JSON to Terraform HCL

HCL Syntax Basics

HCL (HashiCorp Configuration Language) uses unquoted keys and = for assignments. Objects become blocks with braces, and primitive arrays use square bracket syntax.

resource_group = "myapp-prod"
location       = "eastus"
vm_size        = "Standard_D2s_v3"

tags = {
  env  = "production"
  team = "platform"
}

Using the Three Output Modes

Raw assignments — paste directly into a .tf file at the top level or inside a resource block.

locals block — wraps output in locals { ... } so values are referenceable as local.key.

locals {
  resource_group = "myapp-prod"
  location       = "eastus"
}

variable blocks — generates a separate variable "key" { default = value } block per top-level key, ready for var.key references.

variable "resource_group" {
  default = "myapp-prod"
}

variable "location" {
  default = "eastus"
}

Common Use Cases

• Azure / AWS config migration: Convert ARM/CloudFormation JSON parameters to Terraform variables
• Application config: Turn a JSON config file into Terraform locals for a module
• CI/CD pipelines: Generate .tfvars-compatible HCL from JSON environment configs
• Infrastructure templating: Scaffold Terraform variable definitions from API responses
• Team onboarding: Quickly seed Terraform files from existing JSON documentation

FAQ