What initiates the terraform import command?

The terraform import command is explicitly initiated by the user through a direct command in the terminal. This command is not run automatically during any Terraform operation, such as apply, nor is it triggered by configuration settings or during initial setup. The purpose of terraform import is to bring existing infrastructure under Terraform management by mapping resources already created in your cloud provider directly into the Terraform state file. By issuing an explicit call to terraform import, users specify both the resource address in Terraform and the corresponding ID of the existing resource in the cloud provider. This action allows Terraform to recognize and manage resources that were created outside of Terraform's management. Hence, the nature of the command being user-initiated is central to its functionality and usage within Terraform's workflow.