HashiCorp HashiCorp Certifications TERRAFORM-ASSOCIATE-003 Questions & Answers

• Question 21:

  Which of the following methods, used to provision resources into a public cloud, demonstrates the concept of infrastructure as code?

  A. curl commands manually run from a terminal

  B. A sequence of REST requests you pass to a public cloud API endpoint Most Voted

  C. A script that contains a series of public cloud CLI commands

  D. A series of commands you enter into a public cloud console

  Correct Answer: C

  The concept of infrastructure as code (IaC) is to define and manage infrastructure using code, rather than manual processes or GUI tools. A script that contains a series of public cloud CLI commands is an example of IaC, because it uses code to provision resources into a public cloud. The other options are not examples of IaC, because they involve manual or interactive actions, such as running curl commands, sending REST requests, or entering commands into a console. References = [Introduction to Infrastructure as Code with Terraform] and [Infrastructure as Code]

• Question 22:

  When does Sentinel enforce policy logic during a Terraform Cloud run?

  A. Before the plan phase

  B. During the plan phase

  C. Before the apply phase

  D. After the apply phase

  Correct Answer: C

  Sentinel policies are checked after the plan stage of a Terraform run, but before it can be confirmed or the terraform apply is executed3. This allows you to enforce rules on your infrastructure before it is created or modified.

• Question 23:

  Which two steps are required to provision new infrastructure in the Terraform workflow? Choose two correct answers.

  A. Plan

  B. Import

  C. Alidate

  D. Init

  E. apply

  Correct Answer: DE

  The two steps that are required to provision new infrastructure in the Terraform workflow are init and apply. The terraform init command initializes a working directory containing Terraform configuration files. It downloads and installs the provider plugins that are needed for the configuration, and prepares the backend for storing the state. The terraform apply command applies the changes required to reach the desired state of the configuration, as described by the resource definitions in the configuration files. It shows a plan of the proposed changes and asks for confirmation before making any changes to the infrastructure. References = [The Core Terraform Workflow], [Initialize a Terraform working directory with init], [Apply Terraform Configuration with apply]

• Question 24:

  If you manually destroy infrastructure, what is the best practice reflecting this change in Terraform?

  A. Run terraform refresh

  B. It will happen automatically

  C. Manually update the state fire

  D. Run terraform import

  Correct Answer: B

  If you manually destroy infrastructure, Terraform will automatically detect the change and update the state file during the next plan or apply. Terraform compares the current state of the infrastructure with the desired state in the configuration and generates a plan to reconcile the differences. If a resource is missing from the infrastructure but still exists in the state file, Terraform will attempt to recreate it. If a resource is present in the infrastructure but not in the state file, Terraform will ignore it unless you use the terraform import command to bring it under Terraform's management. References = [Terraform State]

• Question 25:

  Which of these ate features of Terraform Cloud? Choose two correct answers.

  A. Automated infrastructure deployment visualization

  B. Automatic backups

  C. A web-based user interface (Ul)

  D. Remote state storage

  Correct Answer: CD

  These are features of Terraform Cloud, which is a hosted service that provides a web-based UI, remote state storage, remote operations, collaboration features, and more for managing your Terraform infrastructure.

• Question 26:

  Variables declared within a module are accessible outside of the module.

  A. True

  B. False

  Correct Answer: B

  Variables declared within a module are only accessible within that module, unless they are explicitly exposed as output values1.

• Question 27:

  Where can Terraform not load a provider from?

  A. Plugins directory

  B. Provider plugin chance

  C. Official HashCrop Distribution on releases.hashcrop.com

  D. Source code

  Correct Answer: D

  This is where Terraform cannot load a provider from, as it requires a compiled binary file that implements the provider protocol. You can load a provider from a plugins directory, a provider plugin cache, or the official HashiCorp distribution on releases.hashicorp.com.

• Question 28:

  Which command must you first run before performing further Terraform operations in a working directory?

  A. terraform import

  B. terraform workspace

  C. terraform plan

  D. terraform init

  Correct Answer: D

  terraform init is the first command that should be run after writing a new Terraform configuration or cloning an existing one from version control. It initializes a working directory containing Terraform configuration files and downloads any required providers and modules. The other commands are used for different purposes, such as importing existing resources, switching between workspaces, generating execution plans, etc.

• Question 29:

  Which option cannot be used to keep secrets out of Terraform configuration files?

  A. A Terraform provider

  B. Environment variables

  C. A -var flag

  D. secure string

  Correct Answer: D

  A secure string is not a valid option to keep secrets out of Terraform configuration files. A secure string is a feature of AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store that allows you to store sensitive data encrypted with a KMS key. However, Terraform does not support secure strings natively and requires a custom data source to retrieve them. The other options are valid ways to keep secrets out of Terraform configuration files. A Terraform provider can expose secrets as data sources that can be referenced in the configuration. Environment variables can be used to set values for input variables that contain secrets. A -var flag can be used to pass values for input variables that contain secrets from the command line or a file. References = [AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store], [Terraform AWS Provider Issue #55], [Terraform Providers], [Terraform Input Variables]

• Question 30:

  What is one disadvantage of using dynamic blocks in Terraform?

  A. Dynamic blocks can construct repeatable nested blocks

  B. Terraform will run more slowly

  C. They cannot be used to loop through a list of values

  D. They make configuration harder to read and understand

  Correct Answer: D

  This is one disadvantage of using dynamic blocks in Terraform, as they can introduce complexity and reduce readability of the configuration. The other options are either advantages or incorrect statements.