Getting Started with pyvider Terraform Provider¶

Time to Complete: 10-15 minutes

This tutorial will guide you through your first use of the pyvider Terraform provider, from installation to creating your first resources.

-> Note: New to Pyvider? Review the Tour the Example Provider to understand what's available before diving into this hands-on tutorial.

What You'll Learn¶

By the end of this tutorial, you will:

✅ Install and configure the pyvider provider
✅ Create your first file resource
✅ Use a data source to read content
✅ Understand basic provider workflows
✅ Know where to go next

Prerequisites¶

Before starting, ensure you have:

Terraform 1.0 or later (Install Terraform)
pyvider provider binary (Download latest release)
Basic familiarity with Terraform concepts (providers, resources, data sources)

Verify Terraform Installation¶

terraform version
# Should output: Terraform v1.x.x

Step 1: Install the Provider¶

Option A: Automatic Installation (Recommended)¶

The provider will be automatically installed when you run terraform init if properly configured.

Option B: Manual Installation¶

Download the provider binary:

# Download latest release for your platform
# Example for macOS:
curl -LO https://github.com/provide-io/terraform-provider-pyvider/releases/latest/download/terraform-provider-pyvider_darwin_amd64.zip

# Unzip
unzip terraform-provider-pyvider_darwin_amd64.zip

Install to Terraform plugins directory:

# Create plugins directory (adjust version as needed)
mkdir -p ~/.terraform.d/plugins/local/providers/pyvider/0.0.12/darwin_amd64/

# Move binary
mv terraform-provider-pyvider ~/.terraform.d/plugins/local/providers/pyvider/0.0.12/darwin_amd64/

# Make executable
chmod +x ~/.terraform.d/plugins/local/providers/pyvider/0.0.12/darwin_amd64/terraform-provider-pyvider

Note¶

Adjust paths for your platform (linux_amd64, windows_amd64, etc.)

Step 2: Create Your First Configuration¶

Create a new directory for this tutorial:

mkdir pyvider-tutorial
cd pyvider-tutorial

Create a file named main.tf:

# main.tf

terraform {
  required_providers {
    pyvider = {
      source  = "local/providers/pyvider"
      version = ">= 0.0.0"  # For development: accepts any version
      # For production, pin to specific version: version = "~> 0.1"
    }
  }
}

# Configure the pyvider provider
provider "pyvider" {
  # Provider configuration (if needed)
  # Most resources work without additional provider config
}

# Create a simple text file
resource "pyvider_file_content" "greeting" {
  filename = "${path.module}/hello.txt"

  content = <<-EOT
    Hello from pyvider!

    This file was created by Terraform using the pyvider provider.
    Current timestamp: ${timestamp()}
  EOT

  # File permissions (Unix-style)
  mode = "0644"
}

# Output the file path
output "greeting_file" {
  value       = pyvider_file_content.greeting.filename
  description = "Path to the created greeting file"
}

Step 3: Initialize Terraform¶

Initialize your Terraform working directory:

terraform init

Expected Output:

Initializing the backend...

Initializing provider plugins...
- Finding local/providers/pyvider versions...
- Installing local/providers/pyvider vX.X.X...
- Installed local/providers/pyvider vX.X.X (unauthenticated)

Terraform has been successfully initialized!

Step 4: Preview Changes¶

See what Terraform will create:

terraform plan

Expected Output:

Terraform will perform the following actions:

  # pyvider_file_content.greeting will be created
  + resource "pyvider_file_content" "greeting" {
      + content  = (known after apply)
      + id       = (known after apply)
      + mode     = "0644"
      + filename = "./hello.txt"
    }

Plan: 1 to add, 0 to change, 0 to destroy.

Step 5: Apply Configuration¶

Create the resources:

terraform apply

Terraform will prompt for confirmation. Type yes and press Enter.

Expected Output:

pyvider_file_content.greeting: Creating...
pyvider_file_content.greeting: Creation complete after 0s [id=hello.txt]

Apply complete! Resources: 1 added, 0 changed, 0 destroyed.

Outputs:

greeting_file = "./hello.txt"

Step 6: Verify the Resource¶

Check that the file was created:

cat hello.txt

Expected Output:

Hello from pyvider!

This file was created by Terraform using the pyvider provider.
Current timestamp: 2025-10-30T15:39:55Z

Step 7: Use a Data Source¶

Now let's read file information using a data source. Add to your main.tf:

# Read file metadata
data "pyvider_file_info" "greeting_info" {
  path = pyvider_file_content.greeting.filename
}

# Output the file information
output "greeting_info" {
  value = {
    size         = data.pyvider_file_info.greeting_info.size
    exists       = data.pyvider_file_info.greeting_info.exists
    is_directory = data.pyvider_file_info.greeting_info.is_directory
  }
  description = "Metadata about the greeting file"
}

Apply the changes:

terraform apply

Expected Output:

...
Outputs:

greeting_file = "./hello.txt"
greeting_info = {
  "exists"       = true
  "is_directory" = false
  "size"         = 123
}

Step 8: Update a Resource¶

Let's update the file content. Modify the pyvider_file_content.greeting resource:

resource "pyvider_file_content" "greeting" {
  filename = "${path.module}/hello.txt"

  content = <<-EOT
    Hello from pyvider!

    This file was UPDATED by Terraform.
    Current timestamp: ${timestamp()}

    pyvider makes Terraform providers easy to build and use!
  EOT

  mode = "0644"
}

Apply the changes:

terraform apply

Terraform will detect the change and update the file:

pyvider_file_content.greeting: Refreshing state... [id=hello.txt]

Terraform will perform the following actions:

  # pyvider_file_content.greeting will be updated in-place
  ~ resource "pyvider_file_content" "greeting" {
      ~ content  = <<-EOT
            Hello from pyvider!

          - This file was created by Terraform using the pyvider provider.
          + This file was UPDATED by Terraform.
            Current timestamp: 2025-10-30T15:42:18Z
          +
          + pyvider makes Terraform providers easy to build and use!
        EOT
        id       = "hello.txt"
        # (2 unchanged attributes hidden)
    }

Plan: 0 to add, 1 to change, 0 to destroy.

Step 9: Clean Up¶

Destroy the resources:

terraform destroy

Type yes when prompted.

Expected Output:

pyvider_file_content.greeting: Destroying... [id=hello.txt]
pyvider_file_content.greeting: Destruction complete after 0s

Destroy complete! Resources: 1 destroyed.

Verify the file is gone:

ls hello.txt
# Should output: No such file or directory

What You've Learned¶

Congratulations! You've successfully:

✅ Installed and configured the pyvider provider ✅ Created a resource with Terraform ✅ Used a data source to read data ✅ Updated a resource in-place ✅ Destroyed resources with Terraform

Next Steps¶

Explore More Components¶

The pyvider provider includes resources, data sources, and functions. See the provider documentation for the complete list of available components.

Build Your Own Provider¶

Interested in building Terraform providers with Python?

pyvider Framework: Build providers in Python
pyvider-components: Example component library for learning and reference
Building Providers Guide: Complete guide

Troubleshooting¶

Having issues? See our comprehensive Troubleshooting Guide for solutions to common problems:

Installation Issues - Provider not found, permissions, platform-specific
Configuration Errors - Validation, schema, type mismatches
Runtime Errors - File operations, HTTP/API, state management
Debug Techniques - TF_LOG, state inspection, terraform console
Getting Help - Community support and issue reporting

Quick Fixes¶

Provider Not Found:

# Verify installation and re-initialize
terraform init -upgrade

Permission Denied:

# Check directory permissions
ls -la $(dirname /path/to/file)

Need More Help? → Full Troubleshooting Guide

Complete Example¶

Here's the complete main.tf with all features:

terraform {
  required_version = ">= 1.0"

  required_providers {
    pyvider = {
      source  = "local/providers/pyvider"
      # For local development, use the installed version
      # For production, specify: version = "~> 0.0"
    }
  }
}

provider "pyvider" {
  # Provider configuration
}

# Create a file with dynamic content
resource "pyvider_file_content" "greeting" {
  filename = "${path.module}/hello.txt"

  content = <<-EOT
    Hello from pyvider!

    This file was created at: ${timestamp()}
    Terraform version: ${terraform.version}

    pyvider makes Terraform providers easy!
  EOT

  mode = "0644"
}

# Read file metadata
data "pyvider_file_info" "greeting_info" {
  path = pyvider_file_content.greeting.filename
}

# Outputs
output "greeting_file" {
  value       = pyvider_file_content.greeting.filename
  description = "Path to the greeting file"
}

output "greeting_info" {
  value = {
    size         = data.pyvider_file_info.greeting_info.size
    exists       = data.pyvider_file_info.greeting_info.exists
    is_directory = data.pyvider_file_info.greeting_info.is_directory
  }
  description = "Metadata about the greeting file"
}

Additional Resources¶

Provider Reference: Complete resource and data source reference
pyvider Documentation: Provider framework docs
Terraform Documentation: Official Terraform docs
Community Support: Get help

Feedback¶

Was this tutorial helpful? Have suggestions for improvement?

Tutorial Version: 1.0 Last Updated: October 30, 2025 Terraform Version: 1.0+ Provider Version: 1.0+