Lab Solution Migration to Terraform Cloud

Many teams begin with Terraform Open Source (OSS) on their local machines before transitioning to Terraform Cloud for enhanced collaboration, state management, and run governance. This guide walks you through migrating your existing Terraform OSS setup to Terraform Cloud without destroying your current AWS infrastructure.

Prerequisites
Clone and Apply Locally
Configure Terraform Cloud Backend
Initialize and Migrate State
Trigger Runs via CLI
Comparison: OSS vs. Cloud
References

Prerequisites

Terraform OSS installed (v1.0+).
AWS CLI configured or valid AWS credentials.
A Terraform Cloud account and organization.
Git installed.

Never commit your AWS credentials or Terraform Cloud API tokens to version control. Use environment variables or a secrets manager.

Clone and Apply Locally

First, clone the HashiCat AWS repository and navigate into it:

The image shows a KodeKloud lab interface for migrating to Terraform Cloud, with instructions to clone a GitHub repository and a terminal window open on the right.

git clone https://github.com/hashicorp/hashicat-aws.git
cd hashicat-aws

Set your AWS credentials using environment variables:

export AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=<YOUR_ACCESS_KEY_ID>
export AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=<YOUR_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY>

Inspect the existing Terraform configuration in main.tf:

terraform {
  required_providers {
    aws = {
      source  = "hashicorp/aws"
      version = "~> 3.42.0"
    }
  }
}

provider "aws" {}

Initialize the working directory and apply:

terraform init
terraform apply -auto-approve

You should see output similar to:

Plan: 12 to add, 0 to change, 0 to destroy.
Apply complete! Resources: 12 added, 0 changed, 0 destroyed.
Outputs:
  catapp_ip  = "http://3.236.1.255"
  catapp_url = "http://ec2-3-236-1-255.compute-1.amazonaws.com"

Your AWS infrastructure is now managed locally by Terraform OSS.

Configure Terraform Cloud Backend

To migrate state to Terraform Cloud, update main.tf with a cloud block:

terraform {
  cloud {
    organization = "YOUR_ORGANIZATION_NAME"

    workspaces {
      tags = ["hashicat", "apps"]
    }
  }

  required_providers {
    aws = {
      source  = "hashicorp/aws"
      version = "~> 3.42.0"
    }
  }
}

provider "aws" {}

terraform login

This command prompts you to authorize Terraform Cloud access and stores your API token in ~/.terraform.d/credentials.tfrc.json.

Initialize and Migrate State

Reinitialize your directory so Terraform switches the backend to Terraform Cloud:

terraform init

On success, you’ll see:

Terraform has been successfully initialized with Terraform Cloud backend!

Now, run a plan and apply. Terraform will handle state migration automatically:

terraform plan
terraform apply -auto-approve

Once complete, your state is stored remotely in Terraform Cloud. You can manage runs, view logs, and set policies from the Terraform Cloud UI:

The image shows a Terraform Cloud interface displaying a list of workspaces with their run statuses, repository links, and latest change timestamps. The sidebar includes options for managing workspaces, registry, and settings.

Trigger Runs via CLI

To explicitly specify a workspace name, update your cloud block:

terraform {
  cloud {
    organization = "YOUR_ORGANIZATION_NAME"

    workspaces {
      name = "devops-aws-hashicat-dev"
    }
  }
}

Commit and push these changes to your version control system (if connected). Or, trigger the run directly:

terraform apply -auto-approve

CLI output will indicate a remote run:

Running apply in Terraform Cloud. Output will stream here. Press Ctrl+C to cancel.

Preparing the remote apply...
To view this run in a browser, visit:
https://app.terraform.io/app/YOUR_ORGANIZATION_NAME/devops-aws-hashicat-dev/runs/<RUN_ID>

The image shows a Terraform Cloud interface with a workspace named "devops-aws-hashicat-dev" where a plan is running, triggered via CLI. It includes navigation options on the left and a notification about improved navigation.

Upon completion, your Terraform Cloud workspace will reflect the latest state, and your AWS infrastructure remains intact throughout the migration.

Comparison: Terraform OSS vs. Terraform Cloud

Feature	Terraform OSS	Terraform Cloud
State Management	Local file	Remote, centralized
Collaboration	Manual sharing	Teams & Policy Controls
Run Execution	Local CLI	Remote plan & apply
Drift Detection	Manual	Automated checks & notifications
Cost Estimation	Third-party tools	Built-in preview in runs
VCS Integration	Plugins/scripts	Native GitHub/Bitbucket/GitLab support

Introduction

Introduction to Terraform Cloud

Terraform Cloud Setup

Terraform Cloud Workspaces

Securing Variables with Terraform Cloud

Terraform Cloud Workflows

Terraform Cloud Private Module Registry

Terraform Cloud Team

Migrating to Terraform Cloud

Policy as Code - Sentinel and OPA

Advanced Topics

Lab Solution Migration to Terraform Cloud

Table of Contents

Prerequisites

Clone and Apply Locally

Configure Terraform Cloud Backend

Initialize and Migrate State

Trigger Runs via CLI

Comparison: Terraform OSS vs. Terraform Cloud

References

Watch Video

Practice Lab

​Table of Contents

​Prerequisites

​Clone and Apply Locally

​Configure Terraform Cloud Backend

​Initialize and Migrate State

​Trigger Runs via CLI

​Comparison: Terraform OSS vs. Terraform Cloud

​References

Watch Video

Practice Lab

Table of Contents

Prerequisites

Clone and Apply Locally

Configure Terraform Cloud Backend

Initialize and Migrate State

Trigger Runs via CLI

Comparison: Terraform OSS vs. Terraform Cloud

References