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https://github.com/tfmake/tfmake

Automating Terraform with the power of make.
https://github.com/tfmake/tfmake

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Automating Terraform with the power of make.

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# tfmake



**tfmake** is a tool for automating Terraform with the power of make. It is designed for projects with multiple modules; particularly when dependencies among them are present and an ordered execution is required.



## Requirements



- bash 4+

- yq

- make



## Limitations



- To ensure an ordered execution, all dependencies between modules MUST be explicitly declared.

- A module path SHOULD NOT contain spaces; e.g. use `sample_module` instead of `sample module`.



## Installation



### Git



```bash

git clone https://github.com/tfmake/tfmake.git

sudo cp -r tfmake/usr/local/* /usr/local/

sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/tfmake

```



## Usage



```

Usage:

  tfmake command [options]



Core Commands:

  context           Set the execution context: plan, apply, or destroy.

  init              Initialize the data directory for Terraform execution.

  makefile          Generate a Makefile for Terraform execution.

  run               Run the generated Makefile for Terraform execution.



Other Commands:

  cleanup           Cleanup the data directory.

  config            Modify tfmake configuration.

  graph             Generate a graph from Terraform modules and their dependencies.

  summary           Create a Markdown summary.

  touch             Touch modified files.

  version           Show the current version.



Shortcut Commands:

  plan              Shortcut for core commands using the "plan" context.

  apply             Shortcut for core commands using the "apply" context.

  destroy           Shortcut for core commands using the "destroy" context.



GitHub Commands:

  gh-pr-comment     Add a comment to a GitHub pull request.

  gh-step-summary   Add content to GitHub Step Summary.



Global options:

  -h, --help, help  Print this help and exit.

  -v, --version     An alias for the "version" subcommand.

```



## How tfmake works



### The .tfmake file



**tfmake** is based on the _explicit declaration_ of dependencies between modules. In a Terraform project, this could be inferred from the usage of `terraform_remote_state` data resource; although implicit dependencies cases could exist.



The syntax for the `.tfmake` file is as follow:



```YAML

dependencies: [, , ..., ]

```



e.g. if module C depends on A and B, the following declaration is needed:



```YAML

dependencies:

  - A

  - B

```



> All dependencies MUST be declared. Omitting some of them based on transitivity is discouraged.



### Core commands



Similar to Terraform, **tfmake** is composed of multiple commands, each one playing an important role in a predefined sequence.



The core sequence is made up of four commands, as illustrated in the next diagram.



```mermaid

flowchart LR



classDef primary fill:#a3cfbb,stroke:#a3cfbb,color:#136c44;

classDef secondary fill:#fee69b,stroke:#fee69b,color:#987405;



context("tfmake context")

init("tfmake init")

makefile("tfmake makefile")

run("tfmake run")



context --> init --> makefile --> run



context:::primary

init:::primary

makefile:::primary

run:::primary

```



#### tfmake context



Allows to define the Terraform command to execute: `plan`, `apply`, or `destroy`.



```

tfmake context plan

```



#### tfmake init



As the name suggests, this command deals with the initialization process, used to discover the Terraform modules, and their dependencies. That information is persisted for further usage.



```

tfmake init

```



Sometimes, a requirement arises to ignore some modules inside a project. The option `-i|--ignore` supports it, by passing  a space separated list of modules.



```

tfmake init -i "X Y Z"

```



#### tfmake makefile



This command acts like a code generator, using the information gathered by **init** to create a `Makefile`. Each module is added as a _target_, with their files and dependencies as _prerequisites_. The **tfmake** context determines the Terraform command to use as part of the _target's recipes_.



```

tfmake makefile

```



What follows is an adapted example for a three-module project plan `Makefile`.



```Makefile

all: A B C



A: $(wildcard A/*.tf A/*.tfvars)

	terraform -chdir="A" init

	terraform -chdir="A" plan



B: $(wildcard B/*.tf B/*.tfvars) A

	terraform -chdir="B" init

	terraform -chdir="B" plan



C: $(wildcard C/*.tf C/*.tfvars) A B

	terraform -chdir="C" init

	terraform -chdir="C" plan

```



When the `Makefile` is there, it's possible to use it for running the [make](https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man1/make.1.html) utility.



One of the goals of **tfmake** is to avoid unnecessary executions. If a module (_target_) files or their dependencies don't change, there is no need to run a `plan`, `apply`, or `destroy` on it. This behavior, derived from the `make` way of working, reduces the execution time and favors cost optimization.



> The make program uses the makefile description and the last-modification times of the files to decide which of the files need to be updated.



#### tfmake run



As mentioned before, a `Makefile` is the entrypoint for `make` execution. The **run** command brings some advantages over it, including multiple modes of execution and a proper handling of failures for CI/CD pipelines.



By default (`tfmake run`), the command calls `make` and runs it with the semantics described above, avoiding unnecessary executions. However, two other modes exist with the options `--all` and `--dry-run`.



The first one executes Terraform `plan`, `apply`, or `destroy` for all modules, whereas the second is similar to the default mode, producing a list of modules but without running their recipes.



### A special command



#### tfmake touch



The **touch** command is a wrapper over the corresponding Linux utility, and is used to change the modification time of modules files. This is mandatory in a GitHub Actions workflow after a [checkout](https://github.com/actions/checkout) or could be used in a local environment to force the `make` semantics.



For instance, using the modules A, B and C; a change in a `.tf` file inside B will cause the execution of it and C in that order.



The command could be executed with the option `-f|--files` and a list of space separated files.



```

tfmake touch -f "A/main.tf B/main.tf"

```



is equivalent to



```

tfmake touch -f "A/main.tf" -f "B/main.tf"

```



> In a GitHub Actions workflow use `tj-actions/changed-files` to get the list of changed files.



### Outputs and feedback



When the **run** command is finished, the outputs from Terraform executions for each module are stored for further processing. The **summary** command produces a report in Markdown format, after joining them all.



When running `tfmake` as part of a GitHub Actions workflow, it is possible to use the report to provide feedback in two different ways.



The first is by means of a Pull Request comment, with the help of the following command.



```

tfmake gh-pr-comment --number "${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}"

```



The second alternative is based on the GitHub Actions Step Summary feature, with the help of the **gh-step-summary** command.



## License



[MIT License](https://github.com/tfmake/tfmake/blob/main/LICENSE)