Terraform taint and untaint (deprecated) - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What does the terraform taint command do?

It marks a specific resource as needing to be destroyed and recreated on the next terraform apply. This forces Terraform to replace the resource.

beginner

What is the purpose of terraform untaint?

It removes the 'tainted' state from a resource, so Terraform will no longer destroy and recreate it on the next apply.

intermediate

Why are terraform taint and untaint considered deprecated?

Because Terraform now recommends using the terraform apply -replace option to replace resources, which is more explicit and easier to manage.

intermediate

How would you replace a resource without using terraform taint?

Use terraform apply -replace=resource_address to mark the resource for replacement during the apply.

beginner

What happens if you run terraform taint on a resource and then run terraform apply?

Terraform will destroy the tainted resource and create a new one to replace it during the apply process.

What does terraform taint do to a resource?

A Deletes it immediately

B Prevents any changes

C Marks it for replacement on next apply

D Backs up the resource state

terraform taint marks a resource to be replaced on the next terraform apply.

Which command removes the tainted state from a resource?

A terraform untaint

B terraform remove

C terraform clean

D terraform reset

terraform untaint clears the tainted state so the resource is not replaced.

Why should you avoid using terraform taint now?

A It is deprecated in favor of <code>terraform apply -replace</code>

B It deletes your entire infrastructure

C It is slower than other commands

D It requires manual state file editing

Terraform recommends terraform apply -replace as a clearer way to replace resources.

What is the effect of running terraform apply -replace=resource_address?

A It updates the resource in place

B It replaces the resource during apply

C It deletes the resource without replacement

D It ignores the resource

This command forces replacement of the specified resource during apply.

If a resource is tainted, what will happen on the next terraform apply?

A Terraform will fail the apply

B Terraform will skip the resource

C Terraform will update the resource without replacement

D Terraform will recreate the resource

Tainted resources are destroyed and recreated on apply.

Explain what terraform taint and terraform untaint commands do and why they are deprecated.

Think about how Terraform manages resource replacement now.

Describe how you would replace a resource in Terraform without using the deprecated taint command.

Focus on the modern recommended command.