CV0-004 Deployment Practice Question
A cloud engineer is writing a Terraform configuration to provision an AWS EC2 instance. They need to pass the AMI ID as a variable to make the configuration reusable. Which Terraform block should be used to define the variable?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
variable
Variables are defined using the 'variable' block. 'resource' declares resources; 'provider' configures providers; 'output' defines outputs.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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output
Why it's wrong here
An output block exports values from a Terraform configuration after apply, such as the instance ID; it cannot declare an input variable. It is tempting because outputs do reference values, but declaring reusable inputs requires a variable block, which is what the AMI ID parameter needs.
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provider
Why it's wrong here
A provider block configures the plugin and credentials for a target platform such as AWS; it does not declare input variables. It is tempting because the EC2 resource sits inside AWS, but the AMI ID must be declared in a variable block to be passed in.
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variable
Why this is correct
The variable block declares an input variable, letting the AMI ID be supplied at plan or apply time rather than hard-coded, which makes the configuration reusable across environments. Output exposes values, locals compute intermediates, and provider configures the AWS plugin.
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resource
Why it's wrong here
A resource block declares the EC2 instance itself, so placing the AMI ID there hard-codes it rather than exposing it for reuse. Variable blocks exist precisely to parameterise values like AMI IDs; resource blocks are for provisioning infrastructure, which is why this option misplaces the declaration.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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