How to fix Error waiting for resource creation in Terraform

TerraformINTERMEDIATEHIGH

Terraform timed out waiting for a resource to reach its desired state during creation. This typically happens when cloud API operations take longer than expected, network connectivity is interrupted, or resource dependencies aren't properly configured.

What this error means

This error occurs when Terraform initiates a resource creation request to a cloud provider (AWS, GCP, Azure, etc.) but doesn't receive confirmation that the resource reached its desired state within the specified timeout period. The timeout can be triggered by slow API responses, network latency, insufficient provider quotas, or the resource still being in an intermediate state when Terraform stops waiting. Terraform's default timeouts vary by resource type and cloud provider, typically ranging from 15 minutes to 120 minutes.

How to fix "Error waiting for resource creation"

1Check if the resource was actually created

Even if Terraform times out, the resource may have been successfully created in the cloud provider. Check your cloud console:

AWS:

bash

aws ec2 describe-instances --region us-east-1

GCP:

bash

gcloud compute instances list --project=your-project

Azure:

bash

az resource list --resource-group your-rg

If the resource exists, you can import it into Terraform state using terraform import.

2Increase the timeout for the resource

Add or modify the timeouts block in your resource configuration to allow more time:

hcl

resource "aws_instance" "example" {
  ami           = "ami-0c55b159cbfafe1f0"
  instance_type = "t2.micro"
  
  timeouts {
    create = "30m"
    delete = "10m"
  }
}

resource "google_compute_instance" "example" {
  name         = "my-instance"
  machine_type = "n1-standard-1"
  
  timeouts {
    create = "20m"
    delete = "15m"
  }
}

Check the Terraform provider documentation for the specific resource to see which timeout attributes are supported (create, update, delete).

3Verify network connectivity to the cloud provider

Ensure your network allows outbound connections to the cloud provider APIs:

bash

# Test connectivity to AWS API
curl -I https://ec2.amazonaws.com/

# Test connectivity to GCP API
curl -I https://www.googleapis.com/

# Test connectivity to Azure API
curl -I https://management.azure.com/

If you're behind a corporate firewall, proxy, or VPN, ensure those are properly configured. Check with your network administrator if API calls are being blocked or throttled.

4Simplify resource configuration to speed up creation

Complex resources with many attributes, user data scripts, or dependencies take longer to initialize:

hcl

# Before - complex with user data
resource "aws_instance" "web" {
  ami           = "ami-0c55b159cbfafe1f0"
  instance_type = "t3.xlarge"
  
  user_data = file("${path.module}/init-script.sh")  # Long-running script
  
  root_block_device {
    volume_size = 100
    volume_type = "gp3"
  }
  
  network_interface {
    device_index         = 0
    security_groups      = [aws_security_group.web.id]
    subnet_id            = aws_subnet.private.id
  }
}

# After - minimal, add complexity later
resource "aws_instance" "web" {
  ami           = "ami-0c55b159cbfafe1f0"
  instance_type = "t2.micro"
  
  # Add complex configuration after initial creation
}

Start with minimal configuration and add attributes after the resource is created.

5Check cloud provider quotas and capacity

Resource creation may fail silently or stall if you've hit account quotas:

AWS:

bash

# Check EC2 capacity
aws ec2 describe-account-attributes --attribute-names supported-platforms

# Check service quotas
aws service-quotas list-service-quotas --service-code ec2

GCP:

bash

# View quotas in Cloud Console
# Go to: APIs & Services > Quotas

# Or via gcloud
gcloud compute project-info describe --project=your-project

Azure:

bash

az vm list-usage --location eastus

If quotas are exceeded, request a quota increase from the cloud provider.

6Check user data and initialization scripts

If your resource has a user data script or initialization command, it may be hanging:

hcl

# Check user data script for infinite loops
resource "aws_instance" "example" {
  user_data = "#!/bin/bash\nset -e\necho 'Starting...'; apt-get update -y; echo 'Done';"
}

# Use time_sleep to add delays between resource creation
resource "time_sleep" "wait_30_seconds" {
  create_duration = "30s"
}

resource "aws_instance" "after_wait" {
  depends_on = [time_sleep.wait_30_seconds]
  # ... rest of config
}

You can also SSH into the instance (if it was created) and check logs:

bash

ssh -i /path/to/key.pem ec2-user@instance-ip
tail -f /var/log/cloud-init-output.log

7Use terraform import as a workaround

If the resource exists in the cloud provider but Terraform timed out, import it into your state:

bash

# First, remove the resource from your .tf files that's causing timeout
# Then create an empty resource block:
resource "aws_instance" "example" {}

# Import the existing resource
terraform import aws_instance.example i-1234567890abcdef0

# Add configuration to match the actual resource
resource "aws_instance" "example" {
  ami           = "ami-0c55b159cbfafe1f0"
  instance_type = "t2.micro"
  # ... other attributes
}

# Verify the import
terraform plan

How to fix Error waiting for resource creation in Terraform

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How to fix "Error waiting for resource creation"

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