Terraform

First practical step: install Terraform and connect it to your cloud provider.

HCL is the language you write everything in — you must master it well.

A provider connects Terraform to a cloud; a resource is the real thing you create.

Variables make your code flexible and reusable instead of hardcoded values.

The state file is Terraform's memory — understanding it is vital to not break things.

On a team, state must be remote and locked so nobody overwrites another's work.

Instead of repeating a resource ten times, use iteration and conditionals smartly.

Modules let you package repeated infrastructure and reuse it across projects.

Sometimes you must read existing data or run a final step after a resource is created.

The same code must build separate dev, staging, and prod environments safely.

Infrastructure code needs testing like any code to avoid production disasters.

In mature teams, infra changes go through review and an automated pipeline like code.