Search

Search provides instant full-text search across all your Terraform resources, enabling quick discovery and navigation.

Overview

Search indexes all resource data:

  • Resource addresses
  • Resource types
  • Attribute values
  • Module paths
  • State names

Results appear instantly as you type.

Via UI

  1. Navigate to Insights > Search in the sidebar
  2. Type your search query
  3. Results appear instantly
  4. Click a result to navigate to the resource

Keyboard Shortcut

Press / anywhere in the UI to focus the search bar.

Search Syntax

Type any text to search across all fields:

database

Finds resources with "database" in the address, type, or attributes.

By Resource Type

Search for specific resource types:

aws_instance
aws_s3_bucket
google_compute_instance

By Address Pattern

Search for resources by address:

module.vpc
web-server
production

By Attribute Value

Search for attribute values:

t3.micro
us-east-1
my-bucket-name

Search Results

Results show:

Field Description
Address Full resource address
Type Resource type
State Terraform state name
Workspace Workspace name
Preview Snippet of matching content

Use Cases

Find Resources by Name

Search for resources by naming convention:

prod-database
staging-api
web-server

Find by Configuration

Search for specific configurations:

t3.large          # Find specific instance types
us-west-2         # Find resources in a region
10.0.0.0          # Find by IP address

Search finds resources across all states:

rds-cluster       # Finds in networking, database, and app states

Module Discovery

Find resources in modules:

module.eks
module.vpc.aws_subnet

Search vs Query

Feature Search Query (MQL)
Syntax Natural text SQL-like
Speed Instant Depends on query
Results Quick preview Full data
Use case Discovery Analysis

Use Search when you need to: - Quickly find a resource - Navigate to a known resource - Explore what exists

Use Query when you need to: - Aggregate data - Filter by complex conditions - Export results

Search Tips

1. Be Specific

More specific searches return fewer, more relevant results:

prod-web-server    # Better than just "web"
aws_rds_cluster    # Better than just "rds"

2. Use Resource Types

Include the resource type for precise results:

aws_instance web    # EC2 instances with "web"
aws_s3_bucket prod  # S3 buckets with "prod"

3. Search Addresses

Full or partial addresses work:

module.vpc.aws_subnet.private[0]   # Exact address
aws_subnet.private                  # Partial address

4. Search Attributes

Search finds attribute values:

m5.xlarge           # Instance type
enabled             # Boolean values
arn:aws:s3:::       # ARN patterns

Common Searches

Find EC2 Instances

aws_instance

Find by Environment

production
staging
development

Find by Team

If you use team naming conventions:

platform-
data-
security-

Find Modules

module.vpc
module.eks
module.rds

Find by Region

us-east-1
eu-west-1
ap-southeast-1

Integration with Other Features

From Search to Blast Radius

  1. Search for a resource
  2. Click to open resource details
  3. Click "Blast Radius" to see impact

From Search to Graph

  1. Search for a resource
  2. Click to open resource details
  3. Click "View in Graph" to see dependencies

From Search to Query

To perform deeper analysis:

  1. Search finds resource type/pattern
  2. Open Query
  3. Build MQL query for detailed analysis:
SELECT * FROM instances
WHERE address LIKE '%search-term%'

Best Practices

1. Start Broad, Then Narrow

database           # Start broad
prod database      # Add context
aws_rds prod       # Add resource type

2. Use Consistent Naming

Consistent naming conventions make search more effective:

  • {env}-{team}-{service}
  • module.{purpose}
  • Tags with standard keys

3. Know Your Conventions

Learn your organization's naming patterns:

  • How are environments named?
  • How are teams identified?
  • What module names are used?

Next Steps