website: Revamp the "terraform state mv" page

My original motivation here was to add the previously-missing -dry-run
option to the list of options

However, while in the area I noticed that this command hasn't had a
documentation refresh for a while and so I took the opportunity to update
it to match with our current writing style and terminology used in other
parts of the documentation, and so I've rewritten prose elsewhere on the
page to hopefully give the same information in a way that fits in better
with concepts discussed elsewhere in the documentation, and also to try
to add some additional context to connect this information with what
we've described in other places.

This rewrite also drops the example of moving from one "state file" to
another, because that's a legacy usage pattern that isn't supported when
using remote backends, and we recommend most folks to use remote backends
so it's strange to show an example that therefore won't work for most
people. Rather than adding additional qualifiers to that example I chose
to just remove it altogether, because we've generally been working to
de-emphasize these legacy local backend command line options elsewhere in
the documentation.
This commit is contained in:
Martin Atkins 2021-05-12 08:49:37 -07:00
parent ea089d06f1
commit ed121321c6
1 changed files with 113 additions and 58 deletions

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@ -3,43 +3,60 @@ layout: "docs"
page_title: "Command: state mv" page_title: "Command: state mv"
sidebar_current: "docs-commands-state-sub-mv" sidebar_current: "docs-commands-state-sub-mv"
description: |- description: |-
The `terraform state mv` command moves items in the Terraform state. The `terraform state mv` command changes bindings in Terraform state, associating existing remote objects with new resource instances.
--- ---
# Command: state mv # Command: state mv
The `terraform state mv` command is used to move items in a The main function of [Terraform state](/docs/language/state/index.html) is
[Terraform state](/docs/language/state/index.html). This command can move to track the bindings between resource instance addresses in your configuration
single resources, single instances of a resource, entire modules, and more. and the remote objects they represent. Normally Terraform automatically
This command can also move items to a completely different state file, updates the state in response to actions taken when applying a plan, such as
enabling efficient refactoring. removing a binding for an remote object that has now been deleted.
You can use `terraform state mv` in the less common situation where you wish
to retain an existing remote object but track it as a different resource
instance address in Terraform, such as if you have renamed a resource block
or you have moved it into a different module in your configuration.
## Usage ## Usage
Usage: `terraform state mv [options] SOURCE DESTINATION` Usage: `terraform state mv [options] SOURCE DESTINATION`
This command will move an item matched by the address given to the Terraform will look in the current state for a resource instance, resource,
destination address. This command can also move to a destination address or module that matches the given address, and if successful it will move the
in a completely different state file. remote objects currently associated with the source to be tracked instead
by the destination.
This can be used for simple resource renaming, moving items to and from Both the source and destination addresses must use
a module, moving entire modules, and more. And because this command can also [resource address syntax](/docs/cli/state/resource-addressing.html), and
move data to a completely new state, it can also be used for refactoring they must both refer to the same kind of object: you can only move a resource
one configuration into multiple separately managed Terraform configurations. instance to another resource instance, a whole module instance to another
whole module instance, etc. Furthermore, if you are moving a resource or
a resource instance then you can only move it to a new address with the
same resource type.
This command will output a backup copy of the state prior to saving any The most common uses for `terraform state mv` are when you have renamed a
changes. The backup cannot be disabled. Due to the destructive nature resource block in your configuration or you've moved a resource block into
of this command, backups are required. a child module, in both cases with the intention of retaining the existing
object but tracking it under a new name. By default Terraform will understand
moving or renaming a resource configuration as a request to delete the old
object and create a new object at the new address, and so `terraform state mv`
allows you to override that interpretation by pre-emptively attaching the
existing object to the new address in Terraform.
If you're moving an item to a different state file, a backup will be created ~> *Warning:* If you are using Terraform in a collaborative environment, you
for each state file. must ensure that when you are using `terraform state mv` for a code refactoring
purpose you communicate carefully with your coworkers to ensure that nobody
makes any other changes between your configuration change and your
`terraform state mv` command, because otherwise they might inadvertently create
a plan that will destroy the old object and create a new object at the new
address.
This command requires a source and destination address of the item to move. This command also accepts the following option:
Addresses are
in [resource addressing format](/docs/cli/state/resource-addressing.html).
This command doesn't normally accept any command line options, except in * `-dry-run` - Report all of the resource instances that match the given
the special situations described in the following paragraphs. address without actually "forgetting" any of them.
For configurations using For configurations using
[the `remote` backend](/docs/language/settings/backends/remote.html) [the `remote` backend](/docs/language/settings/backends/remote.html)
@ -54,69 +71,107 @@ For configurations using
## Example: Rename a Resource ## Example: Rename a Resource
The example below renames the `packet_device` resource named `worker` to `helper`: Renaming a resource means making a configuration change like the following:
```diff
-resource "packet_device" "worker" {
+resource "packet_device" "helper" {
# ...
}
```
To tell Terraform that it should treat the new "helper" resource as a rename
of the old "worker" resource, you can pair the above configuration change
with the following command:
```shell ```shell
$ terraform state mv 'packet_device.worker' 'packet_device.helper' terraform state mv packet_device.worker packet_device.helper
``` ```
## Example: Move a Resource Into a Module ## Example: Move a Resource Into a Module
The example below moves the `packet_device` resource named `worker` into a module If you originally wrote a resource in your root module but now wish to refactor
named `app`. The module will be created if it doesn't exist. it into a child module, you can move the `resource` block into the child
module configuration, removing the original in the root module, and then
run the following command to tell Terraform to treat it as a move:
```shell ```shell
$ terraform state mv 'packet_device.worker' 'module.app.packet_device.worker' terraform state mv packet_device.worker module.worker.packet_device.worker
```
In the above example the new resource has the same name but a different module
address. You could also change the resource name at the same time, if the new
module organization suggests a different naming scheme:
```shell
terraform state mv packet_device.worker module.worker.packet_device.main
``` ```
## Example: Move a Module Into a Module ## Example: Move a Module Into a Module
The example below moves the module named `app` under the module named `parent`. You can also refactor an entire module into a child module. In the
configuration, move the `module` block representing the module into a different
module and then pair that change with a command like the following:
```shell ```shell
$ terraform state mv 'module.app' 'module.parent.module.app' terraform state mv module.app module.parent.module.app
``` ```
## Example: Move a Module to Another State ## Example: Move a Particular Instance of a Resource using `count`
The example below moves the module named `app` into another state file. This removes A resource defined with [the `count` meta-argument](/docs/language/meta-arguments/count.html)
the module from the original state file and adds it to the destination. has multiple instances that are each identified by an integer. You can
The source and destination are the same meaning we're keeping the same name. select a particular instance by including an explicit index in your given
address:
```shell
$ terraform state mv -state-out=other.tfstate 'module.app' 'module.app'
```
## Example: Move a Resource configured with count
The example below moves the first instance of a `packet_device` resource named `worker` configured with
[`count`](/docs/language/meta-arguments/count.html) to
the first instance of a resource named `helper` also configured with `count`:
```shell ```shell
$ terraform state mv 'packet_device.worker[0]' 'packet_device.helper[0]' $ terraform state mv 'packet_device.worker[0]' 'packet_device.helper[0]'
``` ```
## Example: Move a Resource configured with for_each A resource that doesn't use `count` or `for_each` has only a single resource
instance whose address is the same as the resource itself, and so you can
The example below moves the `"example123"` instance of a `packet_device` resource named `worker` configured with move from an address not containing an index to an address containing an index,
[`for_each`](/docs/language/meta-arguments/for_each.html) or the opposite, as long as the address type you use matches whether and how
to the `"example456"` instance of a resource named `helper` also configuring `for_each`: each resource is configured:
Linux, Mac OS, and UNIX:
```shell ```shell
$ terraform state mv 'packet_device.worker["example123"]' 'packet_device.helper["example456"]' $ terraform state mv 'packet_device.main' 'packet_device.all[0]'
```
Brackets (`[`, `]`) have a special meaning in some shells, so you may need to
quote or escape the address in order to pass it literally to Terraform.
The above examples show the typical quoting syntax for Unix-style shells.
## Example: Move a Resource configured with for_each
A resource defined with [the `for_each` meta-argument](/docs/language/meta-arguments/for_each.html)
has multiple instances that are each identified by an string. You can
select a particular instance by including an explicit key in your given
address.
However, the syntax for strings includes quotes and the quote symbol often
has special meaning in command shells, so you'll need to use the appropriate
quoting and/or escaping syntax for the shell you are using. For example:
Unix-style shells, such as on Linux or macOS:
```shell
terraform state mv 'packet_device.worker["example123"]' 'packet_device.helper["example456"]'
```
Windows Command Prompt (`cmd.exe`):
```shell
terraform state mv packet_device.worker[\"example123\"] packet_device.helper[\"example456\"]
``` ```
PowerShell: PowerShell:
```shell ```shell
$ terraform state mv 'packet_device.worker[\"example123\"]' 'packet_device.helper[\"example456\"]' terraform state mv 'packet_device.worker[\"example123\"]' 'packet_device.helper[\"example456\"]'
``` ```
Windows `cmd.exe`: Aside from the use of strings instead of integers for instance keys, the
treatment of `for_each` resources is similar to `count` resources and so
```shell the same combinations of addresses with and without index components is
$ terraform state mv packet_device.worker[\"example123\"] packet_device.helper[\"example456\"] valid as described in the previous section.
```