33 lines
1.7 KiB
Markdown
33 lines
1.7 KiB
Markdown
---
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layout: "docs"
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page_title: "Backends: Remote Operations (plan, apply, etc.)"
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sidebar_current: "docs-backends-operations"
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description: |-
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Some backends support the ability to run operations (`refresh`, `plan`, `apply`, etc.) remotely. Terraform will continue to look and behave as if they're running locally while they in fact run on a remote machine.
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---
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# Remote Operations (plan, apply, etc.)
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Most backends run all operations on the local system — although Terraform stores
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its state remotely with these backends, it still executes its logic locally and
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makes API requests directly from the system where it was invoked.
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This is simple to understand and work with, but when many people are
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collaborating on the same Terraform configurations, it requires everyone's
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execution environment to be similar. This includes sharing access to
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infrastructure provider credentials, keeping Terraform versions in sync,
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keeping Terraform variables in sync, and installing any extra software required
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by Terraform providers. This becomes more burdensome as teams get larger.
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Some backends can run operations (`plan`, `apply`, etc.) on a remote machine,
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while appearing to execute locally. This enables a more consistent execution
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environment and more powerful access controls, without disrupting workflows
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for users who are already comfortable with running Terraform.
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Currently, [the `remote` backend](./types/remote.html) is the only backend to
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support remote operations, and [Terraform Cloud](/docs/cloud/index.html)
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is the only remote execution environment that supports it. For more information, see:
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- [The `remote` backend](./types/remote.html)
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- [Terraform Cloud's CLI-driven run workflow](/docs/cloud/run/cli.html)
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