Changing the Terraform backend from the default "local" backend to a different one after performing your first terrafom apply is:

The correct answer is D. Discouraged. Changing the Terraform backend after performing the initial terraform apply is technically possible but strongly discouraged. This is because changing backends can lead to complexities in state management, requiring manual intervention such as state migration to ensure…

Submitted by mateo_ar· Apr 18, 2026Manage Terraform State

Question

Changing the Terraform backend from the default "local" backend to a different one after performing your first terrafom apply is:

Options

AOptional
BImpossible
CMandatory
DDiscouraged

How the community answered

(33 responses)

A
3% (1)
C
6% (2)
D
91% (30)

Explanation

Changing the Terraform backend after performing the initial terraform apply is technically possible but strongly discouraged. This is because changing backends can lead to complexities in state management, requiring manual intervention such as state migration to ensure consistency. Terraform's documentation and best practices advise planning the backend configuration carefully before applying Terraform configurations to avoid such changes.

Topics

#Terraform backend#State management#Backend migration#Best practices

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