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This guide was recovered from the Wayback Machine snapshot of “Install CDK for Terraform and run a quick start demo”.
CDK Terrain (CDKTN) lets you define infrastructure in familiar programming languages while still creating plans with Terraform (or OpenTofu). You can use CDKTN with hundreds of providers and existing modules, adopt Terraform Cloud/HCP Terraform workflows, and ship infrastructure with the development practices you already use for application code. CDK Terrain Platform OverviewTypeScriptPythonJavaC#GoCDK Terrain (CDKTN)OpenTofu/ TerraformAWSAzureGCPKubernetesDocker3000+providers Follow this tutorial to install the CDKTN CLI and run the quick start project that provisions an NGINX container with Docker.

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Prerequisites

  • Terraform CLI 1.2+ (or OpenTofu)
  • Node.js 16+ and npm 16+
  • Docker Desktop or another Docker runtime
  • Your preferred CDKTN language toolchain (TypeScript v4.4 + Node.js 16.13, Python 3.10 + Pipenv, Go 1.20+, .NET 6+, or Java 17 with Maven)

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Install CDKTN

You can install the cdktn CLI globally with npm on any platform or with Homebrew on macOS. Pick the option that matches how you manage global tools.
Shell
npm install --global cdktn-cli@latest
CDKTN works with both Terraform and OpenTofu. To run OpenTofu, set TERRAFORM_BINARY_NAME=tofu before using the CLI. Refer to Environment Variables for details.

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Verify the installation

Confirm that the CLI is on your PATH and review the available subcommands.
Shell
cdktn help
cdktn

Commands:
  cdktn init   Create a new cdktn project from a template.
  cdktn deploy Deploy the given stacks (aliases: apply)
  cdktn destroy Destroy the given stacks
  cdktn synth  Synthesize Terraform configuration for your app

Options:
  --version  Show version number
  -h, --help Show help
Use cdktn init --help whenever you need more detail on initialization flags.
Shell
cdktn init --help

Create a new cdktn project from a template.

Options include:
  --template <name|url>   Built-in templates: csharp, go, java, python, python-pip, typescript
  --project-name <text>   Project directory name
  --providers <list>      Comma-separated providers to preconfigure
  --local                 Store Terraform state locally (default false)
  --cdktn-version <tag>   CLI version to scaffold with

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Quick start tutorial

The following steps install dependencies, generate the sample application, edit the stack, and deploy the Docker container. The commands are identical across languages unless otherwise noted.

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Create and initialize the project

Create a workspace for the tutorial and move into it.
Shell
mkdir learn-cdktn-docker
cd learn-cdktn-docker
Initialize the project in your preferred language and add the Docker provider. The --local flag keeps Terraform state in the project directory, which is convenient for the quick start. 
cdktn init --template=typescript --providers=kreuzwerker/docker --local
Note: By supplying '--local' option you have chosen local storage mode.
? Project Name learn-cdktn-docker
? Project Description A simple getting started project for cdktn.
? Do you want to start from an existing Terraform project? No
? Do you want to send crash reports to the CDKTN team? Yes
added 301 packages in 6s
========================================================================================================
Your cdktn typescript project is ready!

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Edit the code

Replace the generated stack with the following Docker example. Each snippet defines a Docker provider, builds the latest nginx image, and provisions a container that exposes port 8000 on your workstation. 
import { Construct } from "constructs";
import { App, TerraformStack } from "cdktn";
import { DockerProvider } from "@cdktn/provider-docker/lib/provider";
import { Image } from "@cdktn/provider-docker/lib/image";
import { Container } from "@cdktn/provider-docker/lib/container";

class MyStack extends TerraformStack {
  constructor(scope: Construct, name: string) {
    super(scope, name);

    new DockerProvider(this, "docker", {});

    const dockerImage = new Image(this, "nginxImage", {
      name: "nginx:latest",
      keepLocally: false,
    });

    new Container(this, "nginxContainer", {
      name: "tutorial",
      image: dockerImage.name,
      ports: [
        {
          internal: 80,
          external: 8000,
        },
      ],
    });
  }
}

const app = new App();
new MyStack(app, "learn-cdktn-docker");
app.synth();

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Deploy the container

From the project root, run cdktn deploy (Terraform or OpenTofu will prompt you to approve the plan). This command synthesizes the application, runs terraform plan, and provisions the Docker resources once you enter approve.
Shell
cdktn deploy learn-cdktn-docker
Initializing the backend...
Initializing provider plugins...
Terraform used the selected providers to generate the following execution plan.
Resource actions are indicated with the following symbols:
  + create

# docker_container.nginxContainer will be created
# docker_image.nginxImage will be created

Plan: 2 to add, 0 to change, 0 to destroy.
Do you want to perform these actions?
  Enter a value: approve
Apply complete! Resources: 2 added, 0 changed, 0 destroyed.
Check the container and the mapped port.
Shell
docker ps
NGINX running in Docker via Terraform

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Destroy the container

When you finish testing, destroy the stack to remove the Docker container and image.
Shell
cdktn destroy learn-cdktn-docker
Plan: 0 to add, 0 to change, 2 to destroy.
Do you really want to destroy all resources?
  Enter a value: approve
Destroy complete! Resources: 2 destroyed.

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Next steps

Refer to the navigation sidebar to jump back to Concepts and CLI reference material whenever you need more detail.