github.com/hugorut/terraform@v1.1.3/website/docs/language/settings/backends/local.mdx (about) 1 --- 2 page_title: 'Backend Type: local' 3 description: >- 4 Terraform can store the state remotely, making it easier to version and work 5 with in a team. 6 --- 7 8 # local 9 10 **Kind: Enhanced** 11 12 The local backend stores state on the local filesystem, locks that 13 state using system APIs, and performs operations locally. 14 15 ## Example Configuration 16 17 ```hcl 18 terraform { 19 backend "local" { 20 path = "relative/path/to/terraform.tfstate" 21 } 22 } 23 ``` 24 25 ## Data Source Configuration 26 27 ```hcl 28 data "terraform_remote_state" "foo" { 29 backend = "local" 30 31 config = { 32 path = "${path.module}/../../terraform.tfstate" 33 } 34 } 35 ``` 36 37 ## Configuration variables 38 39 The following configuration options are supported: 40 41 * `path` - (Optional) The path to the `tfstate` file. This defaults to 42 "terraform.tfstate" relative to the root module by default. 43 * `workspace_dir` - (Optional) The path to non-default workspaces. 44 45 ## Command Line Arguments 46 47 ~> This section describes legacy features that we've preserved for backward 48 compatibility but that we no longer recommend. See below for more details. 49 50 For configurations that include a `backend "local"` block or that default to 51 the local backend by not specifying a backend at all, most commands that either 52 read or write state snapshots from the backend accept the following 53 additional arguments: 54 55 * `-state=FILENAME` - overrides the state filename when _reading_ the prior 56 state snapshot. 57 * `-state-out=FILENAME` - overrides the state filename when _writing_ new state 58 snapshots. 59 60 If you use `-state` without also using `-state-out` then Terraform will 61 use the `-state` filename for both `-state` and `-state-out`, which means 62 Terraform will overwrite the input file if it creates a new state snapshot. 63 * `-backup=FILENAME` - overrides the default filename that the local backend 64 would normally choose dynamically to create backup files when it writes new 65 state. 66 67 If you use `-state` without also using `-backup` then Terraform will use 68 the `-state` filename as a filename prefix for generating a backup filename. 69 You can use `-backup=-` (that is, set the filename to just the ASCII 70 dash character) to disable the creation of backup files altogether. 71 72 These three options are preserved for backward-compatibility with earlier 73 workflows that predated the introduction of built-in remote state, where 74 users would write wrapper scripts that fetch prior state before running 75 Terraform and then save the new state after Terraform exits, in which case 76 the three arguments would typically all be paths within a temporary 77 directory used just for one operation. 78 79 Because these old workflows predate the introduction of the possibility of 80 [multiple workspaces](/language/state/workspaces), setting them 81 overrides Terraform's usual behavior of selecting a different state filename 82 based on the selected workspace. If you use all three of these options then 83 the selected workspace has no effect on which filenames Terraform will select 84 for state files, and so you'll need to select different filenames yourself if 85 you wish to keep workspace state files distinct from one another. 86 87 These three options have no effect for configurations that have a different 88 backend type selected. 89 90 We do not recommend using these options in new systems, even if you are running 91 Terraform in automation. Instead, 92 [select a different backend which supports remote state](/language/settings/backends) and configure it 93 within your root module, which ensures that everyone working on your 94 configuration will automatically retrieve and store state in the correct shared 95 location without any special command line options.