github.com/pulumi/terraform@v1.4.0/website/docs/cli/commands/state/rm.mdx (about)

     1  ---
     2  page_title: 'Command: state rm'
     3  description: >-
     4    The `terraform state rm` command removes bindings from the Terraform state,
     5    causing Terraform to "forget about" existing objects.
     6  ---
     7  
     8  # Command: state rm
     9  
    10  The main function of [Terraform state](/language/state) is
    11  to track the bindings between resource instance addresses in your configuration
    12  and the remote objects they represent. Normally Terraform automatically
    13  updates the state in response to actions taken when applying a plan, such as
    14  removing a binding for a remote object that has now been deleted.
    15  
    16  You can use `terraform state rm` in the less common situation where you wish
    17  to remove a binding to an existing remote object without first destroying it,
    18  which will effectively make Terraform "forget" the object while it continues
    19  to exist in the remote system.
    20  
    21  ## Usage
    22  
    23  Usage: `terraform state rm [options] ADDRESS...`
    24  
    25  Terraform will search the state for any instances matching the given
    26  [resource address](/cli/state/resource-addressing), and remove
    27  the record of each one so that Terraform will no longer be tracking the
    28  corresponding remote objects.
    29  
    30  This means that although the objects will still continue to exist in the
    31  remote system, a subsequent
    32  [`terraform plan`](/cli/commands/plan)
    33  will include an action to create a new object for each of the "forgotten"
    34  instances. Depending on the constraints imposed by the remote system, creating
    35  those objects might fail if their names or other identifiers conflict with
    36  the old objects still present.
    37  
    38  This command also accepts the following options:
    39  
    40  - `-dry-run` - Report all of the resource instances that match the given
    41    address without actually "forgetting" any of them.
    42  
    43  - `-lock=false` - Don't hold a state lock during the operation. This is
    44    dangerous if others might concurrently run commands against the same
    45    workspace.
    46  
    47  - `-lock-timeout=DURATION` - Unless locking is disabled with `-lock=false`,
    48    instructs Terraform to retry acquiring a lock for a period of time before
    49    returning an error. The duration syntax is a number followed by a time
    50    unit letter, such as "3s" for three seconds.
    51  
    52  For configurations using the [Terraform Cloud CLI integration](/cli/cloud) or the [`remote` backend](/language/settings/backends/remote)
    53  only, `terraform state rm`
    54  also accepts the option
    55  [`-ignore-remote-version`](/cli/cloud/command-line-arguments#ignore-remote-version).
    56  
    57  For configurations using
    58  [the `local` state rm](/language/settings/backends/local) only,
    59  `terraform state rm` also accepts the legacy options
    60  [`-state`, `-state-out`, and `-backup`](/language/settings/backends/local#command-line-arguments).
    61  
    62  ## Example: Remove all Instances of a Resource
    63  
    64  The following example will cause Terraform to "forget" all of the instances
    65  of the `packet_device` resource named "worker".
    66  
    67  ```shell
    68  $ terraform state rm 'packet_device.worker'
    69  ```
    70  
    71  A resource that doesn't use `count` or `for_each` has only one instance, so
    72  this is also the appropriate syntax to select that single instance.
    73  
    74  ## Example: Remove all Instances of a Resource in a Module
    75  
    76  To select a resource that you've defined in a child module you must specify
    77  the path of that module as part of the resource address:
    78  
    79  ```shell
    80  $ terraform state rm 'module.foo.packet_device.worker'
    81  ```
    82  
    83  ## Example: Remove all Instances of all Resources in a Module
    84  
    85  The following example will cause Terraform to "forget" all of the instances
    86  associated with all resources defined in all instances of the module named
    87  `foo`:
    88  
    89  ```shell
    90  $ terraform state rm 'module.foo'
    91  ```
    92  
    93  ## Example: Remove a Particular Instance of a Resource using `count`
    94  
    95  A resource defined with [the `count` meta-argument](/language/meta-arguments/count)
    96  has multiple instances that are each identified by an integer. You can
    97  select a particular instance by including an explicit index in your given
    98  address:
    99  
   100  ```shell
   101  $ terraform state rm 'packet_device.worker[0]'
   102  ```
   103  
   104  Brackets (`[`, `]`) have a special meaning in some shells, so you may need to
   105  quote or escape the address in order to pass it literally to Terraform.
   106  The above shows the typical quoting syntax for Unix-style shells.
   107  
   108  ## Example: Remove a Particular Instance of a Resource using `for_each`
   109  
   110  A resource defined with [the `for_each` meta-argument](/language/meta-arguments/for_each)
   111  has multiple instances that are each identified by an string. You can
   112  select a particular instance by including an explicit key in your given
   113  address.
   114  
   115  However, the syntax for strings includes quotes and the quote symbol often
   116  has special meaning in command shells, so you'll need to use the appropriate
   117  quoting and/or escaping syntax for the shell you are using. For example:
   118  
   119  Unix-style shells, such as on Linux or macOS:
   120  
   121  ```shell
   122  $ terraform state rm 'packet_device.worker["example"]'
   123  ```
   124  
   125  Windows Command Prompt (`cmd.exe`):
   126  
   127  ```shell
   128  $ terraform state rm packet_device.worker[\"example\"]
   129  ```
   130  
   131  PowerShell:
   132  
   133  ```shell
   134  $ terraform state rm 'packet_device.worker[\"example\"]'
   135  ```