Cause drift

Learn

Drift

Drift is the real world changing without Terraform: someone resizes a server in the cloud console, a script tags a bucket, an autoscaler adjusts a setting. Terraform didn't make the change, so state doesn't know about it.

plan finds it, because it refreshes before it diffs:

Note: Objects have changed outside of Terraform

  # demo_server.web has changed outside of Terraform
      ~ cpu = 2 -> 8

Terraform will perform the following actions:

  # demo_server.web will be updated in-place
  ~ resource "demo_server" "web" {
      ~ cpu = 8 -> 2
    }

Read it in two halves. The note is what changed in the real world (2 -> 8). The plan is what Terraform will do about it: put it back to what your code says (8 -> 2).

Your task

Feedback Report a problem

Someone bumps the server's CPU in the cloud console. Use Edit in console (it defaults to demo_server.web · cpu = 8) to change Real Infrastructure behind Terraform's back, then run plan. Terraform refreshes, sees reality no longer matches state, and reports drift. Then answer the questions below.

What is drift?Your code and state disagree because you edited main.tfThe real infrastructure changed outside Terraform, so it no longer matches stateState slowly going out of date as time passes

How did plan notice the console change?The console sent Terraform a notificationBy comparing your code with your code from the last runIt refreshed state from the real world before comparing

Your answers are checked when you run this step.

Cause drift

Drift

Your task

State Inspector

State

Real Infrastructure

Break it & recover

Cause drift

Drift

Your task

State Inspector

State

Real Infrastructure

🛠️ Break it & recover

Break it & recover