CV0-004 Deployment Practice Question
A team uses Terraform to manage infrastructure. After running terraform apply, the state file is stored in an S3 backend with DynamoDB locking. During a subsequent terraform plan, the team notices that the state file shows resources that no longer exist in the cloud. Which command should the team run to reconcile the state with the actual cloud resources?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
terraform refresh
The terraform refresh command updates the Terraform state file to match the actual state of cloud resources. When resources are deleted or modified outside of Terraform, the state becomes outdated. Running terraform refresh queries the provider for the real-world status and reconciles the state accordingly. In contrast, terraform plan only shows proposed changes, terraform import is used to bring existing resources under management, and terraform state rm removes entries from the state without syncing with reality. Therefore, terraform refresh is the correct command to reconcile the state with actual cloud resources.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
terraform plan
Why it's wrong here
Plan shows changes but does not update state.
- ✓
terraform refresh
Why this is correct
Refresh updates the state file to reflect the current state of real-world resources.
- ✗
terraform import
Why it's wrong here
`terraform import` attaches existing cloud resources to a Terraform state, but it does not remove state entries for resources that no longer exist. The team’s problem is stale state records for deleted resources, requiring `terraform refresh` (or `terraform apply -refresh-only`) to update the state against current cloud inventory. `terraform import` is tempting because it is the standard command for adding unmanaged resources into state, which would be correct if the team needed to adopt orphaned cloud objects rather than purge defunct ones.
- ✗
terraform state rm
Why it's wrong here
Remove removes resources from state but does not reconcile missing resources.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
Go deeper
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CV0-004 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CV0-004 exam.