I was recently interviewed about my book, Mastering Terraform (available now on Amazon.com). Here’s what I had to say!

What sets this book apart from other similar resources available on the market?

Mastering Terraform offers a balanced approach to multi-cloud infrastructure automation. Unlike resources that focus on a single cloud provider, this book equally covers the top three public cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform), giving you a multi-cloud Rosetta Stone and the versatility to work across all major platforms.

Sample Diagram from one of the chapters on Amazon Web Services It offers nine end-to-end solutions that span the three primary cloud computing paradigms: Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) with virtual machines, containerization with Kubernetes, and serverless for each of the three cloud computing platforms. This holistic coverage ensures you not only learn Terraform but also understand how to apply it in a plethora of real-world scenarios. This book equips you with the skills to navigate the complexities of modern cloud infrastructure, cloud migration and modernization, and gain insight into what aspects of your solution will need to change as you choose to modernize your solutions or move from cloud to cloud.

How does the book help build the readers become proficient in Terraform and unlock its true potential?

By emphasizing practical, real-world solutions that are applicable today and scalable for future needs, the book delves into how to effectively manage production systems. It highlights that Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) is not just about rapidly deploying resources into the cloud but about creating long-lived, maintainable systems managed through a robust software development lifecycle.

Each of the nine end-to-end solutions incorporate a CI/CD pipeline (via GitHub Actions), ensuring that the infrastructure remains consistent and reliable over time. The differences between the cloud computing paradigms are compared and contrasted, helping you understand the different modes of operating across different cloud computing paradigms. This approach enables you to build, deploy, and manage production-grade environments efficiently across any cloud environment, making it an invaluable resource for IaC-powered teams aiming for sustainable and effective infrastructure management practices.

How did your background help you write this book?

With over 25 years of experience in technology and consulting, I’ve integrated deep insights into this book, drawing from my journey as an early adopter of cloud technologies. I’ve collaborated with customers at various stages of their cloud adoption, gaining expertise in multiple cloud platforms across diverse organizational contexts. This experience underscored the critical role Terraform plays in automating processes and ensuring reliable software delivery on robust cloud infrastructure.

Having worked in true DevOps and multidisciplinary teams, I foster collaboration between development and operations to develop and manage effective solutions. Currently, as a Principal Architect within the Microsoft Azure engineering team, I apply these principles to enhance the scalability, resiliency, and operability of the Azure platform. My practical insights and real-world knowledge have been distilled into this book, aimed at helping readers leverage Terraform in multi-cloud environments.

Which parts of the book are your favorites and why?

My favorite sections of the book are the chapters dedicated to the three managed Kubernetes offerings on each of the top three clouds — AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. These chapters highlight the versatility of Terraform and its ability to work seamlessly with other control planes like Kubernetes. They demonstrate that Terraform is not just a standalone tool — or a golden hammer — but a flexible and powerful component in your broader cloud automation journey.

By showcasing how Terraform interacts with other technologies and platforms, these chapters illustrate its true potential and why mastering it is so valuable. The flexibility and utility of Terraform when integrated with other tools like Kubernetes make these chapters particularly meaningful to me.