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In this guide, you’ll learn how to migrate an existing Terraform project to OpenTofu, verify the changes, and then roll back to Terraform. We’ll cover:
  • Applying the initial Terraform configuration
  • Installing OpenTofu
  • Backing up state files
  • Initializing and planning with OpenTofu
  • Updating resources and applying changes
  • Rolling back to Terraform

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1. Apply the Initial Terraform Configuration

  1. Navigate to your project directory and review main.tf: 
    resource "local_file" "file" {
  filename = "terraform.txt"
  content  = "This file has been created with Terraform"
}
  2. Initialize and apply: 
    cd ~/opentofu-projects/migration
terraform init
terraform apply
  3. When prompted, enter yes. You should see: 
    local_file.file: Creating...
local_file.file: Creation complete after 0s [id=342bd3c96f4da9100a6360378942400b96bfb5]
Apply complete! Resources: 1 added, 0 changed, 0 destroyed.
  4. Verify that terraform.txt exists with the correct content.

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2. Install OpenTofu

Refer to the OpenTofu installation guide and select the installer for your OS.
Make sure to check your distribution using cat /etc/os-release before running the installer.
The image shows a webpage for installing OpenTofu, detailing various installation methods for different operating systems like Alpine Linux, Debian, Fedora, and more. The page includes a navigation menu on the left and installation options in the main section.

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Automated Debian/Ubuntu Installer

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -fsSL https://get.opentofu.org/install-opentofu.sh -o install-opentofu.sh
chmod +x install-opentofu.sh
./install-opentofu.sh --install-method deb
rm install-opentofu.sh
Or bundle the commands in install.sh: 
#!/bin/bash
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -fsSL https://get.opentofu.org/install-opentofu.sh -o install-opentofu.sh
chmod +x install-opentofu.sh
./install-opentofu.sh --install-method deb
rm install-opentofu.sh
Then run: 
chmod +x install.sh
./install.sh
Verify the installation: 
tofu version

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3. Backup the Terraform State

Always archive your existing Terraform state before migrating. Losing state can lead to resource drift or duplicates.
tar czf terraform.tfstate.tar.gz terraform.tfstate
Confirm the archive: 
ls
# install.sh  main.tf  terraform.tfstate  terraform.tfstate.tar.gz

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4. Initialize with OpenTofu

Switch to the OpenTofu workflow: 
tofu init

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5. Preview the OpenTofu Plan

Compare the two workflows with this quick reference:
ActionTerraform CommandOpenTofu Command
Initializeterraform inittofu init
Planterraform plantofu plan
Validateterraform validatetofu validate
Applyterraform applytofu apply
Run the plan: 
tofu plan
You should see the same local_file.file resource with filename = "terraform.txt".

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6. Update the main.tf for OpenTofu

Change main.tf to point to a new file and content: 
resource "local_file" "file" {
  filename = "opentofu.txt"
  content  = "This file has been created with OpenTofu"
}
Validate the updated configuration: 
tofu validate

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7. Apply with OpenTofu

Apply the OpenTofu configuration: 
tofu apply
Type yes when prompted.
The image shows a split screen with a task interface on the left, indicating progress in a task related to applying changes using OpenTofu, and a code editor on the right displaying a file structure and terminal output related to a Terraform project.
Confirm that opentofu.txt has been created with the new content.

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8. Roll Back to Terraform

  1. Backup the OpenTofu state: 
    tar czf terraform.tfstate.tar.gz terraform.tfstate
  2. Re-initialize with Terraform: 
    terraform init
The image shows a coding environment with a task to initialize a configuration directory using Terraform. The terminal indicates that Terraform has been successfully initialized.
  1. Revert main.tf to the original Terraform resource: 
    resource "local_file" "file" {
  filename = "terraform.txt"
  content  = "This file has been created with Terraform"
}
  2. Apply with Terraform: 
    terraform apply
    Enter yes and observe: 
    Plan: 1 to add, 0 to change, 1 to destroy.
Enter a value: yes
local_file.file: Destroying... [id=91b198b8059c5f72782d9c1d1fe18f6d]
local_file.file: Destruction complete after 0s
local_file.file: Creating...
local_file.file: Creation complete after 0s [id=342bd3c9e4fda9100a36097894200e96b]
Apply complete! Resources: 1 added, 0 changed, 1 destroyed.
You’ve now successfully migrated to OpenTofu and rolled back to Terraform!

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