liveBook · Manning

Consul

As explained in Terraform in Depth: Infrastructure as Code with Terraform and OpenTofu

Consul is a HashiCorp service networking platform that provides service discovery, configuration, and secure connectivity.

Consul provides a self-managed key/value store that Terraform can use as a backend for state. It also includes a service mesh, though that capability is unnecessary for this use. Consul can run locally for backend testing. section 6.4.3

Run Consul locally for Terraform state

Launch a Consul container with Docker Compose, then configure a terraform block with backend "consul". Set address to localhost:8500, choose a state path, and provide the Consul access token. Terraform can also receive these values through -backend-config during terraform init, keeping sensitive or environment-specific settings outside the main configuration. section 6.4.3

Listing 6.8 Terraform backend block with Consul
terraform {                                                       #1
  backend "consul" {                                              #2
    address      = "localhost:8500"                               #3
    scheme       = "http"                                         #4
    path         = "path/to/save/state"
    access_token = "01a56e2d-a96a-4ca5-9d39-d5152015f533"         #5
  }
}

Inspect the complete Terraform Consul backend configuration, including address, HTTP scheme, state path, and access token. section 6.4.3

How Terraform in Depth: Infrastructure as Code with Terraform and OpenTofu covers it

How deep it goes
Explains local deployment, backend parameters, partial configuration, and command-line overrides without detailing Consul operations.
Examples
Demonstrates Docker Compose deployment, a Consul backend block, partial configuration, and terraform init backend overrides.
What it assumes
Assumes Docker installation and basic Terraform backend configuration while introducing Consul's role and required settings.
What you can do after
Operate/configure Terraform with Consul by launching it locally and supplying backend address, path, scheme, and token values.
How it connects
Connects Consul with Terraform backends, key/value stores, Docker Compose, authentication tokens, and service meshes.

Related concepts

This explainer was generated by Manning's knowledge graph from the text of Terraform in Depth: Infrastructure as Code with Terraform and OpenTofu. The section links point to the parts of the book it draws on.