terraforming
Export existing AWS resources to Terraform configuration (tf) and state (tfstate) files.
What is terraforming?
Terraforming is a Ruby gem and CLI tool that exports existing AWS resources into Terraform configuration files (.tf) and state files (.tfstate). It solves the problem of migrating manually provisioned or legacy AWS infrastructure into Terraform-managed infrastructure-as-code workflows by automatically generating the necessary Terraform code.
DevOps engineers and cloud administrators who need to bring existing AWS infrastructure under Terraform management without manually writing configurations.
Developers choose Terraforming for its straightforward, command-driven approach to reverse-engineering AWS resources, its support for a wide range of AWS services, and its ability to generate both configuration and state files that work seamlessly with Terraform.
Overview
Export existing AWS resources to Terraform style (tf, tfstate) / No longer actively maintained
Use Cases
Best For
- Migrating existing AWS infrastructure to Terraform
- Generating Terraform configurations for audit or documentation
- Onboarding new team members to legacy AWS environments
- Testing Terraform plans against live infrastructure
- Bulk exporting AWS resources for analysis
- Creating Terraform state files for existing resources
Not Ideal For
- Teams managing multi-cloud environments that include GCP, Azure, or Kubernetes
- Projects requiring support for the latest Terraform provider schemas or AWS resource types
- Organizations prioritizing active maintenance, security updates, and community support
Pros & Cons
Pros
Supports over 40 AWS resource types like EC2, S3, IAM, and VPC, as listed in the usage commands, making it suitable for comprehensive infrastructure exports.
Generates tfstate files that can be merged with existing ones using the --merge option, enabling incremental adoption without disrupting current Terraform setups.
Available as a Docker image from quay.io, allowing easy deployment in CI/CD pipelines or isolated environments without local Ruby dependencies.
Cons
Marked as no longer actively maintained since December 2021, meaning no updates, bug fixes, or compatibility with newer Terraform versions.
Only supports AWS, unlike alternatives like Terraformer that offer multi-provider support, reducing its utility in hybrid or multi-cloud strategies.
Has known limitations, such as not exporting EXTERNAL origin KMS keys due to Terraform's unsupported features, as noted in the caveats section.
Frequently Asked Questions
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