KodeKloud Notes

Terragrunt’s built-in function get_parent_terragrunt_dir() simplifies hierarchical configuration management by returning the file path of the parent Terragrunt directory. Use it to construct relative source paths, inherit common settings, and keep your infrastructure code modular and maintainable.

What Is `get_parent_terragrunt_dir()`?

get_parent_terragrunt_dir() resolves at runtime to the directory containing the nearest parent terragrunt.hcl. This enables:

Dynamic discovery of module or state backend locations
Reuse of shared configurations defined in a parent folder
Cleaner directory structures for multi-environment setups

Note

Ensure your Terragrunt directory layout follows a clear hierarchy—each child folder must reside under a parent that contains a terragrunt.hcl.

Key Benefits

Feature	Description
Dynamic Path Construction	Automatically build paths for Terraform modules relative to parent folders.
Hierarchical Inheritance	Share backend or provider settings from a top-level `terragrunt.hcl`.
Modular & Flexible Structures	Keep each environment or component isolated while reusing common logic.

The image describes the benefits of the `get_parent_terragrunt_dir` function, highlighting its adaptability to parent Terragrunt configs, dynamic path construction, and support for modular and flexible config structures.

Example Usage

Place the following in a child environment’s terragrunt.hcl to reference a module stored alongside the parent configuration:

# terragrunt.hcl in /envs/dev
terraform {
  source = "${get_parent_terragrunt_dir()}/modules/network"
}

inputs = {
  vpc_cidr = "10.0.0.0/16"
}

This resolves to /envs/modules/network if the parent terragrunt.hcl lives in /envs.

Warning

Calling get_parent_terragrunt_dir() at the root level (where no parent exists) will result in an error. Always validate your folder structure before using this function.

Best Practices

Keep a consistent directory layout so returned paths remain predictable.
Use get_parent_terragrunt_dir() for source definitions in nested configurations only.
Combine with other Terragrunt functions like find_in_parent_folders() to import common settings.

Links and References

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