Remote Backend
A remote backend is a configuration that stores Terraform state remotely — for example in HCP Terraform or an S3 bucket — instead of on local disk. Remote backends enable team collaboration, state locking, and secure storage.
All Terraform Associate Terms
Infrastructure as Code
Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is the practice of defining and provisioning infrastructure through machine-readable configuration files rather than manual processes.
Provider
A provider is a Terraform plugin that lets Terraform manage resources on a specific platform such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud.
Terraform Core Workflow
The Terraform core workflow is the write, plan, and apply cycle: you write configuration, run terraform plan to preview changes, and terraform apply to make them.
Terraform Plan
A Terraform plan is the output of terraform plan, which compares the desired configuration against current state and shows exactly what will be created, changed, or destroyed.
Terraform State
Terraform state is the file that maps your configuration to real-world resources and tracks metadata.
Remote Backend
A remote backend is a configuration that stores Terraform state remotely — for example in HCP Terraform or an S3 bucket — instead of on local disk.
State Locking
State locking is a mechanism that prevents concurrent Terraform operations from writing to the same state at once, avoiding corruption.
Module
A module is a reusable, self-contained package of Terraform configuration with inputs (variables) and outputs.
Terraform Registry
The Terraform Registry is HashiCorp's public repository of providers and modules that Terraform downloads during initialization.
Input Variable
An input variable is a parameter that makes Terraform configuration flexible, defined with a type, optional default, and optional validation.
Output Value
An output value is a value a Terraform configuration or module exposes after apply, such as an IP address or resource ID.
Resource
A resource is the most important element in Terraform configuration, describing one infrastructure object such as a virtual machine or DNS record.
HCL
HashiCorp Configuration Language (HCL) is the declarative language used to write Terraform configuration, supporting blocks, arguments, expressions, and built-in functions.