Terraform taint and untaint (deprecated) - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the command to mark a Terraform resource as needing replacement.

Terraform

terraform [1] aws_instance.example

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aapply

Bplan

Cdestroy

Dtaint

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'apply' instead of 'taint'.

Using 'destroy' which deletes the resource immediately.

Using 'plan' which only shows changes.

The terraform taint command marks a resource as needing replacement on the next apply.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the command to remove the taint mark from a Terraform resource.

Terraform

terraform [1] aws_instance.example

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Auntaint

Binit

Cvalidate

Drefresh

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'refresh' which updates state but does not remove taint.

Using 'validate' which checks configuration syntax.

Using 'init' which initializes Terraform.

The terraform untaint command removes the taint mark so the resource is not replaced.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the command to taint a resource named 'web_server'.

Terraform

terraform [1] web_server

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Auntaint

Bapply

Ctaint

Dplan

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'untaint' which removes the mark.

Using 'apply' which applies changes but does not mark.

Using 'plan' which only previews changes.

The correct command to mark 'web_server' for replacement is terraform taint web_server.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to complete the command that taints a resource and then applies changes.

Terraform

terraform [1] aws_instance.example && terraform [2]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Ataint

Bapply

Cplan

Ddestroy

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'plan' instead of 'apply' to apply changes.

Using 'destroy' which deletes resources immediately.

Reversing the order of commands.

First, terraform taint marks the resource for replacement. Then, terraform apply applies the changes.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to untaint a resource, refresh state, and then apply changes.

Terraform

terraform [1] aws_instance.example && terraform [2] && terraform [3]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Auntaint

Brefresh

Capply

Dplan

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Skipping the refresh step.

Using 'plan' instead of 'apply' to apply changes.

Using 'taint' instead of 'untaint' to remove the mark.

First, terraform untaint removes the taint mark. Then, terraform refresh updates the state. Finally, terraform apply applies any changes.

Practice

1. What does the terraform taint command do to a resource?

easy

A. Marks the resource to be recreated on the next apply

B. Deletes the resource immediately

C. Prevents the resource from being changed

D. Updates the resource without recreation

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of terraform taint

   This command marks a resource as needing recreation on the next terraform apply.

2. Step 2: Compare with other options

   It does not delete immediately, prevent changes, or update without recreation.

3. Final Answer:

   Marks the resource to be recreated on the next apply -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   terraform taint = mark for recreation [OK]

Hint: Taint means mark resource for rebuild next apply [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking taint deletes resource immediately
• Confusing taint with preventing changes
• Assuming taint updates resource in place

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to unmark a resource previously tainted in Terraform?

easy

A. terraform remove-taint <resource_name>

B. terraform clean <resource_name>

C. terraform untaint <resource_name>

D. terraform reset <resource_name>

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall the correct command for removing taint

   The command to remove the taint mark is terraform untaint followed by the resource name.

2. Step 2: Verify other options

   Other commands like remove-taint, clean, or reset do not exist in Terraform.

3. Final Answer:

   terraform untaint <resource_name> -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Untaint command syntax = terraform untaint [OK]

Hint: Untaint command is terraform untaint resource_name [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using non-existent commands like remove-taint
• Confusing untaint with terraform apply
• Omitting the resource name

3. Given the following commands executed in order:
terraform taint aws_instance.example
terraform apply
What will happen to the resource aws_instance.example?

medium

A. Terraform will throw an error

B. The resource will be destroyed and not recreated

C. The resource will remain unchanged

D. The resource will be recreated during apply

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand effect of taint before apply

   Taint marks the resource to be destroyed and recreated on next apply.

2. Step 2: Apply triggers recreation

   When terraform apply runs, it destroys the tainted resource and creates a new one.

3. Final Answer:

   The resource will be recreated during apply -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   taint + apply = recreate resource [OK]

Hint: Taint then apply means resource rebuild [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking resource is only destroyed without recreation
• Assuming no change happens after taint
• Expecting an error from taint command

4. You ran terraform taint aws_instance.example by mistake. Which command fixes this so the resource is not recreated on next apply?

medium

A. terraform untaint aws_instance.example

B. terraform destroy aws_instance.example

C. terraform refresh aws_instance.example

D. terraform plan -refresh=false

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify how to remove taint

   The terraform untaint command removes the taint mark, preventing recreation.

2. Step 2: Check other commands

   destroy deletes resource, refresh updates state, and plan -refresh=false skips state refresh but does not remove taint.

3. Final Answer:

   terraform untaint aws_instance.example -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Untaint removes taint mark [OK]

Hint: Use untaint to cancel taint and keep resource [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using destroy instead of untaint
• Confusing refresh with untaint
• Trying to fix with plan options

5. Since terraform taint and terraform untaint are deprecated, which command replaces their functionality to recreate a resource?

hard

A. terraform destroy -replace=<resource_name>

B. terraform apply -replace=<resource_name>

C. terraform refresh -replace=<resource_name>

D. terraform plan -replace=<resource_name>

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand deprecation and replacement

   Terraform deprecated taint/untaint and recommends terraform apply -replace to recreate resources.

2. Step 2: Verify other options

   refresh, destroy, and plan do not support -replace to recreate resources.

3. Final Answer:

   terraform apply -replace=<resource_name> -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Replace flag with apply recreates resource [OK]

Hint: Use apply -replace to recreate resource now [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to use -replace with refresh or destroy
• Not knowing taint/untaint are deprecated
• Confusing plan with apply for replacement