Map API Entities to Terraform Resources

Entity Mapping

Add the x-speakeasy-entity extension to objects in your OpenAPI Specification document to include them as entities in the Terraform provider, such as managed resources. The extension value may be a single string or an array of strings if the object should be represented by multiple API entities.

As a component:

components:
  schemas:
    Order:
      description: An order helps you make coffee
      x-speakeasy-entity: Order
      properties:
        id:
          type: integer
          description: Numeric identifier of the order.
        name:
          type: string
          description: Product name of the coffee.
        price:
          type: number
          description: Suggested cost of the coffee.
      required:
        - name
        - price
      type: object

Or inline in a path:

paths:
  /order:
    post:
      tags:
        - Order
      summary: Create a coffee order
      x-speakeasy-entity-operation: Order#create
      requestBody:
        content:
          application/json:
            schema:
              x-speakeasy-entity: Order
              properties:
                id:
                  type: integer
                  description: Numeric identifier of the order.
                name:
                  type: string
                  description: Product name of the coffee.
                price:
                  type: number
                  description: Suggested cost of the coffee.
              required:
                - name
                - price
              type: object

resource "yourprovider_order" "example" {
  name  = "Filter Blend"
  price = 11.5
}

Where you place the x-speakeasy-entity annotation affects the Terraform resource schema structure.

• At the top level: Properties are nested objects.
• At a lower level: Properties above the annotation are flattened.

Top Level

Pet:
  x-speakeasy-entity: Order
  type: object
  properties:
    data:
      type: object
      properties:
        name:
          type: string
        # ...

Results in the following resource schema and configuration:

resource "yourprovider_order" "example" {
  data = {
    name = "Filter Blend"
  }
}

Lower Level

Pet:
  type: object
  properties:
    data:
      x-speakeasy-entity: Order
      type: object
      properties:
        name:
          type: string
        #...

Results in the following resource schema and configuration:

resource "yourprovider_order" "example" {
  name = "Filter Blend"
}

Warning

Properties above the x-speakeasy-entity annotation are flattened, which could cause conflicts. Apply the annotation carefully to align the structure of the Terraform provider with the API’s intended interaction.

Specify Terraform Operations for API Operations

The x-speakeasy-entity-operation annotation on an API operation in the OpenAPI Specification specifies Terraform operations associated with an particular Terraform entity, such as a managed resource. In the simplest string value form, it is structured as entity#operation[#order] where:

• entity: Name of the Terraform entity for the API operation, such as the name of a Terraform managed resource.
• operation: Associated Terraform operation, such as close, create, delete, invoke, open, read, or update.
• order: (Optional) Ordering for API operation within the same Terraform operation, such as defining multiple API operations that should be invoked for a Terraform operation.

Managed Resource Terraform Operations

Define managed resources (sometimes called “resources”), which are associated with API resources that typically have a create, read, update, and delete (CRUD) lifecycle:

• entity#create: (Required) API operation(s) for creating an instance of an API resource. Also supports API operations for immediate update during creation, if certain API resource properties are not configurable during the initial creation.
  • entity#create,update: Alternative idempotent API operation(s) for creating and updating an instance of an API resource.
• entity#read: API operation(s) for reading an instance of an API resource. Enables Terraform configuration drift detection and import support. By default, a data resource of the same entity name will also be generated.
• entity#update API operation(s) for updating an instance, or specific properties, of an API resource. Enables in-place API resource updates rather than forcing replacement (deleting and re-creating the API resource) for Terraform configuration changes.
• entity#delete API operation(s) for deleting an instance of an API resource.

In this example, a pet managed resource with full create, read, update, and delete lifecycle and pet data resource (due to pet#read) are generated:

paths:
  /pet:
    post:
      description: Add a new pet to the store
      x-speakeasy-entity-operation: pet#create
  /pet/{id}:
    parameters:
      - name: id
        in: path
        required: true
        description: Pet identifier in the store
        schema:
          type: integer
    get:
      description: Retrieve a specific pet in the store
      x-speakeasy-entity-operation: pet#read
    put:
      description: Update a specific pet in the store
      x-speakeasy-entity-operation: pet#update
    delete:
      description: Remove a specific pet from the store
      x-speakeasy-entity-operation: pet#delete

Data Resource Terraform Operations

Define data resources (sometimes called “data sources”), which are associated with API data that is useful for dynamic lookup:

• entity#read: (Required) API operation(s) associated with reading data.

In this example, both pets and pet data resources are generated:

paths:
  /pet:
    get:
      description: List all pets in the store
      x-speakeasy-entity-operation: pets#read
  /pet/{id}:
    parameters:
      - name: id
        in: path
        required: true
        description: Pet identifier in the store
        schema:
          type: integer
    get:
      description: Retrieve a specific pet in the store
      x-speakeasy-entity-operation: pet#read

Ephemeral Resource Terraform Operations

Define ephemeral resources, which are associated with temporary API data or concepts:

• entity#open: (Required) API operation(s) associated with the Terraform ephemeral resource open lifecycle, such as fetching a temporary secret or opening a temporary network connection.
• entity#close: API operation(s) associated with the Terraform ephemeral resource close lifecycle, such as closing a temporary network connection.

In this example, a token ephemeral resource is generated:

paths:
  /token:
    get:
      description: Retrieve a temporary token
      x-speakeasy-entity-operation: token#open

In this example, a tunnel ephemeral resource with open and close lifecycle is generated:

paths:
  /tunnel:
    post:
      description: Open the network tunnel
      x-speakeasy-entity-operation: tunnel#open
    delete:
      description: Close the network tunnel
      x-speakeasy-entity-operation: tunnel#close

Action Terraform Operations

Define actions, which are API operations to invoke for automations:

• entity#invoke: (Required) API operation(s) associated with the Terraform action, such as starting an automation task.

In this example, a backup action is generated:

paths:
  /backup:
    post:
      description: Create a backup
      x-speakeasy-entity-operation: backup#invoke

Multiple API Operations for One Resource

When multiple API operations are necessary for a single resource, use the additional entity-ordering capabilities of the x-speakeasy-entity-operation annotation.

paths:
  /pet/{petId}:
    get:
      x-speakeasy-entity-operation: Pet#read#1
  /animal:
    get:
      x-speakeasy-entity-operation: Pet#read#2

Multiple API operations for one resource can be combined with multiple entity operations of one API operation for multiple resources as necessary.

If additional API operations have transient properties, such as an asynchronous task identifier necessary for polling, use x-speakeasy-terraform-ignore: schema to remove them from the Terraform schema.

One API Operation for Multiple Resources

When a single API operation is necessary for multiple resources, use multiple entity operation entries with the x-speakeasy-entity-operation annotation.

parameters:
  - in: query
    name: id
    required: false
    schema:
      type: string
operationId: GetAnimal
x-speakeasy-entity-operation:
  - Cat#read
  - Dog#read

One API operation for multiple resources can be combined with the entity operation ordering of multiple API operations for one resource as necessary.

If the resource creation requires both a create and update operation where the create response includes an API assigned resource identifier, mark the update request resource identifier property as read only via x-speakeasy-param-readonly: true to ensure the property remains non-configurable in the schema.

API Operation Pagination

Define automatic API operation pagination logic, such as paginated list APIs, via the x-speakeasy-pagination extension. The generation will automatically handle paging through all responses and removing pagination properties from resource schemas that would be extraneous to Terraform configurations.

In this example, an automatically paginated Pets data resource is defined:

paths:
  /pet:
    get:
      tags:
        - pet
      summary: Lists all pets
      x-speakeasy-entity-operation: Pets#read
      x-speakeasy-pagination:
        type: offsetLimit
        inputs:
          - name: page
            in: parameters
            type: page
        outputs:
          results: $.results

API Operation Polling

Define automatic API operation polling logic for APIs with asynchronous behaviors via the x-speakeasy-polling and x-speakeasy-entity-operation extensions in the OpenAPI Specification document. Refer to the SDK Polling documentation for additional information about configuring x-speakeasy-polling. For a complete worked example that wires polling into both create and delete operations using an overlay, see the async provisioning guide.

In this example:

/task:
  post:
    x-speakeasy-entity-operation: Task#create#1
/task/{id}:
  get:
    responses:
      "200":
        description: OK
        content:
          application/json:
            schema:
              type: object
              properties:
                name:
                  type: string
                status:
                  type: string
                  enum:
                    - completed
                    - errored
                    - pending
                    - running
              required:
                - name
                - status
    x-speakeasy-polling:
      - name: WaitForCompleted
        failureCriteria:
          - condition: $statusCode == 200
          - condition: $response.body#/status == "errored"
        successCriteria:
          - condition: $statusCode == 200
          - condition: $response.body#/status == "completed"
    x-speakeasy-entity-operation:
      - Task#read
      - entityOperation: Task#create#2
        options:
          polling:
            name: WaitForCompleted

The API operation is used for both the read operation and the second create operation, where the second create operation will use the WaitForCompleted polling method to ensure the success criteria is met before the resource logic (and therefore Terraform) continues.

There are delaySeconds, intervalSeconds, and limitCount configurations to override the x-speakeasy-polling configuration values for a specific entity operation.

In this example:

/task/{id}:
  get:
    x-speakeasy-polling:
      - name: WaitForCompleted
        failureCriteria:
          - condition: $statusCode == 200
          - condition: $response.body#/status == "errored"
        intervalSeconds: 5
        successCriteria:
          - condition: $statusCode == 200
          - condition: $response.body#/status == "completed"
    x-speakeasy-entity-operation:
      - Task#read
      - entityOperation: Task#create#2
        options:
          polling:
            name: WaitForCompleted
            intervalSeconds: 10

The WaitForCompleted polling method for the API operation defaults to a 5 second interval, however the create entity operation overrides to a 10 second interval.

Update Patch Semantics

Define automatic patch semantics for Terraform provider update operations via the x-speakeasy-entity-operation extension in the OpenAPI Specification document. When enabled, entity operations will only send attributes that have changed from their prior state, rather than sending the entire resource representation.

This is particularly useful for APIs that support partial updates (such as PATCH semantics) where sending unchanged fields may cause unintended side effects or where bandwidth efficiency is important.

Basic Usage

In this example:

/resource:
  post:
    x-speakeasy-entity-operation:
      - entityOperation: Resource#create,update
        options:
          patch:
            style: only-send-changed-attributes
    operationId: create-or-update-resource
    requestBody:
      required: true
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            $ref: "#/components/schemas/ResourceRequest"
    responses:
      "200":
        description: OK
        content:
          application/json:
            schema:
              $ref: "#/components/schemas/ResourceResponse"

The create,update entity operation uses the only-send-changed-attributes patch style. During entity operations, the generated Terraform provider will compare each attribute against its prior state and only include attributes that have changed in the API request.

Configuration

The patch style is configured within the options section of an entity operation mapping:

x-speakeasy-entity-operation:
  - entityOperation: Entity#operation
    options:
      patch:
        style: only-send-changed-attributes

When to Use

Use only-send-changed-attributes when:

• Your API supports partial updates (PATCH semantics) and may have side effects when unchanged fields are sent
• You want to minimize request payload size by excluding unchanged attributes
• Your API has fields where re-sending the same value triggers unwanted behavior (such as regenerating tokens or timestamps)

Manual association between Operations and Resource / Data Sources

The default behavior within Speakeasy is to automatically infer a data source from all operations that have an x-speakeasy-entity-operation: Entity#read association defined.

For some APIs, you might want the data source to use a “search” endpoint (e.g., search for an entity by name, where name is non-unique), while using a “get” operation for the resource (e.g., to find an entity by ID for state reconciliation).

In this case, use an object syntax for the x-speakeasy-entity-operation annotation to explicitly control whether an operation generates a resource, a data source, or both:

paths:
  "/example":
    get:
      operationId: getThing
      x-speakeasy-entity-operation:
        terraform-datasource: null
        terraform-resource: Thing#read

This syntax allows you to:

• Prevent automatic generation of a data source by setting terraform-datasource to null
• Prevent invocation of the operation during the resource’s Read method (“invoked as part of terraform state refresh”) by setting terraform-resource to null

For example, the configuration above declares that getThing is associated with just a resource, and a data source should not be automatically generated.

Wrapping Additional API Operation Response Data

When defining multiple API operations for a single entity, an API definition may be written such that those API operation response are a flattened object. When adding those additional operations to the entity, those flattened object properties are added to the top level of the resource schema by default.

Use x-speakeasy-wrapped-attribute extension to override this behavior, which will create a wrapping attribute that contains the underlying object properties in the final resource schema.

In this example, the resource will put the second API operation response properties underneath a subconfig attribute:

paths:
  /example/{id}:
    parameters:
      - name: id
        in: path
        required: true
        schema:
          type: string
    get:
      x-speakeasy-entity-operation: Example#read
      responses:
        "200":
          description: OK
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: "#/components/schemas/ExampleResponse"
  /example/{id}/subconfig:
    parameters:
      - name: id
        in: path
        required: true
        schema:
          type: string
    get:
      x-speakeasy-entity-operation: Example#read#2
      responses:
        "200":
          description: OK
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                allOf:
                  - $ref: "#/components/schemas/ExampleSubconfigResponse"
                  - x-speakeasy-wrapped-attribute: subconfig

Array Response Wrapping

Terraform resources require an object-type root schema. When an API returns an array, Speakeasy automatically wraps it in an attribute (default name: data).

Default behavior:

paths:
  /things:
    get:
      x-speakeasy-entity-operation: Things#read
      responses:
        "200":
          description: OK
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                type: array
                items:
                  x-speakeasy-entity: Things

Since the response is type: array, Speakeasy wraps it in a data attribute for Terraform compatibility.

Access in Terraform:

data.example_things.data[0].id

Customize the wrapper name:

paths:
  /things:
    get:
      x-speakeasy-entity-operation: Things#read
      responses:
        "200":
          description: OK
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                x-speakeasy-wrapped-attribute: items
                type: array
                items:
                  x-speakeasy-entity: Things

Now the wrapping attribute is named items instead:

data.example_things.items[0].id

Note

The wrapping attribute name is a Terraform construct created by Speakeasy, completely separate from your API’s response structure. Use x-speakeasy-wrapped-attribute to customize it.

Data transforms

When the shape of data on the wire differs from the structure a Terraform provider should expose, use the x-speakeasy-transform-from-api and x-speakeasy-transform-to-api extensions to apply jq expressions that automatically reshape data during serialization and deserialization.

For full details on format, available extensions, and examples, see Data transforms.

Resources with Soft Delete

By default, a generated managed resource uses the HTTP 404 Not Found status code on read to automatically remove the resource from the Terraform state which causes the next Terraform plan to propose recreating the resource. For resource APIs that support soft delete (grace time period before the resource is fully deleted), the x-speakeasy-soft-delete-property annotation adds a check against a read response property to also propose resource recreation.

For managed resources, any x-speakeasy-soft-delete-property attribute is omitted from the schema and state. For data resources, the attribute remains to preserve client-side filtering capabilities.

In this example, the resource will be proposed for recreation if the deleted_at property has a value:

paths:
  "/example":
    get:
      x-speakeasy-entity-operation: Example#read
      responses:
        "200":
          description: OK
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: "#/components/schema/ExampleGetResponse"
components:
  schemas:
    ExampleGetResponse:
      type: object
      properties:
        # ...
        deleted_at:
          type: string
          format: date-time
          x-speakeasy-soft-delete-property: true