72 lines
3.0 KiB
Markdown
72 lines
3.0 KiB
Markdown
---
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layout: "docs"
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page_title: "Initializing Working Directories - Terraform CLI"
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---
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# Initializing Working Directories
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Terraform expects to be invoked from a working directory that contains
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configuration files written in
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[the Terraform language](/docs/language/index.html). Terraform uses
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configuration content from this directory, and also uses the directory to store
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settings, cached plugins and modules, and sometimes state data.
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A working directory must be initialized before Terraform can perform any
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operations in it (like provisioning infrastructure or modifying state).
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## Working Directory Contents
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A Terraform working directory typically contains:
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- A Terraform configuration describing resources Terraform should manage. This
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configuration is expected to change over time.
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- A hidden `.terraform` directory, which Terraform uses to manage cached
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provider plugins and modules, record which
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[workspace](/docs/cli/workspaces/index.html) is currently active, and
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record the last known backend configuration in case it needs to migrate state
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on the next run. This directory is automatically managed by Terraform, and is
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created during initialization.
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- State data, if the configuration uses the default `local` backend. This is
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managed by Terraform in a `terraform.tfstate` file (if the directory only uses
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the default workspace) or a `terraform.tfstate.d` directory (if the directory
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uses multiple workspaces).
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## Initialization
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Run the `terraform init` command to initialize a working directory that contains
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a Terraform configuration. After initialization, you will be able to perform
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other commands, like `terraform plan` and `terraform apply`.
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If you try to run a command that relies on initialization without first
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initializing, the command will fail with an error and explain that you need to
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run init.
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Initialization performs several tasks to prepare a directory, including
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accessing state in the configured backend, downloading and installing provider
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plugins, and downloading modules. Under some conditions (usually when changing
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from one backend to another), it might ask the user for guidance or
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confirmation.
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For details, see [the `terraform init` command](/docs/cli/commands/init.html).
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## Reinitialization
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Certain types of changes to a Terraform configuration can require
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reinitialization before normal operations can continue. This includes changes to
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provider requirements, module sources or version constraints, and backend
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configurations.
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You can reinitialize a directory by running `terraform init` again. In fact, you
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can reinitialize at any time; the init command is idempotent, and will have no
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effect if no changes are required.
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If reinitialization is required, any commands that rely on initialization will
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fail with an error and tell you so.
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## Reinitializing Only Modules
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The `terraform get` command will download modules referenced in the
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configuration, but will not perform the other required initialization tasks.
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This command is only useful for niche workflows, and most Terraform users can
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ignore it in favor of `terraform init`.
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