You're writing a Terraform configuration that needs to read input from a local file called id_rsa.pub. Which built-in Terraform function can you use to import the file's contents as a string?

The correct answer is B. file("id_rsa.pub"). The file() function in Terraform reads the contents of a file at the given path and returns it as a string. It is commonly used to import public SSH keys, certificates, or other plain-text file contents directly into a configuration (e.g., file("id_rsa.pub")). The other options s

Submitted by priya_blr· Apr 18, 2026Work with Terraform Configurations

Question

You're writing a Terraform configuration that needs to read input from a local file called id_rsa.pub. Which built-in Terraform function can you use to import the file's contents as a string?

Options

Afileset("id_rsa.pub")
Bfile("id_rsa.pub")
Cfilebase64("id_rsa.pub")
Dtemplatefile("id_rsa.pub")

How the community answered

(54 responses)

A
4% (2)
B
94% (51)
D
2% (1)

Explanation

The file() function in Terraform reads the contents of a file at the given path and returns it as a string. It is commonly used to import public SSH keys, certificates, or other plain-text file contents directly into a configuration (e.g., file("id_rsa.pub")). The other options serve different purposes: fileset() returns a set of file paths matching a pattern, filebase64() reads a file and returns its contents Base64-encoded (useful for binary files), and templatefile() reads a file and renders it as a template with variable substitution - it does not simply return the raw string contents.

Topics

#Terraform functions#File system operations#Configuration syntax#Built-in functions

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