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Managing the OpenTofu state file directly is error-prone. Instead, use the tofu state subcommands to list, inspect, rename, pull, remove, and push resources safely.
CommandDescription
state showDisplay detailed attributes of a resource in state
state listList all resource addresses or filter by pattern
state mvRename or move resources within or between state files
state pullDownload remote state to your local machine
state rmRemove a resource from the state without destroying it
state pushOverwrite remote state with a local state file

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Viewing Resource Attributes with state show

To inspect resource attributes in the state file: 
tofu state show aws_s3_bucket.finance
Example (truncated): 
{
  "mode": "managed",
  "type": "aws_s3_bucket",
  "name": "finance",
  "provider": "provider[\"registry.opentofu.org/hashicorp/aws\"]",
  "instances": [
    {
      "attributes": {
        "bucket": "finance",
        "arn": "arn:aws:s3:::finance",
        "region": "us-west-2",
        "tags": {
          "Environment": "Production"
        },
        "versioning": [
          {
            "enabled": false,
            "mfa_delete": false
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  ]
}

​
Listing Resources with state list

Show all resource addresses in your state: 
tofu state list
Sample output: 
aws_dynamodb_table.cars
aws_s3_bucket.finance-2020922
Filter by a resource pattern: 
tofu state list aws_s3_bucket.cerberus-finance
# aws_s3_bucket.cerberus-finance

​
Renaming Resources with state mv

Rename a resource address in your state file (or move it between state files).
  1. Initial Terraform configuration (main.tf): 
    resource "aws_dynamodb_table" "state-locking" {
  name         = "state-locking"
  billing_mode = "PAY_PER_REQUEST"
  hash_key     = "LockID"

  attribute {
    name = "LockID"
    type = "S"
  }
}
  2. Existing state snapshot: 
    {
  "resources": [
    {
      "mode": "managed",
      "type": "aws_dynamodb_table",
      "name": "state-locking",
      "provider": "provider[\"registry.opentofu.org/hashicorp/aws\"]"
    }
  ]
}
  3. Rename in state: 
    tofu state mv \
  aws_dynamodb_table.state-locking \
  aws_dynamodb_table.state-locking-db

Move "aws_dynamodb_table.state-locking" to "aws_dynamodb_table.state-locking-db"
Successfully moved 1 object(s).
  4. Update configuration: 
    resource "aws_dynamodb_table" "state-locking-db" {
  name         = "state-locking"
  billing_mode = "PAY_PER_REQUEST"
  hash_key     = "LockID"

  attribute {
    name = "LockID"
    type = "S"
  }
}
  5. Verify no pending changes: 
    tofu apply
# Apply complete! Resources: 0 added, 0 changed, 0 destroyed.

​
Downloading Remote State with state pull

Fetch and view your remote state locally: 
tofu state pull
Example: 
{
  "version": 4,
  "terraform_version": "1.6.1",
  "serial": 0,
  "lineage": "b6e2cf0e...",
  "resources": [
    {
      "mode": "managed",
      "type": "aws_dynamodb_table",
      "name": "state-locking-db",
      "provider": "provider[\"registry.opentofu.org/hashicorp/aws\"]",
      "instances": [
        {
          "attributes": {
            "hash_key": "LockID",
            "billing_mode": "PAY_PER_REQUEST"
            ...
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
You can pipe into jq to filter: 
tofu state pull \
  | jq '.resources[] 
       | select(.name=="state-locking-db")
       | .instances[].attributes.hash_key'
# "LockID"

​
Removing Resources from State with state rm

When you need Terraform/OpenTofu to stop managing a resource—but keep it running in the cloud—use: 
tofu state rm aws_s3_bucket.finance-2020922
Sample output: 
Acquiring state lock. This may take a few moments...
Removed aws_s3_bucket.finance-2020922
Successfully removed 1 resource instance(s).
Releasing state lock. This may take a few moments...
state rm only removes the resource from the Terraform/OpenTofu state—it does not delete the actual resource in your cloud provider.
After removing, delete the corresponding resource block in your configuration.

​
Overwriting Remote State with state push

Use this command to replace the remote state with a local file. OpenTofu will refuse if the lineages don’t match: 
tofu state push ./randomstate/terraform.tfstate
# Failed to write state: cannot import state with lineage "1dc19ee8-..." over unrelated state with lineage "6d167ba6-..."
To force an overwrite (use with extreme caution): 
tofu state push --force ./randomstate/terraform.tfstate
Forcing a push can irreversibly corrupt your remote state. Always back up your existing state before using --force.

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