When does terraform apply reflect changes in the cloud environment?

When does terraform apply reflect changes in the cloud environment?

• A. Immediately
• B. However long it takes the resource provider to fulfill the request
• C. After updating the state file
• D. None of the above

Answer: (C)

Terraform applies changes by talking to the cloud provider and enacting the requested updates. It waits for the provider to complete the action, and only after the provider reports success does Terraform update its state file with the new resource IDs and attributes. That state update is what makes Terraform “reflect” the changes it made in the cloud environment, because the state is Terraform’s record of what exists in real infrastructure. So the moment Terraform reflects the changes is after updating the state file.

Terraform applies changes by talking to the cloud provider and enacting the requested updates. It waits for the provider to complete the action, and only after the provider reports success does Terraform update its state file with the new resource IDs and attributes. That state update is what makes Terraform “reflect” the changes it made in the cloud environment, because the state is Terraform’s record of what exists in real infrastructure. So the moment Terraform reflects the changes is after updating the state file.