DevOps/SRE Terraform Interview Question: 78: When to use .tfvars files in Terraform?

Today's DevOps SRE interview question is about Terraform. Before we start, please subscribe to my channel-it really helps me out. Let's dive in!
*Question:* When and how should you use a `tf-vars` file?
Imagine a scenario where you have multiple environments to manage, such as development, staging, and production, using Terraform. You want your infrastructure to be consistent across these environments. Or perhaps you have multiple development environments and want them to be consistent.
In such cases, your Terraform code remains the same, but some parameters will vary depending on the environment. This is where the `tf-vars` file comes into play. By separating your variables into a `tf-vars` file, you can use the same code for different environments, changing only the variables.
For instance, the region, image, or instance type might differ between environments. You define these variable differences in a `tf-vars` file in the same directory as your code. This way, you avoid code duplication and maintain consistency across environments.
Another scenario for using `tf-vars` files is handling sensitive information like passwords or API keys. You wouldn't want to put these directly in your codebase. Instead, place them in a `tf-vars` file and add this file to your `.gitignore` to ensure it doesn't get pushed to any repository, whether public or private. This keeps your secrets secure, remaining only on your local machine.
These are the two main scenarios where `tf-vars` files are useful in Terraform.
I hope you found this video helpful. See you in the next one!