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In this lab, you’ll learn how to configure a remote state backend and set up the AWS provider using Terragrunt. We’ll generate Terraform configuration files automatically and initialize your stack to manage infrastructure in AWS. Before you begin, ensure you have AWS credentials configured: 
show-creds
You can run commands in VS Code’s integrated terminal via your browser for easy copy & paste.

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1. Verify Your Terraform Version

First, confirm the Terraform CLI version installed on your system: 
terraform version
You should see output similar to: 
Terraform v1.8.3

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2. Auto-Generate AWS Provider Files with Terragrunt

All Terragrunt configuration lives under your Terraform stack directory (terraform-stack/terragrunt.hcl). We’ll generate three files:
FilenamePurposeKey Settings
providers.tfDeclares the AWS provider and regionregion = "us-east-1"
versions.tfPins the AWS provider versionversion = "~> 5.0"
backend.tfConfigures remote state with an S3 backendbucket, key, region, lock

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2.1 Generate providers.tf

Add this block to terragrunt.hcl to configure AWS in us-east-1: 
generate "provider" {
  path      = "providers.tf"
  if_exists = "overwrite"
  contents  = <<EOF
provider "aws" {
  region = "us-east-1"
}
EOF
}

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2.2 Generate versions.tf

Next, pin to the latest major AWS provider release: 
generate "provider_version" {
  path      = "versions.tf"
  if_exists = "overwrite"
  contents  = <<EOF
terraform {
  required_providers {
    aws = {
      source  = "hashicorp/aws"
      version = "~> 5.0"
    }
  }
}
EOF
}
Ensure your terragrunt.hcl includes these generate blocks before initializing.

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3. Initialize Terragrunt

Switch into your Terraform stack directory and run initialization: 
cd terraform-stack
terragrunt init
On success, you should see providers.tf and versions.tf created automatically.

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4. Configure Remote State in S3

An S3 bucket named kk-infra-state-<random> already exists for your Terraform state. Discover its exact name: 
aws s3 ls | grep kk-infra-state
Copy the bucket name and update your root terragrunt.hcl with this block to generate backend.tf: 
generate "remote_state" {
  path      = "backend.tf"
  if_exists = "overwrite"
  contents  = <<EOF
remote_state {
  backend = "s3"
  config = {
    encrypt        = true
    bucket         = "kk-infra-state-<random>"
    key            = "${path_relative_to_include()}/terraform.tfstate"
    region         = "us-east-1"
    dynamodb_table = "terraform box"
  }
}
EOF
}
Never commit your AWS access keys or state files to version control.

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5. Reinitialize & Apply Your Stack

Apply the new backend settings and spin up resources: 
terragrunt init
# If prompted, type "yes" to migrate your state.
terragrunt apply
# Confirm the plan with "yes".
You should see Terraform planning and applying an AWS VPC. Verify the VPC and related resources in the AWS Console once complete.

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6. Reconfigure Remote State (Optional)

To update or reconfigure the backend at any time: 
terragrunt init --reconfigure

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