Terraform Drift is the difference between Terraform's declared/stored infrastructure state and a resource changed outside the Terraform workflow.
Simple definition
Terraform Drift is the difference between Terraform's declared/stored infrastructure state and a resource changed outside the Terraform workflow. It belongs to the Cloud / DevOps vocabulary and is useful when reading architecture diagrams, product documentation, logs, or administration procedures.
What is it used for?
Its main purpose is to detect manual or external changes that make infrastructure differ from the expected code. The practical value depends on the surrounding architecture, security model, and operational requirements.
How does it work?
During refresh/plan, Terraform reads real resources and compares attributes with configuration and state to identify differences.
Key points
- Scope: The difference between Terraform's declared/stored infrastructure state and a resource changed outside the Terraform workflow.
- Operational goal: Detect manual or external changes that make infrastructure differ from the expected code.
- Implementation: During refresh/plan, Terraform reads real resources and compares attributes with configuration and state to identify differences.
Points to watch
Protect state, pin versions, and review plans; IaC automation can propagate a configuration error very quickly.
In short
Terraform Drift = the difference between Terraform's declared/stored infrastructure state and a resource changed outside the Terraform workflow. Use it when you need to detect manual or external changes that make infrastructure differ from the expected code.