Initialize a Terraform working directory - TF-Associate-004 Core Terraform workflow

Initialize a Terraform working directory.

terraform init installs providers, downloads modules, and initialises the backend. It is the most misunderstood command: it does not create infrastructure. Candidates should know when re-running init is required (new provider or module, backend change) and what -upgrade does.

terraform initbackend initialisationprovider and module installationinit -upgrade

Practice question for this objective

Free sampleCore Terraform workflowmedium

A configuration has been working for weeks with a single provider. A practitioner adds a new 'required_providers' entry for the random provider and a 'random_pet' resource, then runs 'terraform plan'. Terraform reports that it requires the random provider but it is not installed. What is the correct next step?

terraform {
  required_providers {
    aws    = { source = "hashicorp/aws", version = "~> 5.0" }
    random = { source = "hashicorp/random", version = "~> 3.6" }
  }
}
resource "random_pet" "name" {
  length = 2
}

ARun 'terraform apply -auto-approve', which will pull the random provider automatically as part of applying the new resource.
BRe-run 'terraform init' so Terraform installs the newly added random provider into the working directory. Correct
CRun 'terraform get -update' to fetch the random provider, since it retrieves both modules and providers.
DDelete the .terraform.lock.hcl file so Terraform re-resolves and installs all providers on the next plan.

Adding a new provider or module requires re-running terraform init so the new dependency is installed before plan or apply. The set of installed plugins is fixed at init time. Introducing a new required provider makes the working directory out of date, and only a fresh 'terraform init' installs the added provider and records it in the lock file.

Why A is wrong: This is tempting because apply follows plan, but apply also depends on installed plugins and will fail for the same reason until the provider is installed by init.

Why B is correct: Correct: adding a provider changes the directory's requirements, and 'terraform init' is re-run to install the new provider and update the lock file.

Why C is wrong: This looks plausible, but 'terraform get' only downloads modules referenced by the configuration and does not install provider plugins.

Why D is wrong: Removing the lock file changes version selection but does not itself install anything, and plan still does not install providers, so the error persists until init runs.

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Initialize a Terraform working directory.

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