How to Import an Google Compute Instance Template into Terraform

Import Google Compute Instance Template with Terraback (recommended)

Terraback reverse-engineers your live infrastructure: it reads the Compute Engine resource with read-only credentials, generates the HCL, and produces the exact import block. Two commands take you from a live Google Compute Instance Template to managed Terraform.

terraback scan all gcp --project my-gcp-project

terraback gcp import --method bulk

The Terraform import block

Terraback emits a Terraform 1.5+ import block like the one below. Because the block lives in your configuration, the import is reviewable in a pull request and repeatable across environments.

import {
  to = google_compute_instance_template.web
  id = "projects/my-project/global/instanceTemplates/web-tpl"
}

Example google_compute_instance_template configuration

Here is a realistic Google Compute Instance Template block. Terraback generates a fuller version from your actual resource attributes; this is a minimal, valid starting point.

resource "google_compute_instance_template" "web" {
  name         = "web-tpl"
  machine_type = "e2-medium"

  disk {
    source_image = "debian-cloud/debian-12"
    auto_delete  = true
    boot         = true
  }

  network_interface {
    network = "default"
  }
}

Gotchas when importing a Google Compute Instance Template

• Instance templates are immutable; almost any change forces a new template, so name_prefix plus create_before_destroy is the common pattern.
• The import path is global even though the template can launch zonal or regional instances.
• A managed instance group references this template; if you replace the template you must update the MIG to roll the change.
• metadata, including startup scripts and SSH keys, imports as a map and should be copied exactly to avoid recreation.

Doing it manually with terraform import

The native approach is to write the google_compute_instance_template block by hand, then run terraform import google_compute_instance_template.example <import-id> for every resource, one at a time. That works for a handful of resources, but it does not scale: you author all the HCL yourself and repeat the command for each item. Terraback generates the HCL and the import blocks for your whole account in one pass.

Import other Google Cloud resources