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How to Install Terraform on Pop!_OS 24.04 - Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Step-by-step guide to install Terraform on Pop!_OS 24.04. Install HashiCorp Terraform using apt, verify the installation, and configure your first project.

LLuca Berton2 min read

Introduction

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Terraform is the industry-standard Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tool for provisioning and managing cloud resources. This guide shows you how to install Terraform on Pop!_OS 24.04 in under 5 minutes.

Prerequisites

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Before you begin, make sure you have:

  • A Pop!_OS 24.04 system (physical or virtual machine)
  • Root or sudo access
  • An active internet connection
  • A terminal/shell session

Install Terraform on Pop!_OS 24.04

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Step 1: Add the HashiCorp Repository

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HashiCorp provides official packages for major Linux distributions. Using the official repository ensures you always get the latest stable version with security updates.

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y gnupg software-properties-common
 
wget -O- https://apt.releases.hashicorp.com/gpg | \
  sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/hashicorp-archive-keyring.gpg
 
# Pop!_OS 24.04 is based on Ubuntu 24.04 (Noble)
echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/hashicorp-archive-keyring.gpg] \
  https://apt.releases.hashicorp.com noble main" | \
  sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/hashicorp.list
 
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install terraform

Step 2: Verify the Installation

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After installation, verify that Terraform is available:

terraform -version

You should see output similar to:

Terraform v1.12.x
on linux_amd64

Step 3: Enable Tab Completion (Optional)

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Enable shell autocompletion for faster workflow:

terraform -install-autocomplete

Restart your shell or run source ~/.bashrc to activate.

Alternative: Install from Binary

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If you prefer not to use a package manager, you can download the binary directly:

# Download the latest version
TERRAFORM_VERSION=$(curl -s https://checkpoint-api.hashicorp.com/v1/check/terraform | grep -oP '"current_version":"\K[^"]+')
wget "https://releases.hashicorp.com/terraform/${TERRAFORM_VERSION}/terraform_${TERRAFORM_VERSION}_linux_amd64.zip"
 
# Extract and install
unzip "terraform_${TERRAFORM_VERSION}_linux_amd64.zip"
sudo mv terraform /usr/local/bin/
rm "terraform_${TERRAFORM_VERSION}_linux_amd64.zip"
 
# Verify
terraform -version

Alternative: Install with tfenv (Version Manager)

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tfenv lets you install and switch between multiple Terraform versions:

git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/tfutils/tfenv.git ~/.tfenv
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.tfenv/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc
 
tfenv install latest
tfenv use latest
terraform -version

Your First Terraform Project

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Create your first configuration:

mkdir ~/terraform-demo && cd ~/terraform-demo

Create main.tf:

terraform {
  required_providers {
    local = {
      source  = "hashicorp/local"
      version = "~> 2.0"
    }
  }
}
 
resource "local_file" "hello" {
  content  = "Hello from Terraform on Pop!_OS 24.04!"
  filename = "${path.module}/hello.txt"
}

Run:

terraform init
terraform plan
terraform apply -auto-approve
cat hello.txt

Upgrade Terraform

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sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade terraform

Uninstall Terraform

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sudo apt-get remove terraform

Troubleshooting

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Command not found

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which terraform
echo 'export PATH="/usr/local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Permission denied

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sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/terraform

GPG key errors

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wget -O- https://apt.releases.hashicorp.com/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/hashicorp-archive-keyring.gpg

Next Steps

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Conclusion

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You've successfully installed Terraform on Pop!_OS 24.04. With Terraform, you can now define, provision, and manage infrastructure across AWS, Azure, GCP, and 3,000+ providers.

Install Terraform on other Linux distributions:

Related: Fix the Terraform inconsistent dependency lock file error — quick fix for this common issue.

#Terraform#Linux#Installation

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