Which Terraform command would you use to delete resources managed by your configuration?

Which Terraform command would you use to delete resources managed by your configuration?

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

Answer: (D)

Destroying resources that Terraform manages is done with the destroy command. It reads your state and configuration and computes an execution plan that removes the resources, effectively tearing down your infrastructure. By default it prompts for confirmation before proceeding, unless you use auto-approve to skip that prompt. You can apply it to all resources or target specific ones with a flag to delete only what you specify. Other commands serve different setup and lifecycle roles: initialization prepares the working directory and installs provider plugins; planning shows what would change without applying anything; applying makes the necessary changes to reach the desired state, which may include creations, updates, or deletions, but destroy is the explicit, dedicated way to remove managed resources.

Destroying resources that Terraform manages is done with the destroy command. It reads your state and configuration and computes an execution plan that removes the resources, effectively tearing down your infrastructure. By default it prompts for confirmation before proceeding, unless you use auto-approve to skip that prompt. You can apply it to all resources or target specific ones with a flag to delete only what you specify.

Other commands serve different setup and lifecycle roles: initialization prepares the working directory and installs provider plugins; planning shows what would change without applying anything; applying makes the necessary changes to reach the desired state, which may include creations, updates, or deletions, but destroy is the explicit, dedicated way to remove managed resources.