Have Terraform generate its own internal secrets, with sizing tiers (#239)

Terraform generates the secrets that have no external meaning
(POSTGRES_PASSWORD, AUTH_SECRET, METRICS_TOKEN, INDEXNOW_KEY) via the random
provider instead of requiring the operator to hand-generate and paste each
into terraform.tfvars. Each is pinned with a static keepers value (secrets.tf)
so apply never regenerates a value already in use - the exact incident class
this guards against: every session invalidated, the app<->DB password
mismatched. Rotation is now a deliberate keepers edit, never a side effect.

postgres_password/auth_secret move from required inputs to optional (default
"") - explicit var wins when supplied (seeding an EXISTING live secret during
a migration onto Terraform, hop-1 cutover runbook Stage 0), else Terraform
generates and owns it. metrics_token/indexnow_key are new: neither existed in
Terraform before, both previously left for the app's own fallback generation.

VAPID deliberately stays a required, non-generated input - an EC keypair
where regeneration breaks every existing push subscription outright, unlike
an opaque token.

Sizing tiers: a locals.sizes t-shirt map (nano/small/medium/large ->
{workers, app_cpus, db_cpus, db_memory}), toward the target Proxmox
sizing-tier model (architecture doc SS6) ahead of actually provisioning VMs -
Proxmox itself stays deferred; today a tier just sizes container caps on the
existing SSH-managed hosts. A host can reference one by name (hosts.<name>.
size) or keep hand-picking the four fields, so existing tfvars are
unaffected; prod's example now uses size = "large" (identical numbers),
beta keeps explicit numbers, and a commented uat example demonstrates the
shortcut for a future ephemeral host.

Strengthened terraform/README.md's local-state caveat: more Terraform-
generated secrets landing in tfstate raises the stakes of the existing
never-commit-cleartext-state guidance, not just the sizing.

Verified: terraform validate + fmt clean. A real `terraform plan` against
fake hosts (prod/beta/uat, mixing size="large"/explicit-numbers/size="nano")
resolved every sizing correctly (prod 8/8/4/16g, beta 4/4/2/8g, uat
1/1/1/1g) and planned exactly one instance of each random_password/random_id
resource. Applied just those four resources (real generation, -target to
avoid touching the fake SSH-only host resources) and re-planned: "No
changes" - confirming the keepers pinning holds. Adding an explicit
postgres_password override afterward left the random_password resource
itself completely untouched (0 replace/destroy), confirming the override
path never disturbs the generated resource.
This commit is contained in:
Emi Griffith 2026-07-20 18:08:57 -07:00 committed by GitHub
parent 9be4d495e4
commit e5137e777d
8 changed files with 198 additions and 19 deletions

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@ -79,6 +79,17 @@ and back it up somewhere private. `terraform.tfvars` is likewise gitignored; onl
`terraform.tfvars.example` (dummy values) is committed. `.terraform.lock.hcl` **is**
committed so provider versions are pinned across machines.
**Terraform now originates, not just carries, some of these secrets**
(`postgres_password`/`auth_secret`/`metrics_token`/`indexnow_key` — see `secrets.tf`):
left unset, each is generated by the `random` provider and its value lives *only* in
`terraform.tfstate` — there is no other copy until it's rendered to a host's
`/etc/thermograph.env`. More generated secrets landing in state makes the local-state
posture above matter more, not less: **never commit or sync `terraform.tfstate` in
cleartext**, and before this config is used from a shared machine, CI, or a remote
backend, stand up an encrypted backend (or SOPS-wrap the state) first — see the hop-1
cutover runbook's hazard #15 and Track B step 7. Until then, treat `terraform.tfstate`
with the same care as the secrets it contains.
## WARNING — applying against live prod
`terraform apply` runs `remote-exec` **on the server**: it resets the checkout to the

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@ -3,6 +3,32 @@ locals {
# files here so a compose change re-triggers the remote deploy, and this is the
# tree the host's checkout mirrors over git.
repo_root = abspath("${path.root}/..")
# Reusable size presets a host can reference one by name (hosts.<name>.size)
# instead of hand-picking workers/app_cpus/db_cpus/db_memory separately. Mirrors
# the target Proxmox sizing-tier model (architecture doc §6: nano/small/medium/
# large -> {cores, mem}) ahead of actually provisioning VMs Proxmox itself is
# deferred; today these tiers just size the container caps on the existing
# SSH-managed VPS hosts. "large" matches the current 48 GB prod box's numbers.
sizes = {
nano = { workers = 1, app_cpus = 1, db_cpus = 1, db_memory = "1g" }
small = { workers = 4, app_cpus = 4, db_cpus = 2, db_memory = "8g" }
medium = { workers = 6, app_cpus = 6, db_cpus = 3, db_memory = "12g" }
large = { workers = 8, app_cpus = 8, db_cpus = 4, db_memory = "16g" }
}
# Per-host resolved sizing: a named tier (host.size) wins when set; otherwise
# the host's own workers/app_cpus/db_cpus/db_memory fields (each individually
# defaulted in variables.tf) so existing tfvars with explicit numbers are
# unaffected, and a tier is purely an opt-in shortcut.
host_sizing = {
for name, h in var.hosts : name => h.size != null ? local.sizes[h.size] : {
workers = h.workers
app_cpus = h.app_cpus
db_cpus = h.db_cpus
db_memory = h.db_memory
}
}
}
# One module instance per host. The module is entirely SSH-provisioner driven it
@ -21,10 +47,10 @@ module "host" {
domain = each.value.domain
compose_files = each.value.compose_files
app_dir = each.value.app_dir
workers = each.value.workers
app_cpus = each.value.app_cpus
db_cpus = each.value.db_cpus
db_memory = each.value.db_memory
workers = local.host_sizing[each.key].workers
app_cpus = local.host_sizing[each.key].app_cpus
db_cpus = local.host_sizing[each.key].db_cpus
db_memory = local.host_sizing[each.key].db_memory
timescaledb_tag = each.value.timescaledb_tag
openmeteo = each.value.openmeteo
om_data_dir = each.value.om_data_dir
@ -39,9 +65,13 @@ module "host" {
om_rclone_conf = var.om_rclone_conf
om_vfs_cache_max = var.om_vfs_cache_max
# Shared secrets -> /etc/thermograph.env
postgres_password = var.postgres_password
auth_secret = var.auth_secret
# Shared secrets -> /etc/thermograph.env. postgres_password/auth_secret/
# metrics_token/indexnow_key resolve through secrets.tf's locals (explicit
# var wins if supplied, else Terraform-generated) rather than the raw vars.
postgres_password = local.postgres_password
auth_secret = local.auth_secret
metrics_token = local.metrics_token
indexnow_key = local.indexnow_key
vapid_private_key = var.vapid_private_key
vapid_public_key = var.vapid_public_key
vapid_contact = var.vapid_contact

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@ -26,6 +26,8 @@ locals {
postgres_password = var.postgres_password
database_url = local.database_url
auth_secret = var.auth_secret
metrics_token = var.metrics_token
indexnow_key = var.indexnow_key
workers = var.workers
app_cpus = var.app_cpus
db_cpus = var.db_cpus

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@ -39,6 +39,14 @@ THERMOGRAPH_COOKIE_SECURE=${cookie_secure}
# Signs email-confirm / password-reset tokens; pinned so links survive restarts.
THERMOGRAPH_AUTH_SECRET=${auth_secret}
# --- Ops metrics + IndexNow (Terraform-generated; see ../../secrets.tf) ---------
# Lets the ops dashboard authenticate remotely (over an SSH tunnel or otherwise)
# instead of requiring direct loopback access.
THERMOGRAPH_METRICS_TOKEN=${metrics_token}
# The IndexNow key, published at /{key}.txt as proof of ownership. Freely
# rotatable — nothing external depends on this specific value staying put.
THERMOGRAPH_INDEXNOW_KEY=${indexnow_key}
# --- Web Push (VAPID) -----------------------------------------------------------
# Pinned so existing browser subscriptions keep receiving across restarts.
THERMOGRAPH_VAPID_PRIVATE_KEY=${vapid_private_key}

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@ -129,6 +129,18 @@ variable "auth_secret" {
sensitive = true
}
variable "metrics_token" {
type = string
sensitive = true
default = ""
}
variable "indexnow_key" {
type = string
sensitive = true
default = ""
}
variable "vapid_private_key" {
type = string
sensitive = true

65
terraform/secrets.tf Normal file
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@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
# Terraform-generated internal secrets values with no meaning outside this
# deployment, so Terraform owns generating them instead of requiring the operator
# to hand-generate and paste each one into terraform.tfvars.
#
# Every resource here is pinned with a static `keepers` value so `terraform
# apply` never regenerates a value already in use regeneration would be a real
# incident (every session invalidated, the app<->DB password mismatched, a
# bookmarked dashboard token broken). Rotation is a deliberate edit to a
# resource's `keepers` value here, never a side effect of anything else
# changing. See docs/architecture/repo-topology-and-infrastructure.md §6.
#
# The corresponding variable (variables.tf) defaults to "" (Terraform
# generates); supply an explicit value only to seed an EXISTING live secret
# during a migration onto Terraform (hop-1 cutover runbook Stage 0)
# `terraform plan` must show no change to the local below once the value
# matches what's already deployed.
#
# VAPID is deliberately NOT here: it's an EC keypair (var.vapid_private_key /
# vapid_public_key), generated once out-of-band and held as a stable REQUIRED
# input. Unlike an opaque token, there is no safe "Terraform regenerates it"
# story regeneration breaks every existing push subscription outright.
#
# Generated values land in tfstate. tfstate must never be committed or synced in
# cleartext stand up an encrypted backend (or keep these out of Terraform and
# supply them as pre-created Swarm secrets instead, per the hop-1 runbook's
# hazard #15) before relying on this in a shared or remote-state setup.
resource "random_password" "postgres_password" {
length = 32
special = false # lands raw (no URL-encoding) in THERMOGRAPH_DATABASE_URL
keepers = {
rotation = "1"
}
}
resource "random_id" "auth_secret" {
byte_length = 32 # matches users.py's own secrets.token_urlsafe(32) fallback shape
keepers = {
rotation = "1"
}
}
resource "random_password" "metrics_token" {
length = 32
special = false # may travel as a query param (?token=...); stay URL-safe
keepers = {
rotation = "1"
}
}
resource "random_id" "indexnow_key" {
byte_length = 16 # 32 hex chars, matching indexnow.py's own secrets.token_hex(16)
keepers = {
rotation = "1"
}
}
locals {
# var.X wins when explicitly supplied (migration: seed the existing live
# value); otherwise the Terraform-generated one see the file header.
postgres_password = var.postgres_password != "" ? var.postgres_password : random_password.postgres_password.result
auth_secret = var.auth_secret != "" ? var.auth_secret : random_id.auth_secret.b64_url
metrics_token = var.metrics_token != "" ? var.metrics_token : random_password.metrics_token.result
indexnow_key = var.indexnow_key != "" ? var.indexnow_key : random_id.indexnow_key.hex
}

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@ -19,12 +19,11 @@ hosts = {
domain = "thermograph.org" # Caddy TLS in front, app on loopback
compose_files = ["docker-compose.yml"]
app_dir = "/opt/thermograph"
# Sized up for the big box — tune freely. The Postgres internal budget scales from
# db_memory automatically (deploy/db/init/20-tuning.sh); no separate tuning edit.
workers = 8
app_cpus = 8
db_cpus = 4
db_memory = "16g"
# "large" is the named size tier for this box (locals.sizes in main.tf) — same
# numbers as hand-picking workers=8/app_cpus=8/db_cpus=4/db_memory="16g" below,
# via the shortcut. The Postgres internal budget scales from db_memory
# automatically (deploy/db/init/20-tuning.sh); no separate tuning edit.
size = "large"
# Self-host the ERA5 archive here: layers docker-compose.openmeteo.yml and
# provisions the rclone mount of the object-storage bucket (om_* vars below).
openmeteo = true
@ -45,11 +44,28 @@ hosts = {
domain = ""
compose_files = ["docker-compose.yml"]
app_dir = "/opt/thermograph"
# Explicit numbers, not a size tier — both styles work on any host; a tier is
# purely an opt-in shortcut (see prod's `size = "large"` above).
workers = 4
app_cpus = 4
db_cpus = 2
db_memory = "8g"
}
# UAT: an ephemeral, single-node environment — same images/topology shape as
# prod, not prod's scale (design doc §6/§9). Uncomment once a UAT box exists;
# not managed until then. "nano" keeps it cheap since it's destroyed when idle.
# uat = {
# host = "REPLACE_WITH_UAT_VM_IP"
# ssh_user = "deploy"
# ssh_private_key_path = "~/.ssh/id_ed25519"
# role = "uat"
# git_branch = "release"
# domain = ""
# compose_files = ["docker-compose.yml"]
# app_dir = "/opt/thermograph"
# size = "nano"
# }
}
# Optional overrides (shown with their defaults):
@ -74,11 +90,20 @@ om_rclone_conf = <<-RCLONE
RCLONE
# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Shared secrets (DUMMY values — replace, and keep this file out of git)
# Shared secrets (keep this file out of git)
# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
postgres_password = "REPLACE_WITH_A_STRONG_DB_PASSWORD"
# python -c "import secrets; print(secrets.token_urlsafe(48))"
auth_secret = "REPLACE_WITH_A_LONG_RANDOM_STRING"
# postgres_password / auth_secret / metrics_token / indexnow_key are OPTIONAL —
# left unset (or ""), Terraform generates and owns each one (see secrets.tf),
# pinned so `apply` never regenerates a value already in use. Uncomment and set
# one only to seed an EXISTING live secret when migrating onto Terraform (hop-1
# cutover runbook Stage 0) — `terraform plan` must then show no change to it.
# postgres_password = "REPLACE_WITH_THE_EXISTING_LIVE_DB_PASSWORD"
# auth_secret = "REPLACE_WITH_THE_EXISTING_LIVE_AUTH_SECRET"
# metrics_token = "REPLACE_WITH_THE_EXISTING_LIVE_METRICS_TOKEN"
# indexnow_key = "REPLACE_WITH_THE_EXISTING_LIVE_INDEXNOW_KEY"
# VAPID is NOT Terraform-generated — an EC keypair, generate once out-of-band and
# hold it as a stable input; regeneration breaks every existing push subscription.
# cd backend && ../.venv/bin/python -c "import push,json;k=push._generate();print(k['private_key']);print(k['public_key'])"
vapid_private_key = "REPLACE_WITH_VAPID_PRIVATE_KEY"
vapid_public_key = "REPLACE_WITH_VAPID_PUBLIC_KEY"

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@ -31,6 +31,11 @@ variable "hosts" {
app_cpus = optional(number, 4) # app container CPU cap (APP_CPUS)
db_cpus = optional(number, 2) # db container CPU cap (DB_CPUS)
db_memory = optional(string, "8g") # db container memory cap (DB_MEMORY)
# A named size tier (see locals.sizes in main.tf: nano/small/medium/large)
# when set, overrides the four fields above with the tier's preset. Leave
# null (default) to keep hand-picking workers/app_cpus/db_cpus/db_memory,
# as prod/beta already do below.
size = optional(string, null)
# The floating tag matches today's behavior everywhere until you pin it. Pin to
# an exact minor (SELECT extversion FROM pg_extension WHERE extname='timescaledb'
# on the live DB) before any host of this stack could ever replicate with
@ -88,16 +93,37 @@ variable "om_vfs_cache_max" {
# These live in terraform.tfvars (gitignored) and land in local state never commit
# real values. Every host in this config shares the same secret set; split the config
# if prod and dev must diverge on a credential.
#
# postgres_password / auth_secret / metrics_token / indexnow_key default to ""
# Terraform generates and owns each one (see secrets.tf), pinned so `apply` never
# regenerates a live value. Supply an explicit value only to seed an EXISTING live
# secret during a migration onto Terraform (hop-1 cutover runbook Stage 0).
variable "postgres_password" {
description = "PostgreSQL password (initializes the db container AND builds THERMOGRAPH_DATABASE_URL)."
description = "PostgreSQL password (initializes the db container AND builds THERMOGRAPH_DATABASE_URL). \"\" (default) => Terraform-generated."
type = string
sensitive = true
default = ""
}
variable "auth_secret" {
description = "THERMOGRAPH_AUTH_SECRET — signs email-confirm / password-reset tokens. Pin it."
description = "THERMOGRAPH_AUTH_SECRET — signs email-confirm / password-reset tokens. \"\" (default) => Terraform-generated."
type = string
sensitive = true
default = ""
}
variable "metrics_token" {
description = "THERMOGRAPH_METRICS_TOKEN — optional remote-access token for the ops metrics endpoint. \"\" (default) => Terraform-generated."
type = string
sensitive = true
default = ""
}
variable "indexnow_key" {
description = "THERMOGRAPH_INDEXNOW_KEY — IndexNow key, published at /{key}.txt. \"\" (default) => Terraform-generated."
type = string
sensitive = true
default = ""
}
variable "vapid_private_key" {