--- title: 1 โ€“ Initialize Terraform description: This tutorial shows you how to get started with Terraform. You will create a DNS record pointing www.example.com to a web server at 203.0.113.10. image: https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/core-services-preview.png --- > Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/terraform/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. [Skip to content](#%5Ftop) # 1 โ€“ Initialize Terraform This tutorial shows you how to get started with Terraform. You just signed up your domain (`example.com`) on Cloudflare to manage everything in Terraform and now you will create a DNS record pointing `www.example.com` to a web server at `203.0.113.10`. Before you begin, ensure you have: * [Installed Terraform](https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/terraform/installing/) * [Created an API Token](https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/fundamentals/api/get-started/create-token/) with permissions to edit resources for this tutorial Note Terraform code snippets below refer to the v5 SDK only. ## 1\. Create your configuration Create a file named `main.tf`, filling in your own values for the [API token](https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/fundamentals/api/get-started/create-token/), [zone ID](https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/fundamentals/account/find-account-and-zone-ids/), [account ID](https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/fundamentals/account/find-account-and-zone-ids/), and [domain](https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/fundamentals/manage-domains/add-site/): ```bash terraform { required_providers { cloudflare = { source = "cloudflare/cloudflare" version = "~> 5" } } } provider "cloudflare" { api_token = "" } variable "zone_id" { default = "" } variable "account_id" { default = "" } variable "domain" { default = "" } resource "cloudflare_dns_record" "www" { zone_id = "" name = "www" content = "203.0.113.10" type = "A" ttl = 1 proxied = true comment = "Domain verification record" } ``` Warning To prevent accidentally exposing your Cloudflare credentials, do not save this file in your version control system. The [next tutorial](https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/terraform/tutorial/track-history/) will cover best practices for passing in your API token. ## 2\. Initialize and plan Initialize Terraform to download the Cloudflare provider: ```sh terraform init ``` Review what will be created: ```sh terraform plan ``` ```sh Terraform used the selected providers to generate the following execution plan. Resource actions are indicated with the following symbols: + create Terraform will perform the following actions: # cloudflare_dns_record.www will be created + resource "cloudflare_dns_record" "www" { + comment = "Domain verification record" + comment_modified_on = (known after apply) + content = "203.0.113.10" + created_on = (known after apply) + id = (known after apply) + meta = (known after apply) + modified_on = (known after apply) + name = "www" + proxiable = (known after apply) + proxied = true + settings = (known after apply) + tags = (known after apply) + tags_modified_on = (known after apply) + ttl = 1 + type = "A" + zone_id = "" } Plan: 1 to add, 0 to change, 0 to destroy. ``` ## 3\. Apply and verify Apply your configuration: ```sh terraform apply ``` Type `yes` when prompted. ```sh Terraform used the selected providers to generate the following execution plan. Resource actions are indicated with the following symbols: + create Terraform will perform the following actions: # cloudflare_dns_record.www will be created + resource "cloudflare_dns_record" "www" { + comment = "Domain verification record" + comment_modified_on = (known after apply) + content = "203.0.113.10" + created_on = (known after apply) + id = (known after apply) + meta = (known after apply) + modified_on = (known after apply) + name = "www" + proxiable = (known after apply) + proxied = true + settings = (known after apply) + tags = (known after apply) + tags_modified_on = (known after apply) + ttl = 1 + type = "A" + zone_id = "" } Plan: 1 to add, 0 to change, 0 to destroy. Do you want to perform these actions? Terraform will perform the actions described above. Only 'yes' will be accepted to approve. Enter a value: yes cloudflare_dns_record.www: Creating... cloudflare_dns_record.www: Creation complete after 0s Apply complete! Resources: 1 added, 0 changed, 0 destroyed. ``` After creation, verify the DNS record: ```sh dig www.example.com ``` Test the web server response: ```sh curl https://www.example.com ``` ```sh Hello, this is 203.0.113.10! ``` To see the full results returned from the API call: ```sh terraform show ``` You can also check the Cloudflare dashboard and go to the **DNS** \> **Records** page. [ Go to **Account home** ](https://dash.cloudflare.com/?to=/:account/home) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","@id":"https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/terraform/tutorial/initialize-terraform/#page","headline":"Introduction to Terraform init ยท Cloudflare Terraform docs","description":"This tutorial shows you how to get started with Terraform. 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