terraform resource creation - this keyword

Question

I came across a pattern in couple of terraform code in Github.

resource "aws_vpc" "this"

I wanted to know how keyword this provides a particular advantage over a named resource. I can't find a Hashicorp documentation on this keyword.

https://github.com/terraform-aws-modules/terraform-aws-vpc/blob/3210728ee26665fab6b1f07417bcb0e518573a1d/main.tf

https://github.com/cloudposse/terraform-aws-vpn-connection/blob/master/context.tf

user_248823 · Answer

No, there is nothing special about this in terms of TF syntax or handling. Its just a name that may indicate that you have only one VPC in your setup. But this is not enforced by TF mechanism. Other common names are main or just vpc.

terraform resource creation - this keyword

1 Answers