What is the result of running `terraform validate`?

Running terraform validate serves to check whether the Terraform configuration is syntactically valid and can be understood by Terraform. This command does not apply any changes to the infrastructure or affect resources in any way; it strictly assesses the code for potential syntax errors or misconfigurations before attempting to apply it.

While it ensures that the code is free from errors, it does not execute any plans, apply configurations, or interact with the existing infrastructure's state. The focus is entirely on the correctness of the configuration files themselves, making it a crucial step in the development process of both small and large Terraform projects.

Other potential outcomes of commands like applying or destroying configurations, or querying state, are distinct operations in Terraform, emphasizing that validation is specifically about checking syntax and structure without making any changes.