Why will the apply fail when you write a new configuration and immediately run Terraform apply with the local backend?

Why will the apply fail when you write a new configuration and immediately run Terraform apply with the local backend?

• A. Terraform needs you to format your code according to best practices first
• B. Terraform needs to install the necessary plugins first
• C. The Terraform CLI needs you to log into Terraform cloud first
• D. Terraform requires you to manually run terraform plan first

Answer: (B)

When you add a new configuration, Terraform must download and install the provider plugins that your config requires. Those plugins aren’t present yet, so there’s nothing for Terraform to use during the apply. The local backend only determines where the state is stored; it doesn’t automatically fetch providers. Running terraform init first fetches and installs the necessary plugins and initializes the backend, after which terraform apply can run successfully. Formatting the code isn’t the bottleneck here, so A isn’t the cause. Logging into Terraform Cloud isn’t needed for a local backend, so C isn’t relevant. Terraform plan is usually run automatically as part of apply, so D isn’t the reason for the failure. The missing step is initializing to install the required plugins.

When you add a new configuration, Terraform must download and install the provider plugins that your config requires. Those plugins aren’t present yet, so there’s nothing for Terraform to use during the apply. The local backend only determines where the state is stored; it doesn’t automatically fetch providers. Running terraform init first fetches and installs the necessary plugins and initializes the backend, after which terraform apply can run successfully.

Formatting the code isn’t the bottleneck here, so A isn’t the cause. Logging into Terraform Cloud isn’t needed for a local backend, so C isn’t relevant. Terraform plan is usually run automatically as part of apply, so D isn’t the reason for the failure. The missing step is initializing to install the required plugins.