Debug Your Infrastructure

Get Instant Solutions for Kubernetes, Databases, Docker and more

AWS CloudWatch
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Pod Stuck in CrashLoopBackOff
Database connection timeout
Docker Container won't Start
Kubernetes ingress not working
Redis connection refused
CI/CD pipeline failing

Terraform (AWS/GCP) Error: No valid credential sources found for AWS Provider

Terraform cannot find valid AWS credentials to authenticate API requests.

Understanding Terraform and Its Purpose

Terraform is an open-source infrastructure as code (IaC) tool created by HashiCorp. It allows developers to define and provision data center infrastructure using a high-level configuration language. Terraform supports multiple cloud providers, including AWS, GCP, and Azure, enabling users to manage infrastructure across different platforms consistently.

Identifying the Symptom

When using Terraform with AWS, you might encounter the error: Error: No valid credential sources found for AWS Provider. This error typically occurs during the execution of Terraform commands such as terraform plan or terraform apply, indicating that Terraform cannot authenticate with AWS due to missing or invalid credentials.

Explaining the Issue

The error message "No valid credential sources found for AWS Provider" signifies that Terraform is unable to locate valid AWS credentials required to make API requests. AWS credentials are essential for Terraform to interact with AWS services and provision resources. This issue arises when Terraform is not configured to access AWS credentials through any of the supported methods.

Common Causes

  • Environment variables for AWS credentials are not set.
  • The shared credentials file is missing or incorrectly configured.
  • IAM roles are not properly assigned or assumed.

Steps to Fix the Issue

To resolve this error, you need to ensure that Terraform can access valid AWS credentials. Here are the steps to fix the issue:

1. Using Environment Variables

Set the AWS credentials using environment variables. This is a straightforward method and involves setting the following variables:

export AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=your_access_key_id
export AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=your_secret_access_key

Ensure these variables are set in your shell session before running Terraform commands.

2. Configuring the Shared Credentials File

Another method is to use the AWS shared credentials file, typically located at ~/.aws/credentials. Ensure this file contains the necessary credentials:

[default]
aws_access_key_id=your_access_key_id
aws_secret_access_key=your_secret_access_key

For more information, refer to the AWS CLI Configuration Files documentation.

3. Utilizing IAM Roles

If you are running Terraform on an AWS EC2 instance, you can use IAM roles to provide credentials. Ensure the instance has an IAM role with the necessary permissions attached. Terraform will automatically use the instance profile credentials.

Additional Resources

For further reading and troubleshooting, consider visiting the following resources:

Master 

Terraform (AWS/GCP) Error: No valid credential sources found for AWS Provider

 debugging in Minutes

— Grab the Ultimate Cheatsheet

(Perfect for DevOps & SREs)

Most-used commands
Real-world configs/examples
Handy troubleshooting shortcuts
Your email is safe with us. No spam, ever.

Thankyou for your submission

We have sent the cheatsheet on your email!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Terraform (AWS/GCP) Error: No valid credential sources found for AWS Provider

Cheatsheet

(Perfect for DevOps & SREs)

Most-used commands
Your email is safe thing.

Thankyou for your submission

We have sent the cheatsheet on your email!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

MORE ISSUES

Deep Sea Tech Inc. — Made with ❤️ in Bangalore & San Francisco 🏢

Doctor Droid