From ea089d06f13b5e196f000483050f2758005493fc Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Martin Atkins Date: Tue, 11 May 2021 15:46:50 -0700 Subject: [PATCH] website: Revamp the "terraform state rm" page My original motivation here was to add the previously-missing -dry-run option to the list of options However, while in the area I noticed that this command hasn't had a documentation refresh for a while and so I took the opportunity to update it to match with our current writing style and terminology used in other parts of the documentation, and so I've rewritten prose elsewhere on the page to hopefully give the same information in a way that fits in better with concepts discussed elsewhere in the documentation, and also to try to add some additional context to connect this information with what we've described in other places. --- website/docs/cli/commands/state/rm.html.md | 110 ++++++++++++--------- 1 file changed, 63 insertions(+), 47 deletions(-) diff --git a/website/docs/cli/commands/state/rm.html.md b/website/docs/cli/commands/state/rm.html.md index 2ffa2af2bb..1dac9be707 100644 --- a/website/docs/cli/commands/state/rm.html.md +++ b/website/docs/cli/commands/state/rm.html.md @@ -3,46 +3,43 @@ layout: "docs" page_title: "Command: state rm" sidebar_current: "docs-commands-state-sub-rm" description: |- - The `terraform state rm` command removes items from the Terraform state. + The `terraform state rm` command removes bindings from the Terraform state, causing Terraform to "forget about" existing objects. --- # Command: state rm -The `terraform state rm` command is used to remove items from the -[Terraform state](/docs/language/state/index.html). This command can remove -single resources, single instances of a resource, entire modules, -and more. +The main function of [Terraform state](/docs/language/state/index.html) is +to track the bindings between resource instance addresses in your configuration +and the remote objects they represent. Normally Terraform automatically +updates the state in response to actions taken when applying a plan, such as +removing a binding for an remote object that has now been deleted. + +You can use `terraform state rm` in the less common situation where you wish +to remove a binding to an existing remote object without first destroying it, +which will effectively make Terraform "forget" the object while it continues +to exist in the remote system. ## Usage Usage: `terraform state rm [options] ADDRESS...` -Remove one or more items from the Terraform state. - -Items removed from the Terraform state are _not physically destroyed_. -Items removed from the Terraform state are only no longer managed by -Terraform. For example, if you remove an AWS instance from the state, the AWS -instance will continue running, but `terraform plan` will no longer see that -instance. - -There are various use cases for removing items from a Terraform state -file. The most common is refactoring a configuration to no longer manage -that resource (perhaps moving it to another Terraform configuration/state). +Terraform will search the state for any instances matching the given +[resource address](/docs/cli/state/resource-addressing.html), and remove +the record of each one so that Terraform will no longer be tracking the +corresponding remote objects. -The state will only be saved on successful removal of all addresses. -If any specific address errors for any reason (such as a syntax error), -the state will not be modified at all. +This means that although the objects will still continue to exist in the +remote system, a subsequent +[`terraform plan`](../plan.html) +will include an action to create a new object for each of the "forgotten" +instances. Depending on the constraints imposed by the remote system, creating +those objects might fail if their names or other identifiers conflict with +the old objects still present. -This command will output a backup copy of the state prior to saving any -changes. The backup cannot be disabled. Due to the destructive nature -of this command, backups are required. +This command also accepts the following option: -This command requires one or more addresses that point to a resources in the -state. Addresses are -in [resource addressing format](/docs/cli/state/resource-addressing.html). - -This command doesn't normally accept any command line options, except in -the special situations described in the following paragraphs. +* `-dry-run` - Report all of the resource instances that match the given + address without actually "forgetting" any of them. For configurations using [the `remote` backend](/docs/language/settings/backends/remote.html) @@ -55,58 +52,77 @@ For configurations using `terraform state rm` also accepts the legacy options [`-state`, `-state-out`, and `-backup`](/docs/language/settings/backends/local.html#command-line-arguments). -## Example: Remove a Resource +## Example: Remove all Instances of a Resource -The example below removes the `packet_device` resource named `worker`: +The following example will cause Terraform to "forget" all of the instances +of the `packet_device` resource named "worker". ```shell $ terraform state rm 'packet_device.worker' ``` -## Example: Remove a Module +A resource that doesn't use `count` or `for_each` has only one instance, so +this is also the appropriate syntax to select that single instance. + +## Example: Remove all Instances of a Resource in a Module -The example below removes the entire module named `foo`: +To select a resource that you've defined in a child module you must specify +the path of that module as part of the resource address: ```shell -$ terraform state rm 'module.foo' +$ terraform state rm 'module.foo.packet_device.worker' ``` -## Example: Remove a Module Resource +## Example: Remove all Instances of all Resources in a Module -The example below removes the `packet_device` resource named `worker` inside a module named `foo`: +The following example will cause Terraform to "forget" all of the instances +associated with all resources defined in all instances of the module named +`foo`: ```shell -$ terraform state rm 'module.foo.packet_device.worker' +$ terraform state rm 'module.foo' ``` -## Example: Remove a Resource configured with count +## Example: Remove a Particular Instance of a Resource using `count` -The example below removes the first instance of a `packet_device` resource named `worker` configured with -[`count`](/docs/language/meta-arguments/count.html): +A resource defined with [the `count` meta-argument](/docs/language/meta-arguments/count.html) +has multiple instances that are each identified by an integer. You can +select a particular instance by including an explicit index in your given +address: ```shell $ terraform state rm 'packet_device.worker[0]' ``` -## Example: Remove a Resource configured with for_each +Brackets (`[`, `]`) have a special meaning in some shells, so you may need to +quote or escape the address in order to pass it literally to Terraform. +The above shows the typical quoting syntax for Unix-style shells. -The example below removes the `"example"` instance of a `packet_device` resource named `worker` configured with -[`for_each`](/docs/language/meta-arguments/for_each.html): +## Example: Remove a Particular Instance of a Resource using `for_each` -Linux, Mac OS, and UNIX: +A resource defined with [the `for_each` meta-argument](/docs/language/meta-arguments/for_each.html) +has multiple instances that are each identified by an string. You can +select a particular instance by including an explicit key in your given +address. + +However, the syntax for strings includes quotes and the quote symbol often +has special meaning in command shells, so you'll need to use the appropriate +quoting and/or escaping syntax for the shell you are using. For example: + +Unix-style shells, such as on Linux or macOS: ```shell $ terraform state rm 'packet_device.worker["example"]' ``` -PowerShell: +Windows Command Prompt (`cmd.exe`): ```shell -$ terraform state rm 'packet_device.worker[\"example\"]' +$ terraform state rm packet_device.worker[\"example\"] ``` -Windows `cmd.exe`: +PowerShell: ```shell -$ terraform state rm packet_device.worker[\"example\"] +$ terraform state rm 'packet_device.worker[\"example\"]' ```