Which Terraform command initializes a working directory containing configuration files?

Which Terraform command initializes a working directory containing configuration files?

• A. terraform plan
• B. terraform init
• C. terraform destroy
• D. terraform apply

Answer: (B)

Initialization prepares the working directory for Terraform by downloading the required provider plugins, configuring the backend for state storage, and setting up modules referenced in the configuration. This step makes the configuration ready for subsequent actions, which is why the command that performs this is the correct choice. After initialization, you typically run plan to see what Terraform will do, then apply to enact those changes. The other commands serve different tasks—plan shows the execution plan, apply applies changes, and destroy removes resources—and do not perform the initial setup of providers and backend.

Initialization prepares the working directory for Terraform by downloading the required provider plugins, configuring the backend for state storage, and setting up modules referenced in the configuration. This step makes the configuration ready for subsequent actions, which is why the command that performs this is the correct choice. After initialization, you typically run plan to see what Terraform will do, then apply to enact those changes. The other commands serve different tasks—plan shows the execution plan, apply applies changes, and destroy removes resources—and do not perform the initial setup of providers and backend.