What should I put in the "value" field?

A Terraform expression, typically a resource or module attribute reference like `aws_instance.web.public_ip` or `module.network.vpc_id`, not a literal string. The tool inserts whatever you type verbatim as the `value` line, so it needs to already be valid HCL.

Why mark an output sensitive?

Terraform normally prints every output's value after `terraform apply`; marking an output `sensitive = true` redacts it from that CLI output (showing `(sensitive value)` instead), which matters for outputs like generated passwords, connection strings, or private keys.

Can an output depend on another output?

Not directly; Terraform outputs can only reference resources, module outputs, and variables, not each other. If you need a derived value, compute it from the underlying resource attribute directly in the `value` expression.

Does output order in outputs.tf matter?

No, Terraform doesn't care about output declaration order, it resolves dependencies from each output's expression. The tool preserves whatever order you added the rows in purely for readability.

Terraform outputs.tf Generator

Overview

Introduction

outputs.tf tends to be an afterthought, added one output at a time as something downstream (a CI pipeline, another module, a teammate) needs a value exposed, which is exactly how output blocks end up inconsistently formatted across a codebase.

This tool generates a clean outputs.tf from repeatable rows, keeping the name, value expression, description, and sensitivity formatting consistent across every output.

What Is Terraform Outputs Generator?

An outputs.tf generator that turns a list of output rows, name, value expression, description, sensitive flag, into properly formatted `output "name" { }` blocks.

Each row becomes one output block in the order you added it, with the `sensitive` line only appearing for outputs you've toggled on.

How Terraform Outputs Generator Works

For each row, you provide an output name, the HCL expression Terraform should evaluate (usually a resource or module attribute reference), an optional description, and whether the output is sensitive.

The tool validates that names are unique and syntactically valid Terraform identifiers, that every output has a non-empty value expression, then renders each as a standard output block.

When To Use Terraform Outputs Generator

Use it when finishing a module and you need to expose several resource attributes as outputs at once, consistently formatted.

It's also useful when a downstream consumer (a CI script, another Terraform module, a teammate) asks for a specific value to be exposed and you want to add it without breaking the file's existing formatting conventions.

Often used alongside Terraform Config Generator, Terraform Variables Generator and Terraform Module Generator.

Features

Advantages

Keeps output formatting consistent across a file with many outputs, no more mixed styles from being added at different times.
Only emits the `sensitive` line for outputs that need it, keeping non-sensitive outputs clean.
Catches duplicate output names and missing value expressions before you paste the result anywhere.

Limitations

Doesn't validate that the value expression you typed actually resolves against real resources in your configuration, that's still Terraform's job at plan time.
Doesn't support Terraform's `depends_on` argument on outputs, which is rare but occasionally needed for explicit ordering.

Examples

Exposing an instance's public IP as sensitive

Input

name: web_public_ip, value: aws_instance.web.public_ip, description: "Public IP of the web server", sensitive: true

Output

output "web_public_ip" {
  value       = aws_instance.web.public_ip
  description = "Public IP of the web server"
  sensitive   = true
}

The sensitive flag adds a `sensitive = true` line, which suppresses this output's value in terraform apply's summary.

Best Practices & Notes

Best Practices

Write a description for every output; it's the primary way callers of a module discover what values are available without reading main.tf.
Mark outputs sensitive whenever the underlying resource attribute is a secret, password, or private key, not just when policy explicitly requires it.
Prefer exposing specific attributes (`.arn`, `.id`, `.public_ip`) over exposing an entire resource object as one output, since specific attributes give callers a stable, minimal interface.

Developer Notes

Output name uniqueness and identifier validity are checked before rendering, matching Terraform's own requirement that output names be unique within a module and follow standard HCL identifier rules (letters, digits, underscores, starting with a letter or underscore); the `sensitive` line is conditionally rendered rather than always present, since explicitly writing `sensitive = false` is redundant and most real-world outputs.tf files omit it entirely for non-sensitive outputs.

Terraform Outputs Generator Use Cases

Finishing a module by exposing all the resource attributes downstream consumers need
Standardizing outputs.tf formatting across a team's collection of modules
Adding a newly requested output without disrupting an existing file's structure

Common Mistakes

Typing a literal string instead of a resource attribute reference in the value field, producing an output that's always the same static text.
Forgetting to mark a credential-bearing output sensitive, leaking it into terraform apply's console output and CI logs.

Tips

Use the Terraform Variables Generator alongside this one so a module's variables.tf and outputs.tf stay consistently formatted.

Terraform Outputs Generator