Introduction
Infrastructure as Code is not optional anymore. Terraform gives you a declarative way to build, modify, and destroy cloud resources cleanly. This tutorial shows exactly how to install Terraform, create your first configuration, and connect it to Azure without affecting your company’s production environment. I used these steps to rebuild my own skills after leaving California and stepping into Utah’s quiet season of learning.

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Step 1
Install Terraform using Winget

1. Open PowerShell as admin
2. Run the installer
   winget install HashiCorp.Terraform –source winget
3. Restart your PowerShell window
4. Verify the installation
   terraform -version

You should see something like
Terraform v1.14.0

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Step 2
Create your Terraform workspace

1. Create a folder
   mkdir C:\terraform\test1
2. Go inside the folder
   cd C:\terraform\test1
3. Create a new file
   New-Item main.tf -ItemType File

Leave the file empty for now. Terraform just needs to see that a configuration file exists.

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Step 3
Write your first Terraform configuration

Open main.tf and paste this:

provider “azurerm” {
features {}
}

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Nothing created yet. This is read only.

The goal is to connect Terraform to Azure safely.

Save the file.

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Step 4
Initialize Terraform

Run
terraform init

This downloads the AzureRM provider and sets up your working directory.

You should see
Terraform has been successfully initialized

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Step 5
Install the Azure CLI

Terraform connects to Azure using your Azure CLI login. Install it with:

winget install Microsoft.AzureCLI

Verify it
az –version

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Step 6
Log into Azure

Run
az login

A browser opens. Select your Azure account.

Important note
If you see Martin’s Azure subscription, stop here and do not run terraform apply.
Terraform plan is safe because it does not make changes.

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Step 7
Check your Azure subscription

az account show

This confirms who you are logged in as and which subscription Terraform will use.

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Step 8
Run your first Terraform plan

terraform plan

This reads your main.tf and checks for any required changes.
Since your config is empty, the output will say:
No changes. Infrastructure is up to date.

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Step 9
Useful Azure CLI commands for Cloud Engineers

Check all resource groups
az group list -o table

Check all VMs
az vm list -o table

Check storage accounts
az storage account list -o table

Check virtual networks
az network vnet list -o table

Check VM status
az vm get-instance-view –name VMNAME –resource-group RGNAME –query instanceView.statuses[1].displayStatus

Check Azure AD users
az ad user list –filter “accountEnabled eq true” -o table

Check your role assignments
az role assignment list –assignee <your UPN> -o table

These commands show LC that you are comfortable with both Terraform and Azure CLI.

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Step 10
Can Terraform check Defender?

Terraform itself does not “check” Defender, but you can manage Defender settings as resources.

For example:

azurerm_security_center_contact
azurerm_security_center_subscription_pricing
azurerm_security_center_assessment
azurerm_defender_server

Meaning
Terraform is for configuration
Azure CLI is for inspection
Graph / PowerShell is for deep security reporting

If LC wants real Defender reporting, we use:

Connect-MgGraph
Get-MgSecurityAlert
Get-MgSecuritySecureScore

You already know these.

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Step 11
Cleaning up safely

Since we did not deploy anything, no cleanup is required.

If you later create real resources, destroy them with
terraform destroy

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Final thoughts
Terraform is one of the most powerful tools in cloud engineering. Once you know how to initialize it, authenticate with Azure, and run plans, you are already ahead of many engineers who feel overwhelmed by IaC. LC will immediately see that you are not just an Exchange guy or a VMware guy. You are becoming a modern DevOps cloud engineer who can manage infrastructure in code.

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