Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Prerequisites
3. Part 1: Installing OpenTofu on Windows
   • Method 1: Manual Installation (Recommended)
   • Method 2: Using the PowerShell Installer Script (Alternative)
4. Part 2: Setting up Visual Studio Code (VS Code) for OpenTofu
5. Part 3: Your First OpenTofu Project (A Local File Example)
   • Understanding the OpenTofu Workflow
   • Step 1: Create a Project Directory
   • Step 2: Write Your Configuration (main.tf)
   • Step 3: Initialize the Working Directory (tofu init)
   • Step 4: Review the Plan (tofu plan)
   • Step 5: Apply the Changes (tofu apply)
   • Step 6: Understand the tofu.tfstate file
   • Step 7: Inspect the State (tofu show)
   • Step 8: Clean Up Your Infrastructure (tofu destroy)
6. Part 4: Next Steps - Building Real Infrastructure
7. Conclusion

1. Introduction

OpenTofu is an open-source, community-driven fork of Terraform that allows you to define, provision, and manage infrastructure as code. This guide will walk you through the process of installing OpenTofu on your Windows machine and setting up your development environment, culminating in building your very first project.

2. Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• A Windows O.S. (Windows 10 or 11 recommended)
• Admin privileges on your machine (needed for adding to system PATH)
• An active internet connection
• (Recommended) Visual Studio Code installed (download from https://code.visualstudio.com/)

3. Part 1: Installing OpenTofu on Windows

You have two primary ways to install OpenTofu on your Windows machine.

Method 1: Manual Installation (Recommended for Most Users)

This method involves downloading the OpenTofu executable and placing it in your system's PATH.