> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://notes.kodekloud.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Terraform State and Refresh
> Explains Terraform state concepts, inspection and management commands, and how to refresh state to reconcile drift without changing infrastructure.
In this lesson we'll examine Terraform state: what it contains, how to inspect it, and how to refresh it when infrastructure changes outside of Terraform. We previously wrote configuration and applied it — Terraform's true power comes from how it tracks resources in state. Here we'll learn how to view that state, perform safe state maintenance, and reconcile Terraform's view with the actual provider.
## What is Terraform state?
Terraform stores a state file that serves as the authoritative record of resources Terraform manages. This file contains the mapping between resource addresses in your configuration and the actual provider-managed resources (IDs, computed attributes, metadata). Terraform relies on state to plan changes and detect drift.
## Inspecting state
Use the `terraform state` family of commands to inspect and manage the state. To see all tracked resources:
```bash theme={null}
$ terraform state list
azurerm_storage_account.example
```
To view detailed attributes for a single tracked resource:
```bash theme={null}
$ terraform state show azurerm_storage_account.example
# azurerm_storage_account.example:
resource "azurerm_storage_account" "example" {
access_tier = "Hot"
account_kind = "StorageV2"
account_replication_type = "LRS"
account_tier = "Standard"
allow_nested_items_to_be_public = true
cross_tenant_replication_enabled = false
default_to_oauth_authentication = false
dns_endpoint_type = "Standard"
https_traffic_only_enabled = true
id = "/subscriptions/548f7d26-b5b1-468e-ad45-6ee12accf7e7/resourceGroups/my-workshop-eus-rg/providers/Microsoft.Storage/storageAccounts/sadx98rgffe"
}
```
The `state show` output includes both configuration-declared attributes and provider-populated fields (IDs, defaults, and runtime properties). This detailed view is essential for debugging, auditing, and preparing precise state changes.
## State management subcommands
The `terraform state` command exposes subcommands for advanced state maintenance. Terraform automatically creates a timestamped backup of state before any operation that modifies it. Below is a concise reference:
| Subcommand | Purpose | Example |
| ------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `list` | List resources recorded in state | `terraform state list` |
| `show` | Print detailed state for a single resource | `terraform state show azurerm_storage_account.example` |
| `mv` | Move a resource address within state (useful when refactoring) | `terraform state mv old.resource new.resource` |
| `rm` | Remove instances from state without destroying remote resources | `terraform state rm module.foo.azurerm_resource.bar` |
| `replace-provider` | Replace provider references in state (for provider namespace changes) | `terraform state replace-provider registry.terraform.io/old/provider registry.terraform.io/new/provider` |
| `pull` | Pull the current state and output to stdout (for manual inspection) | `terraform state pull` |
| `push` | Update remote state from a local state file (special workflows) | `terraform state push terraform.tfstate` |
The commands are intentionally simple and script-friendly (work well with grep, awk, etc.) for advanced automation and auditing.
State modification commands can cause drift between Terraform and your real infrastructure if used incorrectly. Always work against a backup and prefer non-destructive commands unless you fully understand the implications.
## Refreshing state
Terraform expects the state file to reflect reality. When resources are modified outside Terraform (console edits, manual CLI/API actions, other orchestration tools), the stored state can diverge — this is configuration drift.
Use `terraform refresh` to reconcile Terraform's state with the provider by re-querying resource attributes and updating the state file. Important: `terraform refresh` updates only the state file; it does not change infrastructure.
Example configuration using a variable for the storage account name:
```hcl theme={null}
resource "azurerm_storage_account" "example" {
name = var.storage_account_name
location = "East US"
resource_group_name = "my-workshop-eus-rg"
account_tier = "Standard"
account_replication_type = "LRS"
public_network_access_enabled = false
}
```
Running a refresh (supplying the variable):
```bash theme={null}
$ terraform refresh -var "storage_account_name=sadx98rgffe"
azurerm_storage_account.example: Refreshing state...
[id=/subscriptions/548f7d26-b5b1-468e-ad45-6ee12accf7e7/resourceGroups/my-workshop-eus-rg/providers/Microsoft.Storage/storageAccounts/sadx98rgffe]
```
After running, Terraform has fetched the current resource attributes from Azure and updated the local state to match — no remote changes are made.
Modern Terraform performs an automatic refresh during operations like `terraform plan` and `terraform apply`, so manually running `terraform refresh` is less common. Still, it's valuable when resolving drift or preparing for direct state edits.
## Key takeaways
* The Terraform state file is the authoritative record of managed infrastructure.
* Inspect state with `terraform state list` and `terraform state show`.
* Use `terraform state` subcommands for advanced maintenance — Terraform creates backups automatically for safety.
* Run `terraform refresh` to update the state from provider data; it updates only the state file and does not alter resources.
* Be cautious with state-modifying commands; test on non-production state or use backups to recover if needed.
## Links and references
* [Terraform State | HashiCorp Documentation](https://www.terraform.io/docs/state/index.html)
* [Terraform CLI Commands](https://www.terraform.io/docs/commands/index.html)
* [Azure Provider for Terraform](https://registry.terraform.io/providers/hashicorp/azurerm/latest)