What does terraform apply change after you have approved the execution plan?

When you execute terraform apply after approving the execution plan, it performs changes on both the cloud infrastructure and the state file.

First, the cloud infrastructure is modified according to the actions outlined in the execution plan, which might involve creating, updating, or deleting resources in the cloud environment. This step is where Terraform carries out the actual changes to your infrastructure as described in your configuration files.

Simultaneously, Terraform updates the state file to reflect these changes. The state file is a critical component of Terraform because it keeps track of the current state of the infrastructure that Terraform manages. When resources are created or modified, the state file becomes an accurate representation of the real infrastructure, ensuring that future operations can be executed correctly based on the latest state.

This dual update process ensures consistency between the configuration files, the actual deployed resources, and the state file, making sure that Terraform can manage and apply future changes effectively.