> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://notes.kodekloud.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Demo Resource Attributes
> This tutorial covers inspecting and referencing resource attributes in OpenTofu, specifically using the `time_static` resource.
Welcome to this tutorial on working with resource attributes in OpenTofu. You’ll learn how to:
* Inspect an existing configuration (`domain.tf`)
* Understand and list exported attributes of the `time_static` resource
* Reference those attributes in another resource (`local_file`)
* Initialize and apply your configuration
* Verify the final state
***
## 1. Inspect `domain.tf`
Navigate to your project folder and open the `domain.tf` file:
```bash theme={null}
cd /root/opentofu-projects/project-chronos
nano domain.tf
```
Inside, you’ll see an empty `time_static` resource block:
```hcl theme={null}
resource "time_static" "time_update" {
}
```
**Resource Type:** `time_static`
***
## 2. What Is `time_static`?
The `time_static` resource generates a fixed timestamp on apply. You don’t need to pass any arguments—OpenTofu handles everything.
The `time_static` resource produces a stable timestamp similar to `random_pet`. You can use its exported attributes elsewhere in your configuration.
***
## 3. Exported Attributes of `time_static`
According to the [time\_static documentation][time_static_docs], the following attributes are available:
| Attribute | Description |
| --------- | ------------------------------------ |
| id | Timestamp in RFC3339 format |
| rfc3339 | Same as `id` (RFC3339 formatted) |
| day | Day of the month (1–31) |
| month | Month of the year (1–12) |
| year | Four-digit year |
| hour | Hour of the day (0–23) |
| minute | Minute of the hour (0–59) |
| second | Second of the minute (0–59) |
| unix | Unix epoch time (seconds since 1970) |
***
## 4. Reference a `time_static` Attribute
To reference the `id` (RFC3339) of your `time_update` resource:
```hcl theme={null}
time_static.time_update.id
```
You can inject this into any other resource’s argument or output.
***
## 5. Write the Timestamp to a Local File
Open `main.tf` and add a `local_file` resource that writes the timestamp to `/root/time.txt`:
```hcl theme={null}
resource "time_static" "time_update" {
}
resource "local_file" "time" {
filename = "/root/time.txt"
content = "Timestamp of this file: ${time_static.time_update.id}"
}
```
***
## 6. Initialize and Apply
Run the following commands:
```bash theme={null}
opentofu init
opentofu apply
```
Confirm both resources are created successfully:
* `time_static.time_update`
* `local_file.time`
***
## 7. Inspect the Applied Resources
Use `opentofu show` to inspect the resource state:
```bash theme={null}
$ opentofu show
# local_file.time:
resource "local_file" "time" {
filename = "/root/time.txt"
content = "Timestamp of this file: 2024-04-09T09:52:41Z"
id = "f095dbo698d1e64f847e39f01fc9f7d4592ff48"
}
# time_static.time_update:
resource "time_static" "time_update" {
id = "2024-04-09T09:52:41Z"
rfc3339 = "2024-04-09T09:52:41Z"
day = 9
month = 4
year = 2024
hour = 9
minute = 52
second = 41
unix = 1712656361
}
```
**Question:** What is the `id` of `local_file.time`?\
**Answer:** `f095dbo698d1e64f847e39f01fc9f7d4592ff48`
***
## 8. Retrieve the `rfc3339` Timestamp
From the same output, you can also see:
```hcl theme={null}
rfc3339 = "2024-04-09T09:52:41Z"
```
**Question:** What is the `rfc3339` value?\
**Answer:** `2024-04-09T09:52:41Z`
***
## 9. Final Configuration Snapshot
After apply, your resources look like this:
```hcl theme={null}
resource "local_file" "time" {
filename = "/root/time.txt"
content = "Timestamp of this file: ${time_static.time_update.id}"
}
resource "time_static" "time_update" {
day = 9
month = 4
year = 2024
hour = 9
minute = 52
second = 41
unix = 1712656361
id = "2024-04-09T09:52:41Z"
rfc3339 = "2024-04-09T09:52:41Z"
}
```
That wraps up this demo on using resource attributes in OpenTofu. Happy provisioning!
***
## Links and References
* OpenTofu Documentation: [https://docs.opentofu.org/](https://docs.opentofu.org/)
* [time\_static resource][time_static_docs]
* [OpenTofu CLI Reference](https://docs.opentofu.org/cli/)
[time_static_docs]: https://docs.opentofu.org/providers/time/latest/resources/time_static