Terraform and Github Actions - makefile

Question

I have a Makefile to compile Terraform code. When I am running Makefile up locally, everything is working correctly.
Makefile
BACKEND_CONFIG = -backend-config=resource_group_name=${AZURE_TERRAFORM_RESOURCE_GROUP_NAME} \
-backend-config=storage_account_name=${AZURE_TERRAFORM_STORAGE_ACCOUNT_NAME} \
-backend-config=container_name=${AZURE_TERRAFORM_STORAGE_CONTAINER_NAME} \
-backend-config=key=${AZURE_TERRAFORM_RESOURCE_GROUP_NAME}.tfstate \
VARIABLES = -var=path=${PWD}/config/resource-groups \
all:
up: init plan apply
down: init destroy
init:
terraform init -reconfigure ${BACKEND_CONFIG} src
plan:
terraform plan ${VARIABLES} -out="plan.out" src
apply:
terraform apply plan.out
destroy:
terraform destroy ${VARIABLES} src
.PHONY = all init plan apply destroy up down import az_up az_down
What I am trying to do now is to run Makefile up whenever I am making a push request. I added all of my secrets in Github secrets and created a Github actions.
terraform.yml
on:
push:
branches:
- dev
pull_request:
jobs:
terraform:
name: 'Terraform'
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
environment: production
defaults:
run:
shell: bash
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout#v2
- name: build application
run: make up
working-directory: ./infra_as_code
Makefile (new)
BACKEND_CONFIG = -backend-config=resource_group_name=${{ secrets.AZURE_TERRAFORM_RESOURCE_GROUP_NAME }} \
-backend-config=storage_account_name=${{ secrets.AZURE_TERRAFORM_STORAGE_ACCOUNT_NAME }} \
-backend-config=container_name=${{ secrets.AZURE_TERRAFORM_STORAGE_CONTAINER_NAME }} \
-backend-config=key=${{ secrets.AZURE_TERRAFORM_RESOURCE_GROUP_NAME }}.tfstate \
VARIABLES = -var=path=${PWD}/config/resource-groups \
all:
up: init plan apply
down: init destroy
init:
terraform init -reconfigure ${BACKEND_CONFIG} src
plan:
terraform plan ${VARIABLES} -out="plan.out" src
apply:
terraform apply plan.out
destroy:
terraform destroy ${VARIABLES} src
.PHONY = all init plan apply destroy up down import az_up az_down
error I am getting in Github Actions:
Run make up
make up
shell: /usr/bin/bash --noprofile --norc -e -o pipefail {0}
terraform init -reconfigure -backend-config=resource_group_name=} -backend-config=storage_account_name=} -backend-config=container_name=} -backend-config=key=}.tfstate src
Too many command line arguments. Did you mean to use -chdir?
make: *** [Makefile:15: init] Error 1
Error: Process completed with exit code 2.

Answer 1

This is definitely wrong:
BACKEND_CONFIG = -backend-config=resource_group_name=${{ secrets.AZURE_TERRAFORM_RESOURCE_GROUP_NAME }} \
-backend-config=storage_account_name=${{ secrets.AZURE_TERRAFORM_STORAGE_ACCOUNT_NAME }} \
-backend-config=container_name=${{ secrets.AZURE_TERRAFORM_STORAGE_CONTAINER_NAME }} \
-backend-config=key=${{ secrets.AZURE_TERRAFORM_RESOURCE_GROUP_NAME }}.tfstate \
First, if you want to put explicit $ characters in a makefile recipe you need to escape them with $$. That's why you're getting this error: make is trying to expand these as make variables.
Second, if you want to pass these through the shell, you have to quote them for the shell. I'm assuming that you want the literal string ${{ ... }} to appear, in which case you want single quotes:
BACKEND_CONFIG = -backend-config=resource_group_name='$${{ secrets.AZURE_TERRAFORM_RESOURCE_GROUP_NAME }}' \
-backend-config=storage_account_name='$${{ secrets.AZURE_TERRAFORM_STORAGE_ACCOUNT_NAME }}' \
-backend-config=container_name='$${{ secrets.AZURE_TERRAFORM_STORAGE_CONTAINER_NAME }}' \
-backend-config=key='$${{ secrets.AZURE_TERRAFORM_RESOURCE_GROUP_NAME }}.tfstate'
(are you sure it's OK to add this whitespace after {{ and before }}?)
I know nothing about terraform or github actions so I have no idea if this syntax is what it wants, but it will pass through both make and the shell correctly.

Answer 2

${{ }} are replaced by github actions before the actual execution. Therefore that will not work within the Makefile.
Best option would be to use Make variables in the makefile and set them when calling Make:
BACKEND_CONFIG = -backend-config=resource_group_name=$(AZURE_TERRAFORM_RESOURCE_GROUP_NAME) \
-backend-config=storage_account_name=$(AZURE_TERRAFORM_STORAGE_ACCOUNT_NAME) \
-backend-config=container_name=$(AZURE_TERRAFORM_STORAGE_CONTAINER_NAME) \
-backend-config=key=$(AZURE_TERRAFORM_RESOURCE_GROUP_NAME).tfstate \
Then in github actions:
- name: build application
run: make AZURE_TERRAFORM_RESOURCE_GROUP_NAME=${{ secrets.AZURE_TERRAFORM_RESOURCE_GROUP_NAME }} \
AZURE_TERRAFORM_STORAGE_ACCOUNT_NAME=${{ secrets.AZURE_TERRAFORM_STORAGE_ACCOUNT_NAME }} \
AZURE_TERRAFORM_STORAGE_CONTAINER_NAME=${{ secrets.AZURE_TERRAFORM_STORAGE_CONTAINER_NAME }} \
AZURE_TERRAFORM_RESOURCE_GROUP_NAME=${{ secrets.AZURE_TERRAFORM_RESOURCE_GROUP_NAME }} \
up
working-directory: ./infra_as_code
I'm not a real Makefile expert, but as far as I know variables are used with $(VAR), not with '{' in make. But maybe ${} is also working.