Interview › Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Ansible)
What are Terraform workspaces, and what are their limitations for environments?
Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Ansible) · Basic level
Answer
Terraform workspaces let the same configuration directory maintain multiple state instances, selected with terraform workspace select. They are useful for lightweight isolation, but they are limited for full environment separation because backend settings, credentials, policies, and directory-level controls often need to differ by environment.
Technical explanation
Workspaces do not automatically isolate IAM permissions, backend configuration, or deployment approvals.
They can be useful for ephemeral review environments when the blast radius is small.
For critical environments, separate roots and state are clearer and easier to govern.
Keep Terraform's ownership boundary clear: one state should own a resource or field, and other tools should consume published outputs instead of modifying it.
Use fmt, validate, linting, policy checks, plan review, and state locking before production applies.
Design for small blast radius by splitting state around lifecycle, permissions, and recovery boundaries.
Hands-on example
1. Create environment separation for: What are Terraform workspaces, and what are their limitations for environments?
2. Use reusable modules with separate root modules:
infra/
modules/vpc/
envs/dev/main.tf
envs/stage/main.tf
envs/prod/main.tf
3. Give each environment a separate backend key and credentials boundary:
terraform { backend "s3" { key = "envs/prod/network.tfstate" bucket = "company-tfstate-prod" region = "ap-south-1" use_lockfile = true } }
4. Run PR plans for all environments but require manual approval and stricter policy for prod.
5. Use workspaces only for low-risk ephemeral variants after documenting their limitations.
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