine and the specified providers, which create the actual cloud resources (S3 buckets in this example).

A truncated example of the synthesized Terraform JSON metadata:

{
  "backend": {
    "local": {
      "path": "/root/code/cdktf/terraform.cdktf-demo.tfstate"
    }
  },
  "required_providers": {
    "aws": {
      "source": "hashicorp/aws",
      "version": "5.76.0"
    },
    "random": {
      "source": "hashicorp/random",
      "version": "3.6.3"
    }
  }
}

Resources created

Resource	Purpose	Example ID / note
`random_id.random-id`	Generates random suffix for bucket names	`Nx4LnQ`
`aws_s3_bucket.s3-bucket`	First bucket with random suffix and object lock	`cdktf-demo-bucket-1-37l1e0b9d`
`aws_s3_bucket.s3-bucket-with-env-tag`	Second bucket created via reusable construct, includes `env: dev` tag	`cdktf-demo-bucket-2-37l1e0b9d`

After apply completes, verify the two new S3 buckets in the AWS Management Console. The second bucket will include the env: dev tag that the reusable construct added.

If you prefer writing infrastructure in a familiar programming language (TypeScript in this example), CDKTF lets you build reusable constructs and synthesize them into Terraform configuration that still uses the Terraform engine and provider ecosystem.

An overview of how the TypeScript → Terraform flow fits into larger multi-provider and multi-language workflows is discussed later in this article.

Course Introduction

Introduction to TypeScript

Introduction to CDKTF

AWS With CDKTF

Conclusion

CDKTF Demo S3 Deployment

Install dependencies

CDKTF TypeScript example (complete)

Quick reference: common commands

Deploy with CDKTF

What CDKTF does under the hood

Resources created

Watch Video

​Install dependencies

​CDKTF TypeScript example (complete)

​Quick reference: common commands

​Deploy with CDKTF

​What CDKTF does under the hood

​Resources created

Watch Video

Install dependencies

CDKTF TypeScript example (complete)

Quick reference: common commands

Deploy with CDKTF

What CDKTF does under the hood

Resources created