Blog on Masterpoint Consulting

The Standard Terraform and OpenTofu Files + Their Uses

Matt Gowie — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

A comprehensive guide to the various files that make up a Terraform and OpenTofu project. Learn what belongs in main.tf, variables.tf, outputs.tf, and other essential files for maintainable Infrastructure as Code.

Fix IAM Trust Policy Errors using AWS IAM Identity Center SSO Role Regional ARN

Yangci Ou — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

If your IAM trust policy isn't working with AWS IAM Identity Center SSO roles, it might be because us-east-1 does not have the region in the ARN while other regions do.

The Ultimate Terraform Versioning Guide

Veronika Gnilitska — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

A practical, no-fluff guide to versioning in Terraform/OpenTofu that helps you avoid the hidden traps of tool, provider, and module mismatches. If your team has ever faced surprises after “just updating Terraform” (or wants to prevent them), this guide is a must-read.

AI Meets Terraform: Prompt Strategies for Test Generation

Weston Platter — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

We share our experience developing an LLM prompt for Cursor and Claude Code to write meaningful Terraform tests. We describe various experiments, highlight strategies for crafting "durable prompts", and share the prompt’s final version in Masterpoint's shared-prompts GitHub repo.

The Platform Engineering Way to Manage Google Workspace Users

Weston Platter — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Migrate Google Workspace from ClickOps to Infrastructure as Code with our open source Terraform module. Includes design patterns and import examples.

Your Infra Isn't Special: Why Open Source Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Wins

Matt Gowie — Sun, 22 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

If your platform team is still writing every Terraform and OpenTofu resource by hand, you're falling behind. This post explains how open source Infrastructure as Code (IaC) enables modern platform engineering at scale — reducing effort, increasing security, and speeding up delivery.

Terraform + OpenTofu Terminology Breakdown

Matt Gowie — Wed, 21 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

List of Terraform and OpenTofu terms with definitions and explanations.

Using MCPs to Run Terraform

Weston Platter — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

We jump into a hands-on exploration of Model Context Protocol (MCP), sharing our experiment using a MCP client to run terraform init, plan, apply. We share our take on where agents add value and highlight security considerations when adding MCPs to your workflow.

Importance of Efficient Notifications in Terraform & IaC Automation

Yangci Ou — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Explore how unnoticed Terraform & Infrastructure as Code (IaC) failures can lead to significant problems, and how efficient notification alerts can prevent issues from cascading into major operational disruptions.

Steps to Break Up a Terralith

Veronika Gnilitska — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In this follow-up to our "What Is a Terralith?" article, we shift the focus from describing the problem to providing a detailed migration plan, practical guidance, and a handy checklist for breaking up a Terralith into smaller, more manageable root modules.

Why Use Cloud Object Storage for Terraform's Remote Backend & State

Yangci Ou — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Discover why cloud object storage services are the gold standard for Terraform or OpenTofu’s remote state and backend, including the benefits and an example using AWS S3 & DynamoDB.

How to Migrate off Terraform Cloud

Veronika Gnilitska — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Need to to migrate off Terraform Cloud? We're happy to share some tips about preparation, pitfalls, and the process itself based on Masterpoint's experience.

The Terralith: Monolithic Architecture of Terraform & Infrastructure as Code

Yangci Ou — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This article explores the challenges and pitfalls of Terralith, a monolithic Terraform architecture in Infrastructure as Code, and uncovers why a Terralith is not a good practice.

Three Terraform Use-cases You Need to Start Implementing

Matt Gowie — Mon, 13 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Engineering orgs that use IaC tools like Terraform aren’t typically maximizing their leverage. This article highlights at least three uses of Terraform and IaC automation that don’t necessarily center around traditional application workload infrastructure.

From Terraform to OpenTofu: Why and How

Matt Gowie — Mon, 08 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

We're early adopters of OpenTofu. Read about what it took for us to make the switch and how it's going.

terraform-null-label: Advanced Usage

Matt Gowie — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

A post highlighting some advanced usage of the terraform-null-label module showing root/child module relationship and implementation of a naming + tagging framework with context.tf

Mastering GitOps with Terraform Controller

Veronika Gnilitska — Thu, 08 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The post explores how Terraform Controller by Weaveworks can enable GitOps for infrastructure management.

terraform-null-label: the why and how it should be used

Matt Gowie — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

A post highlighting one of our favorite terraform modules: terraform-null-label. We dive into what it is, why it's great, and some potential use cases in Terraform configurations.

Understanding the Terraform Check Block Feature

Veronika Gnilitska — Thu, 10 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

We dive into one of Terraform's most recent features to leverage infrastructure validation.

Hiring: Senior Platform Engineer (July 2023)

Matt Gowie — Mon, 17 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

We're hiring a Senior, US-based Platform Engineer ASAP. This is a full-time contract with option to grow into FTE if you're interested. Continue reading to learn more about the position!

Crossplane: Why it Didn't Work for Us

Veronika Gnilitska — Mon, 26 Jun 2023 14:48:43 +0000

We investigated Crossplane at a deep level and found it wasn't for us. Read on to learn about our investigation and the issues we found.

Welcome to Our New Website

Matt Gowie — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 06:00:00 +0000

Hey there, and welcome to the brand-new Masterpoint website! As the founder of Masterpoint, I'm beyond excited to share our revamped online presence with you, showcasing our expertise in all things AWS Platform Engineering and our commitment to helping our clients succeed.

Supporting Ukraine

Matt Gowie — Thu, 04 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

At Masterpoint, we stand with Ukraine in the ongoing, unjust invasion from Russia. We have a full-time team member in Kyiv, as well as close colleagues and friends there, which makes this issue particularly close to our hearts.