How To Install OpenTofu on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
In this tutorial, we will show you how to install OpenTofu on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. OpenTofu, a powerful infrastructure as code (IaC) tool, has gained popularity among DevOps professionals for its ability to streamline and automate the management of complex IT infrastructures. As more organizations adopt IaC practices, the demand for tools like OpenTofu continues to grow.
This article assumes you have at least basic knowledge of Linux, know how to use the shell, and most importantly, you host your site on your own VPS. The installation is quite simple and assumes you are running in the root account, if not you may need to add ‘sudo‘ to the commands to get root privileges. I will show you the step-by-step installation of the OpenTofu on Ubuntu 24.04 (Noble Numbat). You can follow the same instructions for Ubuntu 22.04 and any other Debian-based distribution like Linux Mint, Elementary OS, Pop!_OS, and more as well.
Prerequisites
- A server running one of the following operating systems: Ubuntu and any other Debian-based distribution like Linux Mint.
- It’s recommended that you use a fresh OS install to prevent any potential issues.
- Basic familiarity with the command line interface.
- SSH access to the server (or just open Terminal if you’re on a desktop).
- 20 GB free disk space.
- An active internet connection. You’ll need an internet connection to download the necessary packages and dependencies.
- An Ubuntu 24.04 system with root access or a user with sudo privileges.
Install OpenTofu on Ubuntu 24.04
Step 1. Updating the Package Repository.
Before proceeding with the OpenTofu installation, it’s crucial to update your Ubuntu system to ensure you have the latest security patches and software updates. Open a terminal and run the following commands:
sudo apt update sudo apt upgrade
Next, install the necessary dependencies by executing:
sudo apt install wget curl gnupg2 software-properties-common
These dependencies are required for the installation process and ensure a smooth experience.
Step 2. Installing OpenTofu.
- Installing OpenTofu via Snap
Snap is a package management system developed by Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu. It provides a convenient and secure way to install and manage applications across different Linux distributions.
Ensure that Snap is installed on your Ubuntu 24.04 LTS system. If not, you can install it by running:
sudo apt install snapd
Once Snap is installed, you can install OpenTofu by executing the following command:
sudo snap install opentofu
After the installation is complete, verify that OpenTofu is installed correctly by running:
opentofu --version
If the installation was successful, you should see the version number of OpenTofu displayed in the terminal.
To ensure that OpenTofu is functioning properly, you can run a few basic commands:
opentofu init opentofu plan
- Installing OpenTofu via the Debian Package
Debian packages (.deb) are the native package format for Ubuntu and other Debian-based Linux distributions. They provide a convenient way to install software and manage dependencies.
Download the latest OpenTofu Debian package from the official OpenTofu GitHub repository:
wget https://github.com/opentofu/opentofu/releases/download/v1.8.0/tofu_1.8.0_amd64.deb
Once the package is downloaded, install it using the dpkg command:
sudo dpkg -i tofu_1.8.0_amd64.deb
If there are any missing dependencies, you can resolve them by running:
sudo apt install -f
This command will automatically install the missing dependencies and complete the OpenTofu installation.
Step 3. Configuring OpenTofu
After installing OpenTofu, you may need to perform some basic configuration to customize it according to your requirements.
- Basic Configuration
To configure OpenTofu, you can modify the configuration files located in the /etc/opentofu directory. The main configuration file is opentofu.conf, which contains various settings and options. Open the configuration file using a text editor:
sudo nano /etc/opentofu/opentofu.conf
Modify the settings as per your requirements and save the file.
For more advanced configuration options, you can refer to the OpenTofu documentation, which provides detailed information on configuring OpenTofu for specific use cases, such as integrating with cloud providers, setting up remote state storage, and configuring access controls.
Congratulations! You have successfully installed OpenTofu. Thanks for using this tutorial for installing OpenTofu on the Ubuntu 24.04 LTS system. For additional help or useful information, we recommend you check the official OpenTofu website.
