Generating passwords with Terraform

While Terraform itself doesn't provide a built-in function to directly generate passwords within your configuration, there are two secure approaches to achieve this:

1. Utilizing Terraform's random_password Resource

The random_password resource from the hashicorp/random provider allows you to generate a random, secure password during your Terraform apply process. Here's how it works:

a. Install the hashicorp/random Provider:

terraform {
  required_providers {
    random = {
      source  = "hashicorp/random"
      version = ">= 3.1.0"
    }
  }
}

b. Define a random_password Resource:

resource "random_password" "db_password" {
  length       = 16
  special      = true
  upper_case   = true
  lower_case   = true
  numeric      = true
}

This configuration defines a resource named db_password that generates a random password with the specified criteria:

• length: Sets the password length (default 16 characters).
• special: Includes special characters (recommended for strong passwords).
• upper_case: Includes uppercase characters.
• lower_case: Includes lowercase characters.
• numeric: Includes numeric digits.

c. Accessing the Generated Password:

Terraform treats the generated password as sensitive data. You can't directly output it for security reasons. However, you can reference it within your configuration using the random_password.result attribute.

For example:

resource "aws_db_instance" "my_database" {
  # ... other configuration options
  password = random_password.db_password.result
}

This assigns the generated password from the db_password resource to the password argument of the aws_db_instance resource.

2. Leveraging External Secrets Management

Another secure approach is to integrate Terraform with an external secrets management service like HashiCorp Vault or AWS Secrets Manager. These services specialize in securely storing and managing sensitive data like passwords.

Here's a general workflow:

• Configure Secrets Management: Set up your chosen secrets management service and define a policy to restrict access to the password.
• Generate Password: Use the secrets management service's API or CLI to generate a secure password and store it as a secret.
• Access Secret in Terraform: Retrieve the password secret from the secrets management service using Terraform's provider for that service and reference it in your configuration.

This approach offers a more centralized and secure way to manage passwords separate from your Terraform configuration.

Choosing the Right Method:

• If you need a simple solution for one-off password generation within a limited scope, the random_password resource might suffice.
• For production environments or scenarios requiring centralized secret management, consider using an external secrets management service.

Remember, it's crucial to avoid storing passwords directly in your Terraform configuration files or state. Always leverage these methods to ensure secure password generation and management within your infrastructure provisioning process.