All courses
Resource hub
Featured resource
Tech Upskilling Playbook 2025
Tech Upskilling Playbook

Build future-ready tech teams and hit key business milestones with seven proven plays from industry leaders.

Learn more
Hamburger Icon
  • Labs icon Lab
  • Cloud
Labs

Accessing Terraform Remote State Data in GCP

You are a DevOps engineer working at an organization that is trying to move all its configuration management to Infrastructure as Code (IaC). There is some concern about this plan, since many teams work independently. You will meet with the networking team to set up an initial VPC using Terraform with a remote state backend that other teams can access. Next, you will meet with one of the application teams to configure Terraform to deploy their VMs into the VPC that the networking team has created and will manage. Once this is set up, the networking team can manage the VPC as they need to and the latest information will be available for the application teams via the Terraform remote state backend.

Get started Contact sales
Labs

Path Info

Level
Clock icon Intermediate
Duration
Clock icon 45m
Last updated
Clock icon Sep 02, 2025

Contact sales

By filling out this form and clicking submit, you acknowledge our privacy policy.

Table of Contents

  1. Challenge

    Create a Network Using Terraform with a Remote State GCS Backend

    • Create a bucket with a globally unique name to store state files in.
    • Create a terraform directory in Cloud Shell to work in.
    • Create a network directory containing a main.tf file.
    • Create a terraform code block defining providers and setting up remote state to target the bucket.
    • Create a google_compute_network resource.
    • Create a google_compute_subnetwork resource.
    • Create an output block defining the subnet's name.
    • Execute terraform init.
    • Execute terraform apply.

  2. Challenge

    Create a VM Deployed into the Network from Objective 1 Using the Remote State Data

    • From your top-level terraform directory, create a vm directory containing a main.tf file.
    • Create a terraform code block defining providers and setting up remote state to target the bucket.
    • Create a terraform_remote_state data object targeting the remote state of the VPC.
    • Create a google_compute_instance resource and set the network_interface.subnetwork value to the output from Objective 1.
    • Execute terraform init.
    • Execute terraform apply.
Pluralsight Skills - Labs - Pluralsight
Author
Pluralsight Skills

Pluralsight Skills gives leaders confidence they have the skills needed to execute technology strategy. Technology teams can benchmark expertise across roles, speed up release cycles and build reliable, secure products. By leveraging our expert content, skill assessments and one-of-a-kind analytics, keep up with the pace of change, put the right people on the right projects and boost productivity. It's the most effective path to developing tech skills at scale.

What's a lab?

Hands-on Labs are real environments created by industry experts to help you learn. These environments help you gain knowledge and experience, practice without compromising your system, test without risk, destroy without fear, and let you learn from your mistakes. Hands-on Labs: practice your skills before delivering in the real world.

Provided environment for hands-on practice

We will provide the credentials and environment necessary for you to practice right within your browser.

Guided walkthrough

Follow along with the author’s guided walkthrough and build something new in your provided environment!

Did you know?

On average, you retain 75% more of your learning if you get time for practice.
Ready to get started?
View individual plans View team plans