Terraform Commands Reference Table

terraform init

Initializes the working directory

Downloads required providers and prepares the directory for use. It is typically the first command you run in a new or cloned project.

terraform validate

Validates configuration files

Checks whether the Terraform configuration is syntactically valid and internally consistent before planning or applying.

terraform plan

Creates an execution plan

Shows what Terraform intends to create, change, or destroy before making any real changes.

terraform apply

Applies infrastructure changes

Executes the actions from a plan to create, update, or destroy infrastructure.

terraform destroy

Destroys managed infrastructure

Removes resources managed by the current configuration. HashiCorp lists it as one of the primary workflow commands.

terraform fmt

Formats Terraform code

Rewrites configuration files to Terraform’s standard style, which improves consistency and readability.

terraform console

Opens an interactive expression console

Let’s you test Terraform expressions and inspect values using the current configuration and state.

terraform show

Displays state or saved plan contents

Useful for reviewing the current state or examining a saved plan file in readable form.

terraform output

Shows output values

Displays output values defined in the root module after a deployment.

terraform graph

Generates a dependency graph

Produces a Graphviz representation of the execution graph for analysis and troubleshooting.

terraform version

Shows installed Terraform version

Displays the current Terraform version and may also indicate whether a newer version is available.

terraform providers

Shows provider requirements

Lists the providers required by the current configuration, which helps with dependency visibility.

terraform modules

Shows declared modules

Gives a consolidated view of modules declared in the working directory, including source and version. HashiCorp notes this command requires Terraform v1.10.0 or later.

terraform state

Advanced state management

Parent command for working with Terraform state safely instead of editing state files directly.

terraform state list

Lists resources in state

Shows all resource addresses currently tracked in the state.

terraform state show

Shows details for one resource in state

Displays the attributes Terraform has stored for a specific resource instance.

terraform state mv

Moves items in state

Renames or relocates tracked objects in state without recreating infrastructure.

terraform state rm

Removes resource bindings from state

Makes Terraform forget a resource without deleting the real object in the provider.

terraform state pull

Pulls raw state data

Downloads the latest state snapshot from the configured backend.

terraform state replace-provider

Rewrites provider references in state

Updates provider references in the state file, typically during provider source changes or migrations.

terraform import

Imports existing infrastructure

Associates an already existing resource with a Terraform resource address so Terraform can manage it.

terraform taint

Marks a resource for replacement

Marks an object as tainted so Terraform will propose replacement, but HashiCorp says this command is deprecated in favor of -replace.

terraform untaint

Removes tainted status

Clears the taint marker from a resource in state if replacement is no longer needed.

terraform refresh

Refreshes state from remote systems

Updates state to match real infrastructure, but HashiCorp marks this command as deprecated and recommends -refresh-only with plan or apply instead.

terraform workspace

Manages workspaces

Parent command for creating, selecting, listing, and deleting workspaces.

terraform force-unlock

Releases a stuck state lock

Removes a stale lock on the current workspace when a previous operation did not exit cleanly.

terraform login

Stores credentials for a remote host

Obtains and saves credentials locally for supported remote services.

terraform logout

Removes stored credentials

Deletes locally stored credentials for a remote host.

terraform metadata functions

Prints Terraform function signatures

Shows signatures for functions available in the current Terraform version. HashiCorp notes this requires Terraform v1.4 or later.

terraform get

Installs or upgrades remote modules

Fetches remote modules used by the configuration. In modern workflows, terraform init commonly handles module installation as part of initialization.

-chdir=DIR

Changes working directory before running a command

Useful in automation when Terraform must run from a directory other than the root module folder.

-help

Shows help

Displays help output for Terraform or for a specific subcommand.

-version

Alias for terraform version

Prints the installed Terraform version.