Default workspace in Terraform - Step-by-Step Execution

Process Flow - Default workspace

Start Terraform

↓

Check Workspace

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Is workspace set?

No→Use Default Workspace

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Load Default Workspace State

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Load Selected Workspace State

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Apply Terraform Commands

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Update Workspace State

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End

Terraform starts and checks if a workspace is selected. If none is set, it uses the default workspace to load and update infrastructure state.

Execution Sample

Terraform

terraform workspace show
terraform apply
terraform workspace list

Shows current workspace, applies changes in that workspace, then lists all workspaces.

Process Table

Step	Action	Workspace Selected	State Loaded	Result
1	terraform workspace show	default	default state	Shows 'default' workspace
2	terraform apply	default	default state	Applies changes to default workspace
3	terraform workspace list	default	default state	Lists all workspaces including 'default'
4	terraform workspace new new	new	new state (empty or existing)	Creates and switches to 'new' workspace
5	terraform apply	new	new state	Applies changes to 'new' workspace
6	terraform workspace show	new	new state	Shows 'new' workspace
7	terraform workspace select default	default	default state	Switches back to 'default' workspace
8	terraform apply	default	default state	Applies changes to 'default' workspace
9	terraform workspace show	default	default state	Shows 'default' workspace
10	End	-	-	Execution stops

💡 Execution stops after showing the current workspace and applying changes.

Status Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 1	After Step 4	After Step 7	Final
workspace	default	default	new	default	default
state	default state	default state	new state	default state	default state

Key Moments - 3 Insights

Why does Terraform use the 'default' workspace when no workspace is selected?

Terraform always uses the 'default' workspace if no other workspace is selected, as shown in execution_table step 1 where 'default' is active before any selection.

What happens to the state when switching workspaces?

Switching workspaces loads the state specific to that workspace, as seen in steps 4 and 7 where the state changes to 'new state' or back to 'default state'.

Can you apply changes in different workspaces independently?

Yes, each workspace has its own state, so applying changes affects only the selected workspace's state, demonstrated in steps 2 and 5.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution_table, what workspace is active after step 4?

A default

B new

C production

D staging

💡 Hint

Check the 'Workspace Selected' column at step 4 in the execution_table.

At which step does Terraform switch back to the default workspace?

A Step 5

B Step 6

C Step 7

D Step 8

💡 Hint

Look for 'terraform workspace select default' in the Action column.

If you run 'terraform apply' in the 'new' workspace, which state is updated?

A new state

B default state

C global state

D no state

💡 Hint

Refer to the 'State Loaded' and 'Result' columns at step 5.

Concept Snapshot

Terraform Default Workspace:
- Terraform uses 'default' workspace if none selected.
- Each workspace has its own state file.
- Use 'terraform workspace select <name>' to switch.
- 'terraform apply' affects current workspace state.
- 'terraform workspace show' displays active workspace.

Full Transcript

Terraform starts by checking which workspace is active. If no workspace is selected, it uses the 'default' workspace. Each workspace has its own state file that tracks infrastructure. When you run 'terraform apply', it updates the state of the current workspace only. You can switch workspaces using 'terraform workspace select <name>'. The command 'terraform workspace show' tells you which workspace is active. This way, you can manage multiple environments or versions of your infrastructure separately.