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Day 3 - Create an AWS S3 Bucket Using Terraform

#30daysofawsterraform #devops #aws #terraform

What is an S3 bucket?

An Amazon S3 bucket is a scalable object storage container used to store files (objects) such as backups, logs, images, and static website assets. Each bucket has a globally unique name and can be configured with lifecycle policies, access controls, encryption, and versioning.

When to use

  • Durable object storage for static content, backups, and artifacts.
  • Hosting static websites.
  • Centralized storage for application logs or data.
  • Remote Terraform state backends (when combined with locking).

Prerequisites

  • AWS account and appropriate IAM credentials.
  • AWS CLI configured (or environment variables AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID / AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY).
  • Terraform installed.

Tips & best practices

  • Bucket names must be globally unique - include a random suffix or org/project prefix.
  • Enable encryption (SSE) and versioning for important data.
  • Block public access unless intentionally hosting public assets.

How to Create a VPC, S3 Bucket, and Implicit Dependency Using Terraform

Step 1: Install Terraform

Download and install Terraform from the official website:
https://developer.hashicorp.com/terraform/downloads

Step 2: Configure AWS Credentials

Install and configure AWS CLI:

aws configure
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Provide your:

  • AWS Access Key
  • AWS Secret Key
  • AWS Region

* Output format

Step 3: Create main.tf File

Create a folder and inside it create a file named main.tf with the following content:

terraform {
  required_version = ">= 1.0"
  required_providers {
    aws = {
      source  = "hashicorp/aws"
      version = "~> 5.0"
    }
  }
}

provider "aws" {
  region = "us-east-1"
}

resource "aws_vpc" "main" {
  cidr_block           = "10.0.0.0/16"
  enable_dns_support   = true
  enable_dns_hostnames = true

  tags = {
    Name = "example-vpc"
  }
}

resource "aws_s3_bucket" "example" {
  bucket = "example-bucket-${aws_vpc.main.id}"

  tags = {
    Name = "example-bucket"
    VPC  = aws_vpc.main.id
  }
}
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Step 4: Initialize Terraform and Validate the Terraform Configuration

Run:

terraform init
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This downloads the AWS provider and prepares the working directory.

terraform init
Run:

terraform validate
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This checks for syntax or configuration errors.

terrafrom validate

Step 5: Plan the Terraform Changes

Run:

terraform plan
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This shows what resources Terraform will create.

terraform plan

Step 6: Apply the Changes

Run:

terraform apply
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Type yes when prompted.

terraform apply

Step 7: Destroy the Resources

When you are done, run:

terraform destroy
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Type yes to confirm.

terraform destroy

Resources

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