In Terraform, a variable default is not a shortcut.
It is a declaration of intent.
Before Terraform plans anything, it asks a quiet question:
Is this value known?
Defaults answer that question early.
They collapse uncertainty.
They stabilize identity.
They quietly shape the dependency graph.
In this lesson, we explore variable defaults not as syntax, but as meaning.
How known and unknown values flow.
How intent becomes memory.
And why the most dangerous mistakes are often the silent ones.
If you’ve ever used defaults without thinking about them,
this lesson will change how you see Terraform.