OpenTofu Fundamentals
OpenTofu is an infrastructure as code tool. You describe cloud, on-premises, and service resources in configuration files, then review and apply a plan that manages those resources through provider APIs.
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Intro
OpenTofu Fundamentals
OpenTofu turns infrastructure decisions into reviewable configuration. You describe the resources you want. OpenTofu compares that configuration with recorded state and the remote systems, then proposes actions.
This approach is called infrastructure as code. Your configuration can live in version control beside application code. Teams can review a proposed change before an API call creates, updates, or destroys a resource.
The core mental model
Keep four parts separate:
- Configuration describes the desired state.
- Providers connect OpenTofu to remote APIs.
- State maps resource addresses in configuration to real objects.
- Plans show the actions that would move real infrastructure toward the desired state.
OpenTofu is declarative. You describe the result, not every API call in order. OpenTofu builds a dependency graph and orders operations from resource relationships.
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Sources
- https://opentofu.org/docs/intro/
Supports
- Infrastructure as code definition and supported resource scope
- Provider connection to platform and service APIs
- Write, plan, and apply workflow
- Declarative configuration and dependency graph
- State and module overview
- https://opentofu.org/docs/cli/commands/
Supports
- Core command names and purposes
- Working-directory behavior
- https://opentofu.org/docs/cli/init/
Supports
- Working-directory initialization
- Backend, provider, and child-module preparation
- Reinitialization after relevant changes
- Dependency lock file creation and use
- https://opentofu.org/docs/cli/commands/plan/
Supports
- Plan comparison and proposed action behavior
- Non-executing and speculative plan behavior
- Saved plan workflow
- Exceptional use of resource targeting
- https://opentofu.org/docs/cli/commands/apply/
Supports
- Execution of automatic and saved plans
- Approval behavior
- https://opentofu.org/docs/language/providers/configuration/
Supports
- Provider configuration in the root module
- Provider requirements, source addresses, and versions
- Provider settings and credentials
- https://opentofu.org/docs/language/modules/syntax/
Supports
- Root and child module concepts
- Module source and version arguments
- Reinitialization after module changes
- Child-module encapsulation through outputs
- https://opentofu.org/docs/language/values/variables/
Supports
- Input variables as module customization values
- https://opentofu.org/docs/language/values/outputs/
Supports
- Output values as selected module results
- https://opentofu.org/docs/language/state/purpose/
Supports
- State requirement and real-object mapping
- State metadata and cached attributes
- Shared state for team operation
- https://opentofu.org/docs/language/state/backends/
Supports
- Backend state storage
- Optional backend locking support
- Local and remote state behavior
- State sensitivity and manual state operations