This Terraform configuration follows HashiCorp's recommended best practices for organizing infrastructure code. It creates ECS Fargate clusters for multiple environments using a proper directory structure with environment separation.

This project demonstrates a production-ready Terraform structure that includes:

• Environment Separation: Separate directories for each environment (dev, staging, prod)
• Module Organization: Reusable modules in a dedicated modules directory
• Shared Configuration: Common configurations and backend setup
• Proper State Management: Environment-specific state files with S3 backend

demo-infra-restructured/
├── README.md                           # This file
├── .gitignore                          # Git ignore rules
├── backend-setup/                      # Backend infrastructure setup
│   ├── main.tf                         # S3 bucket and DynamoDB table
│   ├── variables.tf                    # Backend setup variables
│   ├── outputs.tf                      # Backend resource outputs
│   ├── terraform.tfvars.example        # Example variables
│   └── README.md                       # Backend setup instructions
├── modules/                            # Reusable modules
│   └── ecs-cluster/                    # ECS cluster module
│       ├── main.tf                     # Module resources
│       ├── variables.tf                # Module variables
│       ├── outputs.tf                  # Module outputs
│       ├── versions.tf                 # Provider requirements
│       └── README.md                   # Module documentation
├── environments/                       # Environment-specific configurations
│   ├── dev/                           # Development environment
│   │   ├── main.tf                    # Dev environment resources
│   │   ├── variables.tf               # Dev environment variables
│   │   ├── outputs.tf                 # Dev environment outputs
│   │   ├── terraform.tfvars           # Dev variable values
│   │   ├── backend.tf                 # Dev backend configuration
│   │   └── versions.tf                # Dev provider requirements
│   ├── staging/                       # Staging environment
│   │   ├── main.tf                    # Staging environment resources
│   │   ├── variables.tf               # Staging environment variables
│   │   ├── outputs.tf                 # Staging environment outputs
│   │   ├── terraform.tfvars           # Staging variable values
│   │   ├── backend.tf                 # Staging backend configuration
│   │   └── versions.tf                # Staging provider requirements
│   └── prod/                          # Production environment
│       ├── main.tf                    # Prod environment resources
│       ├── variables.tf               # Prod environment variables
│       ├── outputs.tf                 # Prod environment outputs
│       ├── terraform.tfvars           # Prod variable values
│       ├── backend.tf                 # Prod backend configuration
│       └── versions.tf                # Prod provider requirements
├── scripts/                           # Automation scripts
│   ├── deploy.sh                      # Deployment automation
│   ├── setup-backend.sh               # Backend setup automation
│   └── cleanup.sh                     # Cleanup automation
└── docs/                              # Additional documentation
    ├── DEPLOYMENT.md                  # Deployment guide
    ├── ARCHITECTURE.md                # Architecture documentation
    └── TROUBLESHOOTING.md             # Troubleshooting guide

• Each environment has its own directory and state file
• Prevents accidental changes to production from development
• Allows environment-specific configurations

• Common infrastructure patterns are abstracted into modules
• Modules can be versioned and shared across projects
• Reduces code duplication and improves maintainability

• Backend setup is separate from application infrastructure
• Scripts are organized in their own directory
• Documentation is centralized and comprehensive

• Easy to add new environments
• Simple to add new modules
• Clear patterns for team collaboration

# Navigate to backend setup
cd backend-setup

# Copy and configure variables
cp terraform.tfvars.example terraform.tfvars
# Edit terraform.tfvars with your values

# Deploy backend infrastructure
terraform init
terraform plan
terraform apply

# Navigate to desired environment
cd environments/dev

# Initialize with backend
terraform init

# Plan and apply
terraform plan
terraform apply

# Deploy using automation script
./scripts/deploy.sh dev plan
./scripts/deploy.sh dev apply

# Deploy to staging
./scripts/deploy.sh staging apply

# Deploy to production
./scripts/deploy.sh prod apply

• Purpose: Development and testing
• Log Retention: 7 days (cost optimization)
• Fargate Spot: Enabled (cost savings)
• Monitoring: Basic CloudWatch logs
• Backup: Disabled

• Purpose: Pre-production testing
• Log Retention: 30 days
• Fargate Spot: Enabled (cost savings)
• Monitoring: Enhanced monitoring
• Backup: Enabled

• Purpose: Live production workloads
• Log Retention: 365 days (compliance)
• Fargate Spot: Disabled (reliability)
• Monitoring: Full monitoring and alerting
• Backup: Enabled with cross-region replication

The ECS cluster module can be used independently:

module "ecs_cluster" {
  source = "../../modules/ecs-cluster"
  
  cluster_name = "my-cluster"
  environment  = "dev"
  
  # VPC Configuration
  vpc_id     = "vpc-12345678"
  subnet_ids = ["subnet-12345678", "subnet-87654321"]
  
  # Logging Configuration
  log_retention_days = 7
  
  # Tags
  tags = {
    Environment = "dev"
    Project     = "demo-app"
  }
}

• Each module follows HashiCorp's standard structure
• Proper variable descriptions and validation
• Comprehensive outputs for integration

• Directory-based environment separation
• Environment-specific variable files
• Isolated state management

• Logical grouping of resources
• Clear naming conventions
• Consistent file structure

• README files at every level
• Inline code documentation
• Architecture diagrams and guides

• Deployment scripts for consistency
• Backend setup automation
• Cleanup and maintenance scripts

• State File Security: S3 backend with encryption and versioning
• Access Control: IAM roles with least privilege
• Network Security: Private subnets and security groups
• Secrets Management: Integration with AWS Secrets Manager

• Environment-Specific Settings: Different configurations for cost vs. reliability
• Fargate Spot: Enabled in non-production environments
• Log Retention: Shorter retention in development environments
• Resource Tagging: Comprehensive tagging for cost allocation

• CloudWatch Logs: Centralized logging with configurable retention
• CloudWatch Metrics: ECS cluster and service metrics
• Alarms: Environment-specific alerting (production has more comprehensive monitoring)

1. Add More Modules: Create modules for other infrastructure components
2. CI/CD Integration: Integrate with your CI/CD pipeline
3. Monitoring: Add comprehensive monitoring and alerting
4. Security: Implement additional security controls
5. Documentation: Expand documentation as the project grows

• Check the docs/TROUBLESHOOTING.md for common issues
• Review CloudWatch logs for application issues
• Use the deployment scripts for consistent operations
• Follow the architecture documentation for understanding the system

When adding new infrastructure:

1. Follow the established directory structure
2. Create modules for reusable components
3. Add proper documentation
4. Include examples and tests
5. Update this README with any new patterns