Install nginx in compute engine through Terraform

#nginx #gcp #terraform

Introduction

hi, i am Akshay Rao
This blog is about the installation of nginx in GCP VM through terraform.

Pre-requisite

GCP account (can get 300$ free trial account)
Terraform installed
VS-code

Let's start

create a project in the gcp console.
click on the tab beside google cloud logo and click new project, give name i have given it a terraform-gcp.

create a service account by searching service account in the search bar, click create service account-> give name -> add the editor role under basic.
create a keys for the service account and download the json file.
make a directory in which the terraform scripts will be stored and move the above downloaded json to this directory.



mv ~/Downloads/<file name> credentials.json

create a file named main.tf

Provider block ```

provider "google" {
project = ""
credentials = "${file("credentials.json")}"
region = "us-west1"
zone = "us-west1-a"
}

now execute `terraform init`
this is done so that the terraform can connect to gcp.
`.terraform.lock.hcl
.terraform `
will be created automatically 
provider will be registered.
![Image 2](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/j92lvxhs3lnsf6kmkok8.png)
2. Resources block
create a network , one subnetwork and VM instance in which the nginx will be running.

resource "google_compute_network" "vpc_network" {
name = "my-custom-network"
auto_create_subnetworks = false
mtu = 1460
}

resource "google_compute_subnetwork" "default" {
name = "us-west-a"
ip_cidr_range = "10.0.1.0/24"
region = "us-west1"
network = google_compute_network.vpc_network.id
}

resource "google_compute_instance" "nginx-instance" {
name = "nginx-intsance"
machine_type = "f1-micro"
tags = ["ssh"]

zone = "us-west1-a"
allow_stopping_for_update = true

boot_disk {
  initialize_params {
    image = "debian-cloud/debian-11"
  }
}
metadata_startup_script =  "sudo apt-get update; sudo apt-get install -y nginx; sudo systemctl start nginx"      // renderning script from template file
network_interface {
  subnetwork = "google_compute_subnetwork.default.id"
  subnetwork_project = "<your project id>"
  access_config {
     // is included so that the vm gets external ip address
  }
}

}


- mtu - maximum trasmiaaion unit.
- added boot as the debian 11 image.
- in the metadata_startup_script i have passed the installation commands for the nginx.

## Deployment and Verify

save it
now run command `terraform plan` and yes
terraform will know the what resources to create with plan command and it will create orderly when applied.

[akshay.rao terraform-gcp]$ terraform plan
data.template_file.nginx_installation: Reading...
data.template_file.nginx_installation: Read complete after 0s [id=cfbeb1ad70856f85403aaec9edaed46cdcd3ab215367abd5b1049f5a69a24fc1]

Terraform used the selected providers to generate the following execution plan. Resource actions are indicated with the following symbols:

create

Terraform will perform the following actions:

# google_compute_instance.nginx-instance will be created

resource "google_compute_instance" "nginx-instance" {
- allow_stopping_for_update = true
- can_ip_forward = false
- cpu_platform = (known after apply)
- current_status = (known after apply)
- deletion_protection = false
- guest_accelerator = (known after apply)
- id = (known after apply)
- instance_id = (known after apply)
- label_fingerprint = (known after apply)
- machine_type = "f1-micro"
- metadata_fingerprint = (known after apply)
- metadata_startup_script = <<-EOT
  #!/bin/bash/
  set -e
  echo "** installing nginx **"
  sudo apt-get update
  sudo apt-get install -y nginx
  sudo systemctl enable nginx
  sudo systemctl restart nginx
```
echo "**   Installation Complteted!!   **"

echo "Welcome to Nginx which is deployed using Terraform!!!" > /var/www/html

echo "**   Startup script completes!!   **"
```
  EOT
- min_cpu_platform = (known after apply)
- name = "nginx-intsance"
- project = (known after apply)
- self_link = (known after apply)
- tags = [
  - "proxy", ]
- tags_fingerprint = (known after apply)
- zone = "us-west1-a"
- boot_disk {
  - auto_delete = true
  - device_name = (known after apply)
  - disk_encryption_key_sha256 = (known after apply)
  - kms_key_self_link = (known after apply)
  - mode = "READ_WRITE"
  - source = (known after apply)
  - initialize_params {
    - image = "debian-cloud/debian-11"
    - labels = (known after apply)
    - size = (known after apply)
    - type = (known after apply) } }
- network_interface {
  - ipv6_access_type = (known after apply)
  - name = (known after apply)
  - network = "default"
  - network_ip = (known after apply)
  - stack_type = (known after apply)
  - subnetwork = (known after apply)
  - subnetwork_project = (known after apply)
  - access_config {
    - nat_ip = (known after apply)
    - network_tier = (known after apply) } } }

Plan: 1 to add, 0 to change, 0 to destroy.

now `terraform apply` and yes

[akshay.rao terraform-gcp ]$ terraform apply
data.template_file.nginx_installation: Reading...
data.template_file.nginx_installation: Read complete after 0s [id=cfbeb1ad70856f85403aaec9edaed46cdcd3ab215367abd5b1049f5a69a24fc1]

Terraform used the selected providers to generate the following execution plan. Resource actions are indicated with the following symbols:

create

Terraform will perform the following actions:

# google_compute_instance.nginx-instance will be created

resource "google_compute_instance" "nginx-instance" {
- allow_stopping_for_update = true
- can_ip_forward = false
- cpu_platform = (known after apply)
- current_status = (known after apply)
- deletion_protection = false
- guest_accelerator = (known after apply)
- id = (known after apply)
- instance_id = (known after apply)
- label_fingerprint = (known after apply)
- machine_type = "f1-micro"
- metadata_fingerprint = (known after apply)
- metadata_startup_script = <<-EOT
  #!/bin/bash/
  set -e
  echo "** installing nginx **"
  sudo apt-get update
  sudo apt-get install -y nginx
  sudo systemctl enable nginx
  sudo systemctl restart nginx
```
echo "**   Installation Complteted!!   **"

echo "Welcome to Nginx which is deployed using Terraform!!!" > /var/www/html

echo "**   Startup script completes!!   **"
```
  EOT
- min_cpu_platform = (known after apply)
- name = "nginx-intsance"
- project = (known after apply)
- self_link = (known after apply)
- tags = [
  - "proxy", ]
- tags_fingerprint = (known after apply)
- zone = "us-west1-a"
- boot_disk {
  - auto_delete = true
  - device_name = (known after apply)
  - disk_encryption_key_sha256 = (known after apply)
  - kms_key_self_link = (known after apply)
  - mode = "READ_WRITE"
  - source = (known after apply)
  - initialize_params {
    - image = "debian-cloud/debian-11"
    - labels = (known after apply)
    - size = (known after apply)
    - type = (known after apply) } }
- network_interface {
  - ipv6_access_type = (known after apply)
  - name = (known after apply)
  - network = "default"
  - network_ip = (known after apply)
  - stack_type = (known after apply)
  - subnetwork = (known after apply)
  - subnetwork_project = (known after apply)
  - access_config {
    - nat_ip = (known after apply)
    - network_tier = (known after apply) } } }

Plan: 1 to add, 0 to change, 0 to destroy.

Do you want to perform these actions?
Terraform will perform the actions described above.
Only 'yes' will be accepted to approve.

Enter a value: yes

google_compute_instance.nginx-instance: Creating...
google_compute_instance.nginx-instance: Still creating... [10s elapsed]
google_compute_instance.nginx-instance: Still creating... [20s elapsed]
google_compute_instance.nginx-instance: Creation complete after 22s [id=projects/terraform-gcp-388209/zones/us-west1-a/instances/nginx-intsance]

Apply complete! Resources: 1 added, 0 changed, 0 destroyed.

now go to console and search for vm instances you will be able to see the vm running

![Image 3](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/z1yv42u561ae0hjyg3g8.png)
click on ssh with open with browser window

![Image 4](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/3i0gh3xl96v930oennvd.png)
the terminal will open 
run command `systemctl status nginx`
you will get:-
![Image 5](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/qmj0vi1arm6f45ek07a2.png)
we have insatlled nginx through terraform.
Thank you