Terraform backends

https://www.terraform.io/language/settings/backends

• backend.tf

https://www.terraform.io/language/settings/backends/configuration#available-backends

• Terraform S3 backend
• Terraform S3 backend: dynamodb table
• gcs
• local
• consul
• remote
• COS: Tencent Cloud Object Storage (COS)
• Kubernetes
• pg (PostgreSQL)

Deprecated:

• artifactory
• etcd
• Manta
• swift

https://www.terraform.io/language/settings/backends/s3

S3 Example with DynamoDB

terraform {
  backend "s3" {
    bucket = "your-terraform-states"
    key    = "terraform.tfstate"
    region = "us-west-2"
    dynamodb_table = "your-terraform-states"
    profile = "your-profile"
    workspace_key_prefix = "your-workspace"
  }
}

Example using variables:

terraform {
  backend "s3" {
    bucket         =  "$(aws-backend-bucket)"
    key            =  "yourkeyname/$(AWS_ACCOUNTNAME)/$(AWS_MYREGION)"
    region         =  "$(AWS_MYREGION)"
    dynamodb_table =  "$(aws-backend-dynamoDbTable)"
    encrypt        =  true
    role_arn       =  "$(aws-cicd-role-arn)"
  }
}

Related terms

• terraform workspace
• terraform state [pull | push]
• AWS_PROFILE
• profile https://www.terraform.io/docs/language/settings/backends/s3.html#profile
• aws s3api create-bucket and aws s3 mb
• Terraform providers: provider.tf
• Terraform Associate: Handle backend authentication methods
• local backend
• Workspaces and locking
• Remote state backends to manage Terraform state
• Terraform has been successfully initialized!

See also

• Terraform backends: S3, Terraform S3 backend: dynamodb table, GCS, remote
• Terraform, OpenTofu, Terrakube.org, Installation, Terraform AWS, Terraform GCP, Terraform commands, Terraform Cloud, Terraform Enterprise (TFE), HCL, HIL, meta-arguments, providers, modules, resource, provisioners, data sources, backends: remote backends, examples, configuration files, state files, variables, types, Terraform Registry, conditionals: depends_on, functions, Blocks, dynamic blocks, errors, Terragrunt, Terraformer, Terratest, Terraform certifications, Terraform map type, Terraform Associate, Terraform: list type, TF_VAR_, TF_LOG, Terraform provider versioning, Terraform Style Conventions, Required version, Terraform plugin, Terraform Named Values, tags, Changelog, tfsec, tflint, Operators, Expressions: for, splat, Debugging, Namespaces, Terraform Landing Zones, CDKTF, Atmos

https://www.terraform.io/docs/language/settings/backends/s3.html#key