Cloud Accounts & Foundations¶

Quick Overview

What: Set up and authenticate core cloud accounts and CLIs. Why: These accounts connect your homelab to the outside world and enable automation. Time: 30–60 minutes. XP: Up to 50 points (like Whose Line, the points are made up but the fun is real).

Entry Checks¶

Workstation setup complete with required CLIs (Command Line Interfaces) installed (gh, wrangler, docker, terraform, vault, consul)
HCP (HashiCorp Cloud Platform) Terraform account created and accessible

Outcomes¶

GitHub account and CLI (Command Line Interface) authenticated
Cloudflare account and Wrangler authenticated
Docker Hub account and CLI (Command Line Interface) authenticated
Optional: HashiCorp Cloud tools (Vault, Consul, Terraform)
HCP Terraform workspace created for remote state storage

With your workstation tools installed, it’s time to connect to the cloud. These accounts and CLIs are your lifeline to DNS, source control, container images, and Terraform state management.

🌐 Cloud Accounts¶

Before continuing, ensure you have the following accounts created:

GitHub (for source control & CI/CD)
Cloudflare (for DNS & security)
Docker Hub (for container images)
HashiCorp Cloud (for Vault/Consul/Terraform Cloud if desired)

Labs¶

3.1 GitHub CLI¶

The GitHub CLI (Command Line Interface) (gh) helps you manage GitHub repositories, pull requests, and authentication from your terminal. - Official docs: GitHub CLI Documentation

Authenticate with GitHub using:

gh auth login

Validation¶

Run gh --version
Run gh auth status

🏆 Achievement Unlocked: GitHub authenticated!

3.2 Cloudflare CLI (Wrangler)¶

Wrangler is Cloudflare’s CLI (Command Line Interface) for managing DNS, Workers, and KV namespaces. - Official docs: Wrangler Documentation

Authenticate with Cloudflare using:

wrangler login

Validation¶

Run wrangler --version
Run wrangler whoami

🏆 Achievement Unlocked: Cloudflare connected!

3.3 Docker CLI¶

The Docker CLI (Command Line Interface) is used to manage containers and also serves as the interface for Docker Hub logins. - Official docs: Docker CLI Docs

Authenticate with Docker Hub using:

docker login

Validation¶

Run docker --version
Run docker info

🏆 Achievement Unlocked: Docker docked!

3.4 HashiCorp CLI Tools¶

These CLI (Command Line Interface) tools are optional but recommended if you plan to use Vault, Consul, or Terraform Cloud. - Terraform CLI - Vault CLI - Consul CLI

Validation¶

Run terraform version
Run vault status
Run consul version

🏆 Achievement Unlocked: HashiCorp toolkit ready!

3.5 HCP Terraform Remote State¶

HCP Terraform provides a secure and centralized place to store Terraform state files.

Official docs: HCP Terraform
Log in to HCP Terraform:
```
terraform login
```
Follow the prompts to generate and paste an API (Application Programming Interface) token.
Create a new workspace in your HCP Terraform organization (via web UI or CLI).

Update your Terraform configuration to use the remote backend. Example:

terraform {
  backend "remote" {
    organization = "your-org-name"

    workspaces {
      name = "homelab-infra"
    }
  }
}

Initialize the backend:
```
terraform init
```

This ensures your Terraform state is safely stored in HCP Terraform.

Validation¶

Run terraform state list

🏆 Achievement Unlocked: Remote state secured!

Exit Criteria¶

GitHub CLI authenticated
Cloudflare Wrangler authenticated
Docker CLI authenticated
(Optional) HashiCorp tools validated
HCP Terraform remote state configured and validated

🎉 Chapter Complete! You’ve earned up to 50 XP (like Whose Line, the points are made up but the fun is real). Your cloud foundations are live!

Quick Overview

What: Shared abbreviations and hover tooltips for the campaign. Why: Ensures acronyms and jargon stay consistent across all docs. Time: Ongoing; update whenever a new term is introduced. XP: +5 per new acronym (like Whose Line, the points are made up but the fun is real).

Think of this file as your universal translator—every acronym here powers hover definitions site-wide.

🎉 Abbreviations updated! You’ve earned +5 XP for each new term (points don’t matter, but consistency does).