# atmos terraform generate planfile

Use this command to generate a Terraform planfile for an Atmos [component](/components) in a [stack](/stacks) and convert it to JSON or YAML format for review.

## Usage

Execute the `terraform generate planfile` command like this:

```shell
atmos terraform generate planfile <component> -s <stack> [options]
```

This command generates a Terraform planfile for a specified Atmos component in a stack.

Under the hood, Atmos executes `terraform plan` to create a binary planfile, then uses `terraform show` to convert it into a human-readable format (YAML or JSON). This enables easy integration with other tooling like `checkov`.

:::tip
Run `atmos terraform generate planfile --help` to see all the available options
:::

## Examples

```shell
atmos terraform generate planfile component1 -s plat-ue2-dev
atmos terraform generate planfile component1 -s plat-ue2-prod --format=json
atmos terraform generate planfile component1 -s plat-ue2-prod --format=yaml
atmos terraform generate planfile <component> -s <stack> --file=planfile.json
atmos terraform generate planfile <component> -s <stack> --format=yaml --file=planfiles/planfile.yaml
atmos terraform generate planfile <component> -s <stack> --file=/Users/me/Documents/atmos/infra/planfile.json
```

## Arguments

- **`component` (required)**

  Atmos terraform component.

## Flags

- **`--stack` (alias `-s`) (required)**

  Atmos stack.
- **`--format` (optional)**

  Output format (`json` or `yaml`, `json` is default).
  ```shell
  atmos terraform generate planfile <component> -s <stack> --format=json
  atmos terraform generate planfile <component> -s <stack> --format=yaml
  ```
- **`--file` (alias `-f`) (optional)**

  Planfile name.
  Supports absolute and relative paths.

  If not provided, Atmos generates the planfile in the Terraform component directory with the name
  `<stack>-<component>.planfile.json` or `<stack>-<component>.planfile.yaml`, depending on the format specified
  with `--format` flag (`json` is default).

  If an absolute path is provided, the file will be created in the specified directory:
  ```shell
  atmos terraform generate planfile <component> -s <stack> --file=/Users/me/Documents/atmos/infra/planfile.json
  ```
  If a relative path is specified, the file will be created in the Terraform component directory:
  ```shell
  atmos terraform generate planfile <component> -s <stack> --file=planfile.json
  atmos terraform generate planfile <component> -s <stack> --format=yaml --file=planfiles/planfile.yaml
  ```
- **`--process-templates` (optional)**

  Enable/disable Go template processing in Atmos stack manifests when executing terraform commands.

  If the flag is not passed, template processing is enabled by default.
  ```shell
  atmos terraform generate planfile <component> -s <stack> --process-templates=false
  ```
- **`--process-functions` (optional)**

  Enable/disable YAML functions processing in Atmos stack manifestswhen executing terraform commands.

  If the flag is not passed, YAML function processing is enabled by default.
  ```shell
  atmos terraform generate planfile <component> -s <stack> --process-functions=false
  ```
- **`--skip` (optional)**

  Skip processing a specific Atmos YAML function in Atmos stacks manifests when executing terraform commands.

  To specify more than one function, use multiple `--skip` flags, or separate the functions with a comma.
  ```shell
  atmos terraform generate planfile <component> -s <stack> --skip=eval --skip=include
  atmos terraform generate planfile <component> -s <stack> --skip=terraform.output,include
  ```

## Validate Terraform/OpenTofu planfiles using Checkov

You can generate a planfile for a component in a stack and validate it using [Checkov](https://www.checkov.io/).

```shell
atmos terraform generate planfile <component> -s <stack>
checkov --file components/terraform/<component>/<stack>-<component>.planfile.json --framework terraform_plan
```

Refer to [Evaluate Checkov Policies on Terraform Plan](https://www.checkov.io/7.Scan%20Examples/Terraform%20Plan%20Scanning.html)
for more information.