What is the purpose of the terraform init command?

The purpose of the terraform init command is to initialize a Terraform working directory. When you run this command, it sets up the environment by downloading the necessary provider plugins that are specified in the configuration files. It also prepares the working directory for other Terraform commands by creating the necessary backend configuration if remote state storage is used. Essentially, it is the foundational step that ensures everything is in place for Terraform to manage your infrastructure effectively.

This command is crucial because without initializing, Terraform would not know about the required providers or the state management options you intend to use, leading to failure when you subsequently attempt to plan or apply changes to your infrastructure. It's the first command you should run when starting a new Terraform project or when changing the configuration to reflect new provider requirements.