Protecting the state file with a remote backend

When Terraform handles resources, it writes the state of these resources in a Terraform state file. This file is in JSON format and preserves the resources and their properties throughout the execution of Terraform.

By default, this file, called terraform.tfstate, is created locally when the first execution of the apply command is executed. Then, it will be used by Terraform each time the plan command is executed in order to compare its state (written in the state file) with that of the target infrastructure. Finally, it will return a preview of what will be applied.

When using Terraform in an enterprise, this locally stored state file poses many problems:

• Knowing that this file contains the status of the infrastructure, it should not be deleted. If deleted, Terraform might not behave as expected when it is executed.
• It must be accessible at the same time by all members of the team who are handling resources on the same...