Study HashiCorp Terraform 003 Fmt and Validate: key concepts, common traps, and exam decision cues.
Terraform workflow is not only plan and apply. Formatting, validation, and explicit review are part of the safety model, and the associate-level exam still rewards that discipline.
| Requirement | Strongest first fit |
|---|---|
| normalize style | terraform fmt |
| statically check configuration correctness | terraform validate |
| inspect an exact saved plan before apply | plan review discipline |
fmt when the problem is code normalization.validate when the problem is configuration correctness.| Trap | Better rule |
|---|---|
treating fmt as a validity check |
it normalizes style, not behavior |
assuming validate previews real infrastructure change |
it checks config correctness, not real-world diff |
| skipping review because the command is familiar | workflow safety still matters |