Install Docker on your system if you haven't already. Docker lets you package, distribute, and run applications as containers.
Create a new directory for your Terraform project and navigate into it using the command line.
Create a new file named `Dockerfile` in the project directory. This file describes the Docker image you want to build for running Terraform.
Open the `Dockerfile` in a text editor and add the following content to it:
```dockerfile
FROM hashicorp/terraform:latest
WORKDIR /terraform
COPY . .
ENTRYPOINT ["terraform"] ```
This `Dockerfile` uses the official `hashicorp/terraform` Docker image as the base image. It sets the working directory to `/terraform`, copies the contents of the project directory into the image, and sets the `terraform` command as the entrypoint.
Save the Dockerfile and exit the text editor.
Build the Docker image by running the following command in the project directory:
```shell
docker build -t terraform-docker .
```
This command builds the Docker image and tags it with the name `terraform-docker`.
After the image is built, you can use it to run Terraform commands. For example, to initialize a new Terraform project, run the following command:
```shell
docker run --rm -v $(pwd):/terraform terraform-docker init
```
This command mounts the current directory as the `/terraform` directory inside the Docker container and runs the `init` command using the `terraform` entrypoint defined in the `Dockerfile`.
You can continue running other Terraform commands using the same pattern. For example, to plan and apply changes, use the following commands:
```shell
docker run --rm -v $(pwd):/terraform terraform-docker plan
docker run --rm -v $(pwd):/terraform terraform-docker apply
```
These commands mount the current directory and run the respective Terraform commands inside the Docker container.
By following these steps, you can use Docker with Terraform to ensure a consistent environment across different systems, avoiding any dependency issues, and enabling easy distribution and replication of the Terraform process.