2023-03-10

Managing multiple versions of Terraform using tfenv

What is tfenv

tfenv is a tool that simplifies the management of multiple versions of Terraform, a popular open-source infrastructure-as-code (IaC) tool. Terraform allows users to define and manage their infrastructure in a declarative way, but as with any software, different projects may require different versions of Terraform to be installed. This is where tfenv comes in handy.

With tfenv, users can easily switch between different versions of Terraform, ensuring that each project is using the appropriate version. This helps to avoid conflicts and issues that can arise when using different versions of Terraform. Additionally, tfenv allows users to install and manage the required versions of Terraform without the need for manual installation, saving time and reducing errors.

How to Install tfenv

Installing tfenv is a simple and effective way to manage multiple versions of Terraform on your system. With tfenv, you can easily switch between different versions of Terraform as per your requirements. In this guide, we will cover two methods of installing tfenv: using Homebrew and Git Clone.

using Homebrew

You can install tfenv by running the following command:

bash

$ brew install tfenv

After the installation is complete, you can verify the installation by running the following command:

bash

$ tfenv --version

This command will display the version of tfenv currently installed on your system.

Using Git Clone

Another way to install tfenv is by using Git Clone. Here are the steps to install tfenv using Git Clone:

Open your terminal and navigate to the directory where you want to install tfenv.
Clone the tfenv repository by running the following command:

bash

$ git clone https://github.com/tfutils/tfenv.git ~/.tfenv

This command will clone the tfenv repository to the ~/.tfenv directory on your system.

Add ~/.tfenv/bin to your PATH environment variable by running the following command:

$ echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.tfenv/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bash_profile

This command will add the ~/.tfenv/bin directory to your PATH environment variable.

Reload your shell environment by running the following command:

bash

$ source ~/.bash_profile

This command will reload your shell environment to pick up the changes you made to the PATH environment variable.

Verify the installation by running the following command:

bash

$ tfenv --version

This command will display the version of tfenv currently installed on your system.

How to use tfenv

Now that you have successfully installed tfenv on your system, you can use it to manage multiple versions of Terraform on your system. This article will cover the basic commands to use tfenv.

List available Terraform versions

To list the available versions of Terraform that tfenv can install, run the following command:

bash

$ tfenv list-remote

This command will display a list of all the available versions of Terraform. The version numbers are sorted in descending order based on their release date.

Install a specific Terraform version

To install a specific version of Terraform, run the following command:

bash

$ tfenv install <version>

Replace <version> with the version number of Terraform you want to install. For example, to install Terraform version 0.14.9, run the following command:

bash

$ tfenv install 0.14.9

This command will download and install the specified version of Terraform on your system.

Use a specific Terraform version

To use a specific version of Terraform, run the following command:

bash

$ tfenv use <version>

Replace <version> with the version number of Terraform you want to use. For example, to use Terraform version 0.14.9, run the following command:

bash

$ tfenv use 0.14.9

This command will set the specified version of Terraform as the current version on your system.

List installed Terraform versions

To list the versions of Terraform installed on your system, run the following command:

bash

$ tfenv list

This command will display a list of all the versions of Terraform installed on your system. The currently active version of Terraform will be marked with an asterisk (*).

Uninstall a specific Terraform version

To uninstall a specific version of Terraform, run the following command:

bash

$ tfenv uninstall <version>

Replace <version> with the version number of Terraform you want to uninstall. For example, to uninstall Terraform version 0.14.9, run the following command:

bash