Beginning HCL Programming : Using Hashicorp Language for Automation and Configuration

Get started with programming and using the Hashicorp Language (HCL). This book introduces you to the HCL syntax and its ecosystem then it shows you how to integrate it as part of an overall DevOps approach. Next, you’ll learn how to implement infrastructure as code, specifically, using the Terraform template, a set of cloud infrastructure automation tools. As part of this discussion, you’ll cover Consul, a service mesh solution providing a full-featured control plane with service discovery, configuration, and segmentation functionality. You’ll integrate these with Vault to build HCL-based infrastructure as code solutions. Finally, you’ll use Jenkins and HCL to provision and maintain the infrastructure as code system. After reading and using __Beginning HCL Programming__, you'll have the know-how and source code to get started with flexible HCL for all your cloud and DevOps needs. **What You Will Learn** * Get started with programming and using HCL * Use Vault, Consul, and Terraform * Apply HCL to infrastructure as code Define the Terraform template with HCL * Configure Consul using HCL * Use HCL to configure Vault * Provision and maintain infrastructure as code using Jenkins and HCL **Who This Book Is For** Anyone new to HCL but who does have at least some prior programming experience as well as knowledge of DevOps in general. Table of Contents About the Authors Introduction Chapter 1: Introduction to HCL HCL, A Brief Introduction Syntax Overview String Number Tuple Object Boolean Comment HIL and HCL How HCL Works Syntax Components Identifiers Operators Numeric Literal Expression LiteralValue CollectionValue TemplateExpr VariableExpr Function and FunctionCall ForExpr Index, GetAttr, Splat Conclusion Chapter 2: The HashiCorp Ecosystem Defining the Ecosystem Downloading and Installing Vagrant Vagrant First Usage Terraform Key Features of Terraform Installing Terraform Vault Key Features of Vault Installing Vault Consul Nomad Conclusion Chapter 3: Introduction to Go First Steps with Go Installing Go Starting with Go Go Packages Basic Programming Structure Naming Conventions Variables Pointers Go Data Types Basic Types Numeric Types Booleans Strings Composite Types Arrays Slices Maps Structs Channels Interface Functions Conditional Statements Loop Conditions Conclusion Chapter 4: Infrastructure as Code Introduction to Infrastructure as Code Principles and Goals for IaC Every System Must Be Reproducible Every System Must Be Disposable Every System Must Be Consistent Every System Must Be Repeatable The Design of the System Always Changes Implementing IaC Dynamic Infrastructure and the Cloud Different Types of Dynamic Infrastructures Tools for IaC Defining IaC Releasing IaC Pushing vs. Pulling Engineering Practices for IaC Improving the System Quality Conclusion Chapter 5: Terraform HCL The DevOps and Cloud Revolution IaC in Practice Terraform for Server Provisioning Starting with Terraform Deploying Your First Server Variable HCL Terraform Configuration Looping with HCL Advanced HCL/Terraform Parsing Conclusion Chapter 6: Consul HCL Introduction to Consul Consul Architecture Consensus Protocol Installing Consul Defining the Service in Consul HCL for Service Definition Conclusion Chapter 7: Vault HCL Introduction to Vault Installing Vault Starting the Vault Dev Server Managing Your First Secret Vault’s Secrets Engine Types of Secrets Engines Authentication and Authorization in Vault Writing an HCL Policy Creating Your First Policy Creating the HCL File Conclusion Chapter 8: Infrastructure as Code with HCL Infrastructure as Code 101 Designing the IaC Defining the Infrastructure Creating the Vagrant File Connecting to the Consul Box Improving the Consul Cluster Creating the Vault Cluster Conclusion Index