How to Use Terraform Refresh: Update Infrastructure State

Use terraform refresh to update your Terraform state file by syncing it with the real-world infrastructure. This command checks the current status of resources and updates the state without making changes to the infrastructure.

Syntax

The basic syntax of terraform refresh is simple and straightforward. It updates the state file by comparing it with the actual infrastructure.

• terraform refresh: Refreshes all resources in the state.
• -target=resource_address: Optional flag to refresh only specific resources.
• -input=false: Prevents interactive prompts during refresh.

bash

terraform refresh [-target=resource_address] [-input=false]

Example

This example shows how to use terraform refresh to update the state after a manual change in infrastructure.

bash

terraform init
terraform refresh

Output

Initializing the backend...

Refreshing Terraform state in-memory prior to plan...

The refreshed state will be used to calculate this plan, but will not be
persisted to local or remote state storage.

...

Refresh complete! Resources: 0 added, 0 changed, 0 destroyed.

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes when using terraform refresh include:

• Expecting terraform refresh to change infrastructure. It only updates the state file.
• Not running terraform init before refresh, which can cause errors.
• Ignoring the need to specify -target when you want to refresh only certain resources.

Always remember that terraform refresh does not apply changes; use terraform apply for that.

bash

Wrong:
terraform refresh

Right:
terraform init
terraform refresh

Quick Reference

Use this quick guide to remember key points about terraform refresh:

Command	Description
terraform refresh	Update state file with real infrastructure status
terraform refresh -target=resource	Refresh only specified resource
terraform init	Initialize Terraform before refresh
terraform apply	Apply changes after refresh if needed

Key Takeaways

Run terraform init before terraform refresh to avoid errors.

Terraform refresh updates the state file but does not change infrastructure.

Use -target to refresh specific resources only.

After refresh, use terraform apply to make changes if needed.

Terraform refresh helps keep your state file accurate with real infrastructure.