diff --git a/backend/backend.go b/backend/backend.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..16b8a2ba4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/backend.go
@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
+// Package backend provides interfaces that the CLI uses to interact with
+// Terraform. A backend provides the abstraction that allows the same CLI
+// to simultaneously support both local and remote operations for seamlessly
+// using Terraform in a team environment.
+package backend
+
+import (
+	"context"
+
+	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform/config/module"
+	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform/state"
+	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform/terraform"
+)
+
+// Backend is the minimal interface that must be implemented to enable Terraform.
+type Backend interface {
+	// Ask for input and configure the backend. Similar to
+	// terraform.ResourceProvider.
+	Input(terraform.UIInput, *terraform.ResourceConfig) (*terraform.ResourceConfig, error)
+	Validate(*terraform.ResourceConfig) ([]string, []error)
+	Configure(*terraform.ResourceConfig) error
+
+	// State returns the current state for this environment. This state may
+	// not be loaded locally: the proper APIs should be called on state.State
+	// to load the state.
+	State() (state.State, error)
+}
+
+// Enhanced implements additional behavior on top of a normal backend.
+//
+// Enhanced backends allow customizing the behavior of Terraform operations.
+// This allows Terraform to potentially run operations remotely, load
+// configurations from external sources, etc.
+type Enhanced interface {
+	Backend
+
+	// Operation performs a Terraform operation such as refresh, plan, apply.
+	// It is up to the implementation to determine what "performing" means.
+	// This DOES NOT BLOCK. The context returned as part of RunningOperation
+	// should be used to block for completion.
+	Operation(context.Context, *Operation) (*RunningOperation, error)
+}
+
+// Local implements additional behavior on a Backend that allows local
+// operations in addition to remote operations.
+//
+// This enables more behaviors of Terraform that require more data such
+// as `console`, `import`, `graph`. These require direct access to
+// configurations, variables, and more. Not all backends may support this
+// so we separate it out into its own optional interface.
+type Local interface {
+	// Context returns a runnable terraform Context. The operation parameter
+	// doesn't need a Type set but it needs other options set such as Module.
+	Context(*Operation) (*terraform.Context, state.State, error)
+}
+
+// An operation represents an operation for Terraform to execute.
+//
+// Note that not all fields are supported by all backends and can result
+// in an error if set. All backend implementations should show user-friendly
+// errors explaining any incorrectly set values. For example, the local
+// backend doesn't support a PlanId being set.
+//
+// The operation options are purposely designed to have maximal compatibility
+// between Terraform and Terraform Servers (a commercial product offered by
+// HashiCorp). Therefore, it isn't expected that other implementation support
+// every possible option. The struct here is generalized in order to allow
+// even partial implementations to exist in the open, without walling off
+// remote functionality 100% behind a commercial wall. Anyone can implement
+// against this interface and have Terraform interact with it just as it
+// would with HashiCorp-provided Terraform Servers.
+type Operation struct {
+	// Type is the operation to perform.
+	Type OperationType
+
+	// PlanId is an opaque value that backends can use to execute a specific
+	// plan for an apply operation.
+	//
+	// PlanOutBackend is the backend to store with the plan. This is the
+	// backend that will be used when applying the plan.
+	PlanId         string
+	PlanRefresh    bool   // PlanRefresh will do a refresh before a plan
+	PlanOutPath    string // PlanOutPath is the path to save the plan
+	PlanOutBackend *terraform.BackendState
+
+	// Module settings specify the root module to use for operations.
+	Module *module.Tree
+
+	// Plan is a plan that was passed as an argument. This is valid for
+	// plan and apply arguments but may not work for all backends.
+	Plan *terraform.Plan
+
+	// The options below are more self-explanatory and affect the runtime
+	// behavior of the operation.
+	Destroy   bool
+	Targets   []string
+	Variables map[string]interface{}
+
+	// Input/output/control options.
+	UIIn  terraform.UIInput
+	UIOut terraform.UIOutput
+}
+
+// RunningOperation is the result of starting an operation.
+type RunningOperation struct {
+	// Context should be used to track Done and Err for errors.
+	//
+	// For implementers of a backend, this context should not wrap the
+	// passed in context. Otherwise, canceling the parent context will
+	// immediately mark this context as "done" but those aren't the semantics
+	// we want: we want this context to be done only when the operation itself
+	// is fully done.
+	context.Context
+
+	// Err is the error of the operation. This is populated after
+	// the operation has completed.
+	Err error
+
+	// PlanEmpty is populated after a Plan operation completes without error
+	// to note whether a plan is empty or has changes.
+	PlanEmpty bool
+
+	// State is the final state after the operation completed. Persisting
+	// this state is managed by the backend. This should only be read
+	// after the operation completes to avoid read/write races.
+	State *terraform.State
+}
diff --git a/backend/cli.go b/backend/cli.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b23616629
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/cli.go
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+package backend
+
+import (
+	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform/terraform"
+	"github.com/mitchellh/cli"
+	"github.com/mitchellh/colorstring"
+)
+
+// CLI is an optional interface that can be implemented to be initialized
+// with information from the Terraform CLI. If this is implemented, this
+// initialization function will be called with data to help interact better
+// with a CLI.
+//
+// This interface was created to improve backend interaction with the
+// official Terraform CLI while making it optional for API users to have
+// to provide full CLI interaction to every backend.
+//
+// If you're implementing a Backend, it is acceptable to require CLI
+// initialization. In this case, your backend should be coded to error
+// on other methods (such as State, Operation) if CLI initialization was not
+// done with all required fields.
+type CLI interface {
+	Backend
+
+	// CLIIinit is called once with options. The options passed to this
+	// function may not be modified after calling this since they can be
+	// read/written at any time by the Backend implementation.
+	CLIIinit(*CLIOpts) error
+}
+
+// CLIOpts are the options passed into CLIInit for the CLI interface.
+//
+// These options represent the functionality the CLI exposes and often
+// maps to meta-flags available on every CLI (such as -input).
+//
+// When implementing a backend, it isn't expected that every option applies.
+// Your backend should be documented clearly to explain to end users what
+// options have an affect and what won't. In some cases, it may even make sense
+// to error in your backend when an option is set so that users don't make
+// a critically incorrect assumption about behavior.
+type CLIOpts struct {
+	// CLI and Colorize control the CLI output. If CLI is nil then no CLI
+	// output will be done. If CLIColor is nil then no coloring will be done.
+	CLI      cli.Ui
+	CLIColor *colorstring.Colorize
+
+	// StatePath is the local path where state is read from.
+	//
+	// StateOutPath is the local path where the state will be written.
+	// If this is empty, it will default to StatePath.
+	//
+	// StateBackupPath is the local path where a backup file will be written.
+	// If this is empty, no backup will be taken.
+	StatePath       string
+	StateOutPath    string
+	StateBackupPath string
+
+	// ContextOpts are the base context options to set when initializing a
+	// Terraform context. Many of these will be overridden or merged by
+	// Operation. See Operation for more details.
+	ContextOpts *terraform.ContextOpts
+
+	// Input will ask for necessary input prior to performing any operations.
+	//
+	// Validation will perform validation prior to running an operation. The
+	// variable naming doesn't match the style of others since we have a func
+	// Validate.
+	Input      bool
+	Validation bool
+}
diff --git a/backend/nil.go b/backend/nil.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..120ee4123
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/nil.go
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+package backend
+
+import (
+	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform/state"
+	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform/terraform"
+)
+
+// Nil is a no-op implementation of Backend.
+//
+// This is useful to embed within another struct to implement all of the
+// backend interface for testing.
+type Nil struct{}
+
+func (Nil) Input(
+	ui terraform.UIInput,
+	c *terraform.ResourceConfig) (*terraform.ResourceConfig, error) {
+	return c, nil
+}
+
+func (Nil) Validate(*terraform.ResourceConfig) ([]string, []error) {
+	return nil, nil
+}
+
+func (Nil) Configure(*terraform.ResourceConfig) error {
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (Nil) State() (state.State, error) {
+	// We have to return a non-nil state to adhere to the interface
+	return &state.InmemState{}, nil
+}
diff --git a/backend/nil_test.go b/backend/nil_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c20dc9012
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/nil_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+package backend
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestNil_impl(t *testing.T) {
+	var _ Backend = new(Nil)
+}
diff --git a/backend/operation_type.go b/backend/operation_type.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1739dc7fc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/operation_type.go
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+package backend
+
+//go:generate stringer -type=OperationType operation_type.go
+
+// OperationType is an enum used with Operation to specify the operation
+// type to perform for Terraform.
+type OperationType uint
+
+const (
+	OperationTypeInvalid OperationType = iota
+	OperationTypeRefresh
+	OperationTypePlan
+	OperationTypeApply
+)
diff --git a/backend/operationtype_string.go b/backend/operationtype_string.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6edadb919
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/operationtype_string.go
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+// Code generated by "stringer -type=OperationType operation_type.go"; DO NOT EDIT
+
+package backend
+
+import "fmt"
+
+const _OperationType_name = "OperationTypeInvalidOperationTypeRefreshOperationTypePlanOperationTypeApply"
+
+var _OperationType_index = [...]uint8{0, 20, 40, 57, 75}
+
+func (i OperationType) String() string {
+	if i >= OperationType(len(_OperationType_index)-1) {
+		return fmt.Sprintf("OperationType(%d)", i)
+	}
+	return _OperationType_name[_OperationType_index[i]:_OperationType_index[i+1]]
+}
diff --git a/backend/testing.go b/backend/testing.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..09c80fd18
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/testing.go
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+package backend
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform/config"
+	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform/terraform"
+)
+
+// TestBackendConfig validates and configures the backend with the
+// given configuration.
+func TestBackendConfig(t *testing.T, b Backend, c map[string]interface{}) Backend {
+	// Get the proper config structure
+	rc, err := config.NewRawConfig(c)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("bad: %s", err)
+	}
+	conf := terraform.NewResourceConfig(rc)
+
+	// Validate
+	warns, errs := b.Validate(conf)
+	if len(warns) > 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("warnings: %s", warns)
+	}
+	if len(errs) > 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("errors: %s", errs)
+	}
+
+	// Configure
+	if err := b.Configure(conf); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("err: %s", err)
+	}
+
+	return b
+}