Study HashiCorp Terraform 004 Plan and Apply: key concepts, common traps, and exam decision cues.
Most Terraform exam questions become easier once you ask one thing first: Am I previewing change, executing change, or tearing down managed infrastructure? Those are different workflow moments, and HashiCorp expects you to keep them separate.
| Command | Strongest reading |
|---|---|
terraform plan |
preview proposed change based on config, state, and remote reality |
terraform apply |
execute approved changes |
terraform destroy |
remove Terraform-managed infrastructure |
plan matters so much| Reason | Why the exam cares |
|---|---|
| safe review before change | Terraform is designed around preview before execution |
| visibility into drift or intent mismatch | plan can expose unexpected differences |
| team workflow safety | reviewable changes are easier to approve and trust |
| Trap | Better rule |
|---|---|
treating plan like optional ceremony |
preview is one of Terraform’s core safety features |
treating apply like a dry run |
apply makes real changes |
forgetting destroy is about Terraform-managed infrastructure |
destroy concerns managed resources, not every object in a platform |
Terraform’s main lifecycle is preview first, action second. Use plan when you need to understand proposed change. Use apply when the reviewed change is approved. Use destroy only when the goal is teardown. On the exam, the strongest answer usually preserves the preview-and-review step unless the scenario explicitly says the action has already been approved and should now be executed.