What does terraform refresh command do?

terraform refresh does not selectively update specific sections of the state file - it performs a full reconciliation of all tracked resources against real-world infrastructure in a single pass.

terraform refresh updates the state file to match real-world infrastructure, not the configuration .tf files - configuration files are authored by users and are never modified by Terraform CLI commands.

terraform refresh does not change or modify infrastructure in any way - only terraform apply with an approved plan makes changes to real resources.

This repeats the incorrect claim that terraform refresh selectively updates state sections, which contradicts its actual behavior of performing a complete state reconciliation.

The terraform refresh command contacts each provider API to read the real-world attributes of every resource tracked in the state file and updates the state to match what actually exists. It surfaces drift between the recorded state and actual infrastructure but never creates, modifies, or destroys any resources.