State Management

This section explains how Terraform state is stored, locked, recovered, and protected.

What This Covers

• Local vs remote state usage
• S3 native locking configuration
• Backup and recovery with versioning
• Security and handling of sensitive data

Topics

• Local vs Remote State - Where state lives and why
• State Locking - S3 native locking setup and behavior
• State Lock Errors - What to do when lock acquisition fails
• Backup and Recovery - Version history and restore workflow
• Security Considerations - Protecting state files and access

Best Practices

1. Never edit state manually. Use terraform state commands instead.
2. Keep bootstrap state safe. infra/bootstrap/terraform.tfstate is critical.
3. Monitor lock duration to catch stuck operations early.
4. Review state changes with terraform plan before apply.