create variable

[b6pzeusbc54tvhw5jgpyw8pwz2x6gs]

many terraform module support create or create_xx variables to controls whether resource should be created. I think, one of the reasons for doing this is, it's hard to use count or for_each in module block.

terraform-aws-next-js also has create_domain_name_records and create_image_optimization. But no option to skip for other resources.

Do you have any plans to add a create variable that controls the creation of the entire resource? Or can I create a PR?

[ofhouse]

Do you have a specific resource in mind?
My philosophy here is to support optional resources when they are not necessary or can be replaced with self-written constructs.

The next optional resource to add will be the main CloudFront distribution, which is targeted in #55.
IMHO I currently don't see other resources where this would make sense, but I am open for suggestions 🙂

[b6pzeusbc54tvhw5jgpyw8pwz2x6gs]

@ofhouse In many use cases, one Terraform code covers multiple environments. For example, in the code below, I would like to decide to create the next-tf module according to the environment.

module "next-tf" {
  source = "dealmore/next-js/aws"
  create = terraform.workspace == "prod"
  // or
  // create = var.env == "prod"

  next_tf_dir     = var.next_tf_dir
  deployment_name = var.deployment_name
}

This pattern can be used in many modules, including the following two modules used by this module:

• https://github.com/terraform-aws-modules/terraform-aws-apigateway-v2
• https://github.com/terraform-aws-modules/terraform-aws-lambda

[b6pzeusbc54tvhw5jgpyw8pwz2x6gs]

My philosophy here is to support optional resources when they are not necessary or can be replaced with self-written constructs.

This can also be achieved by just using var.create && var.create_xxx. Example:

resouce "aws_cloudfront_distribution" "this" {
  count = var.create && var.create_cloudfront_distribution ? 1 : 0
}

[ofhouse]

Ah, thanks for clarification.
I think the create variables there were originally added for versions of Terraform below 0.13 since it was not possible to use count or for_each on modules.

Terraform 0.13 (which is already the minimal required version for this module) and up support count on modules which I would prefer here since it is an official Terraform feature and no workaround like a create variable would be.

However, using count on this module currently does not work because we use an internal AWS provider to ensure that some resources are created in us-east-1 region. #50
The plan is to drop this internal provider in the next version which should lift the limitation on using count.

[b6pzeusbc54tvhw5jgpyw8pwz2x6gs]

You're right. Using count in module, blocks the use of provider inside the module, I think the create variable is still useful in many cases.

[ofhouse]

Would like to reevaluate this after #50 is implemented.
Introducing a create variable would require a lot of changes and it must also be ensured that the submodules support it.

For this reason I would appreciate it when this could be handled in userland with a simple count on the module itself.

[ofhouse]

Is this still needed?
With the release of v0.8.0 it is now possible to use count on the module like this:

module "next-tf" {
  source = "dealmore/next-js/aws"

  count = terraform.workspace == "prod" ? 1 : 0
}

[ofhouse]

I'm going to close this issue because it has been inactive for 30 days ⏳. This helps to find and focus on the active issues.