Terraform Most-Used Commands

17/06/202616/06/2026 by Luis

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40 explained Terraform commands

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#	Command	Explanation	Copy	Run
1	`terraform init`	Initializes the working directory and downloads required providers/modules.
2	`terraform init -upgrade`	Upgrades providers and modules while respecting version constraints.
3	`terraform init -backend=false`	Initializes without configuring a remote backend; useful for local validation or CI.
4	`terraform fmt`	Formats .tf files using Terraform standard style.
5	`terraform fmt -recursive`	Formats the current directory and all subdirectories.
6	`terraform validate`	Validates syntax, types and internal structure without creating resources.
7	`terraform validate -json`	Returns validation results as JSON for automated integrations.
8	`terraform plan`	Previews the changes Terraform would make to the infrastructure.
9	`terraform plan -out=tfplan`	Saves the plan so it can be applied later in a controlled way.
10	`terraform plan -destroy`	Previews destruction of resources managed by the state.
11	`terraform plan -var="env=dev"`	Runs the plan using a variable passed from the command line.
12	`terraform plan -var-file="dev.tfvars"`	Runs the plan using variables from a tfvars file.
13	`terraform apply`	Applies proposed changes and creates, modifies or deletes resources.
14	`terraform apply tfplan`	Applies a plan previously saved with -out.
15	`terraform apply -auto-approve`	Applies without interactive approval; use only in labs or controlled CI/CD.
16	`terraform destroy`	Destroys infrastructure managed by the current state.
17	`terraform destroy -auto-approve`	Destroys without asking for confirmation; critical command to use carefully.
18	`terraform output`	Shows values defined in output blocks.
19	`terraform output -json`	Shows outputs as JSON for integrations and scripts.
20	`terraform state list`	Lists resources Terraform manages in the current state.
21	`terraform state show aws_instance.demo`	Shows detailed attributes for one resource in state.
22	`terraform state mv old new`	Renames or moves a resource within state without recreating it.
23	`terraform state rm resource`	Removes a resource from state without deleting it from the real cloud.
24	`terraform import resource id`	Imports an existing resource so Terraform can manage it.
25	`terraform refresh`	Refreshes state from provider data; newer workflows prefer plan/apply.
26	`terraform providers`	Shows providers required by the configuration and modules.
27	`terraform providers lock`	Generates or updates the provider lock file for repeatable runs.
28	`terraform version`	Shows the installed Terraform version and relevant provider versions.
29	`terraform console`	Opens an interactive console to evaluate Terraform expressions.
30	`terraform graph`	Generates a DOT dependency graph between resources.
31	`terraform workspace list`	Lists available workspaces.
32	`terraform workspace new dev`	Creates a workspace to separate state by environment.
33	`terraform workspace select dev`	Switches to the dev workspace.
34	`terraform workspace show`	Shows the active workspace.
35	`terraform taint resource`	Marks a resource to be recreated on the next apply.
36	`terraform untaint resource`	Removes the taint mark from a resource.
37	`terraform login`	Logs in to use Terraform Cloud or HCP Terraform.
38	`terraform logout`	Logs out of the saved Terraform Cloud/HCP session.
39	`terraform test`	Runs native Terraform tests when test files exist.
40	`terraform modules`	Shows modules used by the configuration when supported by the CLI.

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