In Terraform, what does a module represent?

In Terraform, a module represents a collection of related resources configured together. Modules allow for the organization of related infrastructure components into a reusable unit. This means you can encapsulate a set of resources that work together, define their configurations, and manage them as a single entity.

For example, a module might include an Amazon Web Services (AWS) VPC, subnets, network gateways, and security groups that operate together to create a functional networking infrastructure. By using modules, you promote reusability and maintainability of your Terraform configurations, making it easier to scale and manage your infrastructure deployments across different environments.

While a single resource definition offers a way to describe an individual piece of infrastructure, and a script for automating Terraform commands does address automation, neither captures the essence of encapsulating collections of related resources. Similarly, a template for creating configurations focuses on structure rather than the encapsulation of related components that a module provides. Thus, the idea of defining modules as collections of related resources is key to effectively leveraging Terraform in infrastructure management.