# How Terraform Works

DevFeed: [How Terraform Works](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/how-terraform-works-34679.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://newsletter.systemdesigncodex.com/p/how-terraform-works>)

Author: Saurabh Dashora

Published: 2026-05-05T07:41:46Z

Content type: tutorial

Language: en

Sources: [System Design Codex](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/system-design-codex.md>)

Topics: [Terraform](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/terraform.md>), [Infrastructure as code](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/infrastructure-as-code.md>), [Provisioning](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/provisioning.md>), [CI/CD](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/cicd.md>), [Pull Request](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/pull-request.md>), [Command-line interface](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/cli.md>)

Tags: [changes](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/changes.md>), [ci-cd](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ci-cd.md>), [hcl](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/hcl.md>), [infrastructure-as-code-iac](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/infrastructure-as-code-iac.md>), [plan](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/plan.md>), [preview](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/preview.md>), [provisioning](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/provisioning.md>), [terraform](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/terraform.md>)

## AI overview

A step-by-step introduction to how Terraform uses Infrastructure as Code and HCL configurations to define resources, preview changes with Terraform Plan, and provision infrastructure with Terraform Apply. It also explains providers, variables, modules, state, workspaces, and CI/CD or pull-request workflows.

## Source excerpt

Step by step