Adding blog post to call for testing OpenTofu 1.7.0-alpha1

blog/2024-03-18-help-us-test-opentofu-1-7-0-alpha1.md

@@ -0,0 +1,132 @@
+---
+title: Help us test OpenTofu 1.7.0-alpha1
+slug: help-us-test-opentofu-1-7-0-alpha1
+image: /img/blog/help-us-test-opentofu-1-7-0-alpha1.png
+---
+
+Hey there, OpenTofu community! Over the last few months we've been hard at work to bring new features, such as the **state encryption** and the **removed block**, as well as compatibility improvements to you. A few days ago we released the first preview version of these improvements as [OpenTofu 1.7.0-alpha1](https://github.com/opentofu/opentofu/releases/tag/v1.7.0-alpha1).
+
+We have done everything we could to make sure that the new alpha release doesn't break anything, and we need your help to get this release tested. If you have a **non-production** setup that you would be willing to test any of the new features on, please give it a try and give us [feedback using this form](https://github.com/opentofu/opentofu/issues/new?assignees=&labels=preview-release-feedback&projects=&template=1_7_0_alpha1_feedback.yml), even if it's just telling us that everything went well.
+
+This blog post will go over how to download the new preview release and detail how each of the new features works.
+
+:::warning
+
+Do not test this release on a production project! It is not a stable release!
+
+:::
+
+
+## Downloading the alpha release
+
+The alpha release is available exclusively from the [GitHub Releases page](https://github.com/opentofu/opentofu/releases/tag/v1.7.0-alpha1). Please select the appropriate file for your platform. Here are some quick links:
+
+| Platform/Device                                                                 | Download link                                                                                                                                       |
+|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
+| **Desktop Windows computer**<br />(64-bit)                                      | [tofu_1.7.0-alpha1_windows_amd64.zip](https://github.com/opentofu/opentofu/releases/download/v1.7.0-alpha1/tofu_1.7.0-alpha1_windows_amd64.zip)     |
+| **MacOS**<br />(Macbook M1 or higher; ARM64)                                    | [tofu_1.7.0-alpha1_darwin_arm64.tar.gz](https://github.com/opentofu/opentofu/releases/download/v1.7.0-alpha1/tofu_1.7.0-alpha1_darwin_arm64.tar.gz) |
+| **MacOS**<br />(Macbook pre-M1 or lower; AMD64)                                 | [tofu_1.7.0-alpha1_darwin_amd64.tar.gz](https://github.com/opentofu/opentofu/releases/download/v1.7.0-alpha1/tofu_1.7.0-alpha1_darwin_amd64.tar.gz) |
+| **Intel/AMD Linux computer or server**<br />(AMD64)                             | [tofu_1.7.0-alpha1_linux_amd64.tar.gz](https://github.com/opentofu/opentofu/releases/download/v1.7.0-alpha1/tofu_1.7.0-alpha1_linux_amd64.tar.gz)   |
+| **ARM-based Linux computer<br />or<br />Raspberry Pi 3 or higher**<br />(ARM64) | [tofu_1.7.0-alpha1_linux_arm64.tar.gz](https://github.com/opentofu/opentofu/releases/download/v1.7.0-alpha1/tofu_1.7.0-alpha1_linux_arm64.tar.gz)   |
+
+For the releases above, please unpack the archive and you should find the `tofu` binary inside. You can also use the [standalone installer](https://opentofu.org/docs/intro/install/standalone/) to download the release with signature verification.
+
+## State encryption
+
+State encryption is one of the flagship features of this release. We have prepared a [full documentation](https://1-7-0-alpha1.opentofu.pages.dev/docs/language/state/encryption/) for this feature.
+
+To test this feature, please make a backup of your state file and then add the following configuration:
+
+```hcl
+terraform {
+  encryption {
+    key_provider "pbkdf2" "my_passphrase" {
+      passphrase = "" # Enter a passphrase here
+    }
+
+    method "aes_gcm" "my_method" {
+      keys = key_provider.pbkdf2.my_passphrase
+    }
+
+    state {
+      method = method.aes_gcm.my_method
+      fallback{} # Remove after the migration is complete.
+    }
+  }
+}
+```
+
+You can migrate from an encrypted state file to an unencrypted one like this:
+
+```hcl
+terraform {
+  encryption {
+    key_provider "pbkdf2" "my_passphrase" {
+      passphrase = "" # Enter a passphrase here
+    }
+
+    method "aes_gcm" "my_method" {
+      keys = key_provider.pbkdf2.my_passphrase
+    }
+
+    state {
+      # Leave this block empty apart from the fallback block.
+      fallback{
+        method = method.aes_gcm.my_method
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
+```
+
+If you have access to an AWS account, you can also test the [AWS Key-Management Service](https://1-7-0-alpha1.opentofu.pages.dev/docs/language/state/encryption/#aws-kms) key provider. (Please note the [AWS KMS pricing](https://aws.amazon.com/kms/pricing/).)
+
+:::note
+The OpenTofu core developers would like to thank Stephan Bartels (Interhyp) and Alex Scheel for their extensive work on this feature.
+:::
+
+## Removed block
+
+The removed block lets you remove a resource from the state file but keep it on the infrastructure. We have prepared a [full documentation](https://1-7-0-alpha1.opentofu.pages.dev/docs/language/resources/syntax/#removing-resources) for this feature. You can test it by creating a resource first:
+
+```hcl
+resource "local_file" "test" {
+  content = "Hello world!"
+  filename = "test.txt"
+}
+```
+
+After applying, you can replace the resource with a removed block:
+
+```hcl
+removed {
+  from = local_file.test
+}
+```
+
+After the next apply, you will see that the local_file.test resource no longer exists in your state file, but the `test.txt` file should still exist on your disk. You can now remove the `removed` block safely.
+
+## Built-in function changes
+
+This release also contains several new functions and changes to existing functions:
+
+- New function: [templatestring](https://1-7-0-alpha1.opentofu.pages.dev/docs/language/functions/templatestring/)
+- New function: [base64gunzip](https://1-7-0-alpha1.opentofu.pages.dev/docs/language/functions/base64gunzip/)
+- New function: [cidrcontains](https://1-7-0-alpha1.opentofu.pages.dev/docs/language/functions/cidrcontains/)
+- New function: [urldecode](https://1-7-0-alpha1.opentofu.pages.dev/docs/language/functions/urldecode/)
+- New function: [issensitive](https://1-7-0-alpha1.opentofu.pages.dev/docs/language/functions/issensitive/)
+- [nonsensitive](https://1-7-0-alpha1.opentofu.pages.dev/docs/language/functions/nonsensitive/) no longer returns an error when the applied values are not sensitive.
+- [templatefile](https://1-7-0-alpha1.opentofu.pages.dev/docs/language/functions/templatefile/) now supports recursion up to a depth of 1024.
+
+## CLI changes
+
+There are also several changes to the CLI:
+
+- `tofu plan` now has a `-concise` flag to shorten the plan output.
+- `tofu console` now works on Solaris and AIX.
+- The CLI now supports the XDG directory specification.
+- Aliases for `state list` &rarr; `state ls`, `state mv` &rarr; `state move`, `state rm` &rarr; `state remove`.
+
+## Providing feedback
+
+Thank you for taking the time to test this preview release. If you have any feedback, please use [this feedback form](https://github.com/opentofu/opentofu/issues/new?assignees=&labels=preview-release-feedback&projects=&template=1_7_0_alpha1_feedback.yml) or chat with us on the [OpenTofu Slack](https://opentofu.org/slack/).

docusaurus.config.ts

@@ -190,7 +190,7 @@ const config: Config = {
     announcementBar: {
       id: "opentofu-ga",
       content:
-        '<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://opentofu.org/blog/opentofu-is-going-ga/">OpenTofu is going GA</a> – we\'ve released the first stable release of OpenTofu, a community-driven open source fork of Terraform.',
+        '<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="/blog/help-us-test-opentofu-1-7-0-alpha1/">OpenTofu 1.7.0-alpha1 is here</a> – try out coming features such as <strong>state encryption</strong>, the <strong>removed block</strong>, and much more.',
       backgroundColor: "#ffda18",
       textColor: "#1b1d20",
       isCloseable: false,