# Best Practices Summary

## Code Organization
1. **Modular design**: Break code into reusable modules
2. **Consistent structure**: Follow standard file layouts
3. **Clear naming**: Use descriptive resource and variable names
4. **DRY principles**: Avoid duplication with modules and locals

## State Management
1. **Remote backends**: Always use remote state for teams
2. **State encryption**: Enable encryption at rest and in transit
3. **State locking**: Prevent concurrent modifications
4. **Backup strategy**: Enable versioning on state storage

## Security
1. **Sensitive data**: Use secret management, never hardcode
2. **IAM policies**: Principle of least privilege
3. **Security scanning**: Integrate tools in CI/CD
4. **Resource tagging**: Enable tracking and compliance

## Quality & Testing
1. **Validation**: Run terraform validate in CI/CD
2. **Static analysis**: Use tfsec, checkov, terrascan
3. **Automated tests**: Write Terratest for critical modules
4. **Code review**: Peer review all infrastructure changes

## Deployment
1. **Plan before apply**: Always review execution plans
2. **Incremental changes**: Small, frequent updates over large batches
3. **Rollback strategy**: Maintain previous state versions
4. **Change tracking**: Git history for all infrastructure code

## Documentation
1. **README files**: Document module usage with examples
2. **Variable descriptions**: Clear, comprehensive descriptions
3. **Output documentation**: Explain output values and usage
4. **Architecture diagrams**: Visual representation of infrastructure

## Version Management
1. **Provider constraints**: Pin major versions, allow minor updates
2. **Module versions**: Use semantic versioning for modules
3. **Terraform version**: Specify minimum required version
4. **Dependency locking**: Commit .terraform.lock.hcl

## Performance
1. **Resource parallelism**: Use -parallelism flag for large infrastructures
2. **Targeted operations**: Use -target for specific resources when needed
3. **State optimization**: Keep state size manageable, split large projects
4. **Provider caching**: Use plugin cache directory
