Tools: ->> Day-25 Terraform Import In AWS

managing Existing AWS Infrastructure Using Terraform Import! ## The Solution: terraform import ## Architecture Overview ## Project Structure ## Import Workflow ## Terraform validate ## Conclusion ## Resources: ## >> Connect With Me ## Questions? Drop them in the comments below! 👇 When working in real-world cloud environments, infrastructure is not always created using infrastructure as Code from day one. Sometimes resources already exist - created manually through the AWS Console. So the question becomes: How do we bring those existing resources under Terraform management safely? That’s exactly what this project demonstrates. The Problem You already have: But none of them are managed through Terraform. Managing infrastructure manually: We need a structured way to manage it using Iac - without recreating everything. Terraform provides a command that allows you to map existing cloud resources into Terraform state: This command does not create infrastructure. It simply tells Terraform: | "This resource already exists. start managing it." The workflow looks like this: Once imported, Terraform can now track and manage that resource. Terraform now maps the real AWS Security Group to the resource block. If everything matches, you’ll see No changes. That means Terraform and AWS are in sync. Adopting Infrastructure as Code doesn’t mean you need to rebuild everything from scratch. With terraform import, you can gradually transition manual cloud infrastructure into a version-controlled, structured Terraform workflow. This is a practical and realistic DevOps approach - especially in environments where infrastructure already exists. If you enjoyed this post or want to follow my #30DaysOfAWSTerraformChallenge journey, feel free to connect with me here: 💼 LinkedIn: Amit Kushwaha 🐙 GitHub: Amit Kushwaha 📝 Hashnode / Amit Kushwaha 🐦 Twitter/X: Amit Kushwaha Found this helpful? Drop a ❤️ and follow for more AWS and Terraform tutorials! Templates let you quickly answer FAQs or store snippets for re-use. Are you sure you want to hide this comment? It will become hidden in your post, but will still be visible via the comment's permalink. Hide child comments as well For further actions, you may consider blocking this person and/or reporting abuse COMMAND_BLOCK: terraform import <resource_type.resource_name> <resource_id> Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode COMMAND_BLOCK: terraform import <resource_type.resource_name> <resource_id> COMMAND_BLOCK: terraform import <resource_type.resource_name> <resource_id> COMMAND_BLOCK: terraform/ ├── main.tf # Provider configuration ├── variables.tf # Region and VPC input ├── vpc.tf # Fetch existing VPC using data source ├── security_group.tf # Define Security Group to import Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode COMMAND_BLOCK: terraform/ ├── main.tf # Provider configuration ├── variables.tf # Region and VPC input ├── vpc.tf # Fetch existing VPC using data source ├── security_group.tf # Define Security Group to import COMMAND_BLOCK: terraform/ ├── main.tf # Provider configuration ├── variables.tf # Region and VPC input ├── vpc.tf # Fetch existing VPC using data source ├── security_group.tf # Define Security Group to import CODE_BLOCK: terraform init Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode CODE_BLOCK: terraform init CODE_BLOCK: terraform init CODE_BLOCK: terraform import aws_security_group.app_sg sg-xxxxxxxx Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode CODE_BLOCK: terraform import aws_security_group.app_sg sg-xxxxxxxx CODE_BLOCK: terraform import aws_security_group.app_sg sg-xxxxxxxx CODE_BLOCK: terraform plan Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode CODE_BLOCK: terraform plan CODE_BLOCK: terraform plan - A Security Group - Possibly EC2 instances - X Is not version controlled - X Is not reproducible - X Is error-prone - Write Terraform configuration files (.tf) - Configure AWS provider - Reference existing VPC using a data source - Define the Security Group in Terraform - Use terraform import to attach the real AWS resource to Terraform state - Validate using terraform plan - Initialize Terraform - Import Existing Security Group - Github Repository - Terraform AWS Provider Docs - Terraform Import Command - Terraform state Management