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Add native REST API calls feature to IBM Cloud provider #6944

Description

@imprateeksh

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Description

Currently, our Terraform modules depend on the external provider to perform REST API calls and operations. This introduces reliability concerns and adds a dependency on a third‑party provider outside the IBM Cloud ecosystem.

Proposal:

Introduce a native REST API calls feature within the terraform-ibm-cloud-provider to allow users to:

  • Perform REST API requests directly through the IBM provider.
  • Manage REST API operations without relying on external providers.
  • Ensure tighter integration, reliability, and long‑term support.

Benefits:

  • Eliminates dependency on external providers.
  • Improves reliability and reduces risk of failures due to third‑party maintenance.

Impact:
This enhancement will make the IBM Cloud provider more self‑sufficient, reduce external dependencies, and improve overall stability for teams using REST API integrations in Terraform.

New or Affected Resource(s)

  • This proposed enhancement wouldn’t directly “impact” existing IBM Cloud resources in the provider (like ibm_is_instance, ibm_container_cluster, etc.), because those are already well‑defined and mapped to IBM Cloud APIs.

  • Instead, it would introduce new functionality — likely in the form of a new resource or data source dedicated to generic REST API calls. For example:

    • New resource: Something like ibm_restapi_request that lets users define REST API operations (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) against IBM Cloud endpoints.

    • New data source: A ibm_restapi_data source to fetch data from IBM Cloud APIs not yet covered by existing resources.

  • Provider core: The provider’s core code would need enhancement to handle arbitrary REST calls, authentication and response parsing.

  • So the impact is additive — no existing IBM Cloud resources would break or change, but the provider would gain a new capability. This makes it easier to cover gaps where IBM Cloud services aren’t yet modeled as Terraform resources, without relying on external providers like mastercard/restapi.

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