Terraform AWS Credentials: File Not Found Error & Fix

• Introduction
• Step-by-Step Guide
• Code Example
• Additional Notes
• Summary
• Security Best Practices:
• Conclusion
• References

When working with Terraform to manage your AWS infrastructure, it's crucial to understand how Terraform locates your AWS credentials. This process involves a specific hierarchy that prioritizes security and flexibility.

Terraform uses a specific hierarchy to locate your AWS credentials. It prioritizes environment variables, then checks for the AWS credentials file.

1. Environment Variables: Terraform first looks for the following environment variables:

   • AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID
   • AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY
   • AWS_SESSION_TOKEN (for temporary credentials)

   export AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID="YOUR_ACCESS_KEY"
   export AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY="YOUR_SECRET_KEY"
   

2. AWS Credentials File: If environment variables aren't found, Terraform searches for credentials in ~/.aws/credentials. This file should have the following format:

   [default]
   aws_access_key_id = YOUR_ACCESS_KEY
   aws_secret_access_key = YOUR_SECRET_KEY
   
   [profile_name]
   aws_access_key_id = YOUR_ACCESS_KEY
   aws_secret_access_key = YOUR_SECRET_KEY
   

   You can specify a different profile using the AWS_PROFILE environment variable or the profile argument within a provider block:

   provider "aws" {
     region  = "us-west-2"
     profile = "profile_name"
   }
   

Important Considerations:

• Never hardcode credentials directly in your Terraform code. This is a major security risk.
• Avoid storing long-term credentials in the credentials file. Use temporary credentials obtained through AWS IAM roles or AWS SSO whenever possible.
• The S3 backend for Terraform state storage requires separate credentials. Ensure you've configured these correctly, either through environment variables or the backend configuration itself.
• Double-check file paths and permissions. Ensure Terraform has read access to your credentials file.
• Use descriptive profile names to easily manage multiple AWS accounts.
• Leverage tools like AWS Vault or HashiCorp Vault for secure credential storage and retrieval.

This code demonstrates how Terraform prioritizes AWS credentials. It shows how to set credentials using environment variables, AWS credentials file, and specifying profiles. It covers using the default profile, a specific profile, and setting the AWS_PROFILE environment variable. The example emphasizes security by recommending against committing credentials to version control and suggests using temporary credentials and tools like AWS Vault or HashiCorp Vault for production environments.

This example shows how Terraform prioritizes different methods for finding your AWS credentials.

1. Environment Variables:

export AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID="YOUR_ACCESS_KEY"
export AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY="YOUR_SECRET_KEY"

terraform init
terraform apply

2. AWS Credentials File:

Create a file at ~/.aws/credentials with the following content:

[default]
aws_access_key_id = YOUR_ACCESS_KEY
aws_secret_access_key = YOUR_SECRET_KEY

[dev]
aws_access_key_id = YOUR_DEV_ACCESS_KEY
aws_secret_access_key = YOUR_DEV_SECRET_KEY

a) Using the default profile:

# Uses credentials from the "default" profile in ~/.aws/credentials
provider "aws" {
  region = "us-west-2"
}

resource "aws_instance" "example" {
  ami           = "ami-0c55b159c9e67027c"
  instance_type = "t2.micro"
}

b) Specifying a profile:

# Uses credentials from the "dev" profile in ~/.aws/credentials
provider "aws" {
  region  = "us-west-2"
  profile = "dev"
}

resource "aws_instance" "example" {
  ami           = "ami-0c55b159c9e67027c"
  instance_type = "t2.micro"
}

c) Using AWS_PROFILE environment variable:

export AWS_PROFILE="dev"

terraform init
terraform apply

This example uses the "dev" profile from your ~/.aws/credentials file.

Important:

• Replace placeholders like YOUR_ACCESS_KEY with your actual credentials.
• Never commit your real AWS credentials to version control.
• This is a simplified example. For production environments, consider using temporary credentials and tools like AWS Vault or HashiCorp Vault for secure credential management.

• Best Practices:
  • AWS IAM Roles: For applications running on EC2 instances, leverage IAM roles to grant the instance temporary credentials. This eliminates the need to manage credentials on the instance itself.
  • AWS SSO: For teams and organizations, AWS SSO provides centralized identity management and allows you to grant temporary credentials with fine-grained permissions.
  • HashiCorp Vault: For enhanced security, store your long-term AWS credentials in a secrets management tool like HashiCorp Vault. Terraform can integrate with Vault to dynamically retrieve credentials during deployments.
• Troubleshooting:
  • Credential Chain: Familiarize yourself with the AWS credential chain to understand the order in which AWS SDKs and tools search for credentials. This can help diagnose issues related to incorrect credentials being used.
  • Verbose Logging: Enable verbose logging in Terraform (TF_LOG=DEBUG) to get more detailed information about the credential loading process.
  • AWS CLI: Use the AWS CLI (aws configure list) to verify that your AWS credentials are configured correctly outside of Terraform.
• Advanced Usage:
  • Assume Role: Terraform allows you to assume an IAM role within your AWS account. This is useful for granting temporary, scoped access to specific resources.
  • External Data Sources: You can use Terraform's external data sources to fetch credentials from external systems, such as a secrets management service.
• Security Reminders:
  • Regularly Rotate Credentials: Change your AWS access keys and secret keys periodically to minimize the impact of any potential compromise.
  • Principle of Least Privilege: Grant only the necessary permissions to your Terraform code and users. Avoid using overly permissive roles or credentials.

By following these best practices and understanding the nuances of Terraform's credential handling, you can ensure the security and reliability of your AWS infrastructure deployments.

• Never hardcode credentials in Terraform code.
• Use temporary credentials (AWS IAM roles, AWS SSO) instead of long-term credentials.
• Securely configure S3 backend credentials for Terraform state storage.
• Verify file paths and permissions for Terraform to access credentials.
• Use descriptive profile names for managing multiple AWS accounts.
• Utilize tools like AWS Vault or HashiCorp Vault for secure credential storage and retrieval.

Understanding Terraform's AWS credential hierarchy is essential for secure and efficient infrastructure management. By prioritizing environment variables and offering options like the AWS credentials file and profile configuration, Terraform provides flexibility. However, always prioritize security by avoiding hardcoded credentials and leveraging temporary credentials through AWS IAM roles or AWS SSO whenever possible. For enhanced security, consider tools like AWS Vault or HashiCorp Vault. By adhering to best practices and understanding the nuances of Terraform's credential handling, you can ensure the security and reliability of your AWS infrastructure deployments.

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