What file format does Terraform primarily use for its configuration files?

Terraform primarily uses HCL (HashiCorp Configuration Language) for its configuration files. HCL is specifically designed to be both human-readable and machine-friendly, making it an ideal choice for defining infrastructure as code. It allows users to write configurations that clearly express the intended infrastructure setup while also being easily parsed and processed by Terraform.

One of the significant advantages of HCL is that it provides a concise syntax that makes it easy to define resources, modules, and variables, enhancing the overall user experience. This ease of use is beneficial for developers and operators who need to quickly understand or modify configurations without having to navigate the complexity often associated with formats like JSON or XML.

In contrast to other formats, such as YAML, JSON, or XML, HCL's syntax is more straightforward for infrastructure definitions, providing specific structures and keywords tailored to common infrastructure operations. This specialized format fosters better collaboration and understanding within teams, as practitioners can easily grasp the configurations and their impacts on the cloud resources being managed.

Overall, HCL's combination of readability, simplicity, and expressiveness makes it the preferred format for Terraform configuration files, positioning it as the standard in infrastructure as code practices.