HashiCorp Terraform Associate (004) Question 210
Select 28b Describe HCP Terraform collaboration and governance featuresA platform team uses HCP Terraform to manage infrastructure for multiple application teams. They want developers to be able to propose infrastructure changes through version control, require peer review before changes are applied, and ensure that all production runs are checked against company policy before deployment. Which HCP Terraform features should the team use to meet these requirements? Select TWO.
- A
Connect workspaces to a VCS repository and use speculative plans from pull requests
- B
Use Sentinel policy sets to enforce policy checks on production runs
- C
Store Terraform state locally on each developer workstation to allow manual review before apply
- D
Use terraform validate in each repository as the only governance control for production deployments
- E
Require operators to run terraform apply manually from their laptops after code review
Show answer and explanation
Correct answers: A, B
Explanation
The best answer is to combine HCP Terraform's collaboration workflow with its governance capabilities. VCS integration supports team collaboration by triggering runs from repository activity and generating speculative plans for pull requests, which helps reviewers understand infrastructure impact before merge. Sentinel policy sets provide policy-as-code governance so organizations can enforce rules on runs before infrastructure is applied, especially in production. These are documented HCP Terraform features for collaborative workflows and governance. By contrast, local state and laptop-driven applies undermine centralized state management, auditability, and enforcement. Similarly, terraform validate is helpful in development but does not replace HCP Terraform policy enforcement or approval-oriented workflows.
- A. Correct.
Correct. HCP Terraform integrates with VCS providers so that workspace runs can be triggered by commits and pull requests. In a VCS-driven workflow, pull requests can generate speculative plans, allowing teams to review the proposed infrastructure changes before merging. This supports collaboration by making planned changes visible during code review.
- B. Correct.
Correct. Sentinel is an HCP Terraform governance feature used to enforce policy-as-code. Organizations can attach policy sets so that runs, especially for sensitive environments like production, are evaluated against required rules before apply. This is a core governance capability in HCP Terraform.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Local state on developer workstations reduces collaboration and central governance. HCP Terraform is designed to centralize state and runs so teams can review, audit, and control changes consistently. Local state would bypass many collaboration and governance benefits.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. terraform validate is useful for checking configuration syntax and internal consistency, but it is not a substitute for HCP Terraform governance controls. It does not enforce organizational policies such as cost, security, or tagging rules at the HCP Terraform platform level.
- E. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Manual applies from operator laptops work against the collaboration and governance model the scenario requires. HCP Terraform supports remote runs, auditable workflows, and policy enforcement. Running applies locally can bypass centralized controls, run history, and policy checks.