Terraform Resource Explorer

What is the Terraform Resource Explorer?

The Terraform Resource Explorer is a client-side tool that parses your Terraform HCL code and lists all defined blocks: resources, data sources, variables, outputs, and locals. It also detects cross-references between resources, helping you understand dependency relationships in your infrastructure configuration.

How to Use

1. Paste your Terraform HCL configuration into the input field
2. Click "Explore" or wait for automatic processing
3. Review each section: Resources, Data Sources, Variables, Outputs, Locals
4. Check the Cross-References section to see how resources depend on each other
5. Use the summary to get a quick count of all block types

Example: Multi-Resource Terraform Configuration

This configuration demonstrates resources with cross-references that the explorer will detect:

resource "aws_vpc" "main" {
  cidr_block = var.vpc_cidr
}

resource "aws_subnet" "public" {
  vpc_id     = aws_vpc.main.id
  cidr_block = "10.0.1.0/24"
}

resource "aws_security_group" "web" {
  name   = "web-sg"
  vpc_id = aws_vpc.main.id
}

resource "aws_instance" "web" {
  ami                    = data.aws_ami.latest.id
  instance_type          = var.instance_type
  subnet_id              = aws_subnet.public.id
  vpc_security_group_ids = [aws_security_group.web.id]
}

data "aws_ami" "latest" {
  most_recent = true
  owners      = ["amazon"]
}

variable "vpc_cidr" {
  type    = string
  default = "10.0.0.0/16"
}

variable "instance_type" {
  type    = string
  default = "t3.micro"
}

output "instance_ip" {
  value       = aws_instance.web.public_ip
  description = "Public IP of the web server"
}

locals {
  environment = "production"
  name_prefix = "myapp"
}

What Terraform Block Types Are Supported?

• Resources — Infrastructure objects managed by Terraform (aws_instance, aws_s3_bucket, etc.)
• Data Sources — Read-only references to existing infrastructure (data.aws_ami, data.aws_vpc, etc.)
• Variables — Input parameters with optional types, defaults, and descriptions
• Outputs — Named values exported from the configuration for other modules or users
• Locals — Named expressions for intermediate values and reducing repetition
• Cross-References — Detected dependencies between resources (e.g., aws_instance → aws_security_group)

Use Cases

• Audit large Terraform configurations to understand their structure
• Verify all expected resources are defined before applying changes
• Identify unused variables or outputs during code review
• Map dependencies between resources for documentation or diagramming
• Onboard new team members by giving them a quick inventory of the infrastructure

How Cross-References Work

The explorer detects when one resource references another by scanning attribute values for known resource identifiers. For example, if an aws_instance uses aws_security_group.web.id in its configuration, the explorer reports that dependency as a cross-reference. This helps visualize the implicit dependency graph without running terraform graph.

Privacy and Security

All parsing and analysis happens entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Your Terraform code — which may contain resource names, variable values, and infrastructure details — is never transmitted to any server. No data is stored, logged, or shared.