This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Said Olano
The terraform init command is one of the first and most important commands to run when working with Terraform. Its main function is to initialize a working directory containing Terraform configuration files. Here's a detailed explanation of what it does:
**What exactly does terraform init do?
Initializes the working directory: Prepares the environment so you can start using Terraform in that directory.
Downloads providers: Terraform downloads the providers (like AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, etc.) specified in the .tf files from the Terraform Registry.
Installs modules (if used): If your configuration uses remote modules (for example, from GitHub or the Registry), terraform init downloads them.
Configures the backend (if specified): If you're using a remote backend (like S3, Azure Blob, etc.) to store the state file (terraform.tfstate), this command initializes it and verifies connectivity.
Checks plugins and versions: Ensures that all required versions are compatible and available.
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Said Olano
Said Olano | Sciencx (2025-06-30T20:18:16+00:00) What does terraform init do?. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2025/06/30/what-does-terraform-init-do/
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