Terraform Associate Certification Guide

Complete tutorial series for HashiCorp Terraform Associate (003) certification

🏅 Certification Ready

📋 Course Overview

25

Completed Tutorials

40-60

Study Hours

3

Difficulty Levels

This comprehensive collection covers all key topics for the HashiCorp Terraform Associate certification. Each tutorial builds upon previous concepts with hands-on examples and best practices.

🎯 Learning Path

🏁 Getting Started (Tutorials 1-5)

Foundation concepts and basic workflow

What is Infrastructure as Code?

Introduction to IaC concepts and benefits

beginner

Install Terraform

Setup and configuration guide

beginner

Build Infrastructure

Create your first infrastructure

beginner

Change Infrastructure

Modify existing infrastructure

beginner

Destroy Infrastructure

Clean up and resource management

beginner

🔧 Fundamentals (Tutorials 6-15)

Core Terraform concepts and operations

Define Input Variables

Parameterize configurations

intermediate

Query Data Sources

Access external data

intermediate

Output Values

Export configuration data

intermediate

Store Remote State

Centralize state management

intermediate

Lock and Upgrade Providers

Manage provider versions

intermediate

Manage Resource Drift

Handle configuration drift

intermediate

Use Refresh-Only Mode

Sync state without changes

intermediate

Manage Resource Targeting

Selective resource operations

intermediate

Troubleshoot Terraform

Debug common issues

intermediate

Create and Use Modules

Modular infrastructure patterns

intermediate

⚙️ Configuration Management (Tutorials 16-25)

Advanced configuration techniques and patterns

Advanced Variable Types

Complex variable patterns

advanced

Local Values

Computed and local values

advanced

Output Dependencies

Complex output patterns

advanced

Count and For Each

Resource iteration patterns

advanced

Dependencies and Lifecycle

Resource dependencies

advanced

External Data Sources

External data integration

advanced

Built-in Functions

Terraform function library

advanced

Conditional Expressions

Dynamic configuration patterns

advanced

Resource Targeting

Selective deployments

advanced

Validation and Best Practices

Configuration standards

advanced

📚 Reference Materials

Terraform Commands Reference

Complete CLI command guide

reference

🏆 Certification Preparation

Understand IaC concepts (20%)

Tutorials 1, 3-5

Configuration Language (30%)

Tutorials 6-8, 16-25

State Management (20%)

Tutorials 9, 26-30

CLI Operations (20%)

Tutorials 2, 5, 14, Commands Reference

Workflow & Modules (10%)

Tutorials 3-5, 15

🔧 Prerequisites

Basic understanding of cloud computing concepts
Command line familiarity
Cloud provider account (AWS, Azure, or GCP)
Text editor or IDE with Terraform support

💡 Study Strategy

Week 1: Foundation

Complete tutorials 1-5, set up development environment

Week 2: Core Concepts

Complete tutorials 6-15, practice with modules and state

Week 3: Advanced Topics

Complete tutorials 16-25, master complex expressions

Week 4: Certification Prep

Practice exams, review key concepts, schedule exam