Mastering archive_file in Terraform Like a Pro

What is archive_file in Terraform?#

Picture archive_file as the glam squad for your code. It grabs your files and bundles them into tidy little ZIP or TAR packages. Super handy for:

✨ Deploying AWS Lambda functions (which require zipped code!) ✨ Packaging Kubernetes manifests or Helm charts ✨ Bundling files before uploading to S3, Azure Storage, or Google Cloud Storage

Setup looks like this:

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data "archive_file" "example" {
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  type        = "zip"              # Options: zip, tar, tgz
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  source_dir  = "path/to/source"   # Directory to compress
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  output_path = "path/to/output.zip" # Destination of the archive
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}

Working with just one file? Then:

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data "archive_file" "example_file" {
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  type        = "zip"
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  source_file = "path/to/file.txt"
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  output_path = "path/to/output.zip"
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}

💡 Pro Tip: Use source_dir for entire folders and source_file for single files—but NOT both in the same block. Terraform’s picky like that. 😉

Creating an Archive from a Single File#

Say you need to ZIP up one file. Hello, AWS Lambda deployments! Honestly, it could not be easier:

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data "archive_file" "example" {
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  type        = "zip"
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  source_file = "example.txt"
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  output_path = "example.zip"
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}
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output "archive_checksum" {
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  value = data.archive_file.example.output_base64sha256
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}

That output_base64sha256 is a SHA-256 checksum, so you know your file stayed intact. You don’t need it. But it’s a cute little sanity check. ✅

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data "archive_file" "lambda_zip" {
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  type        = "zip"
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  source_file = "lambda_function.py"
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  output_path = "lambda_function.zip"
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}

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resource "aws_lambda_function" "my_lambda" {
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  function_name    = "my_lambda_function"
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  role             = aws_iam_role.lambda_role.arn
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  runtime          = "python3.8"
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  handler          = "lambda_function.lambda_handler"
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  filename         = data.archive_file.lambda_zip.output_path
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  source_code_hash = data.archive_file.lambda_zip.output_base64sha256
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}

Creating Archives from Multiple Files#

Okay so, I really wish Terraform let us list multiple files outright. It won’t. Total diva. 👀 The workaround is to gather everything into a temp folder first:

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resource "terraform_data" "prepare_files" {
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  provisioner "local-exec" {
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    command = <<EOT
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mkdir -p temp_folder
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cp ${path.module}/file1.txt temp_folder/
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cp ${path.module}/file2.txt temp_folder/
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cp ${path.module}/file3.txt temp_folder/
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EOT
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  }
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}
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data "archive_file" "multiple_files" {
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  type        = "zip"
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  source_dir  = "${path.module}/temp_folder"
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  output_path = "${path.module}/multiple_files.zip"
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  depends_on  = [terraform_data.prepare_files]
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}

Just want a whole directory archived? Easy:

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data "archive_file" "example" {
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  type        = "zip"
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  source_dir  = "${path.module}/my_folder"
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  output_path = "${path.module}/example.zip"
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}

Uploading an Archive to Azure Storage#

For my Azure girls 💙, here’s how to squish a folder and drop it into an Azure Storage Blob:

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data "archive_file" "app_package" {
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  type        = "zip"
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  source_dir  = "${path.module}/my_app_folder"
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  output_path = "${path.module}/app_package.zip"
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}

Then spin up a storage account and push it:

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resource "azurerm_storage_blob" "example" {
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  name                   = "app_package.zip"
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  storage_account_name   = azurerm_storage_account.example.name
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  storage_container_name = azurerm_storage_container.example.name
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  type                   = "Block"
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  source                 = data.archive_file.app_package.output_path
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  depends_on = [data.archive_file.app_package]
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}

Troubleshooting archive_file Issues#

Terraform acting up? Queen, take a breath. Here’s how to fix the usual archive_file headaches:

1️⃣ Incorrect Source Path → Check your file paths! Use ${path.module} to avoid mistakes.
2️⃣ Missing zip Utility → Terraform needs zip installed. Fix it with:

• Linux: sudo apt install zip
• macOS: brew install zip
• Windows: Ensure zip.exe is in your PATH.

3️⃣ Files Not Updating? → Terraform won’t detect changes inside source_dir. Use filemd5() like this:

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output "archive_hash" {
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  value = filemd5(data.archive_file.example.output_path)
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}

4️⃣ Permission Issues → If AWS Lambda or Docker throws permission errors, chmod your files before zipping:

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chmod +x my_script.sh

5️⃣ Wrong Paths in Modules → Always use ${path.module}, not ${path.root}!

Key Takeaways#

💖 archive_file is a Terraform essential for packaging files before deployment.
💖 Use source_file for one file and source_dir for entire folders.
💖 Troubleshoot common issues with paths, permissions, and missing utilities.

Terraform is fun (and powerful), so go forth and automate like the IT queen you are! 👩‍💻✨