https://blog.corneschi.ro/tags/providers/Recent content in Providers on Daniel CorneschiHugoenDaniel CorneschiSat, 10 Oct 2026 11:20:46 +0300https://blog.corneschi.ro/posts/terraform-get-update-vs-init-upgrade/Sat, 10 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://blog.corneschi.ro/posts/terraform-get-update-vs-init-upgrade/<h2 id="overview">Overview</h2> <p>Both commands refresh module sources, but they operate at different scopes and serve different purposes. Confusing them — or using one when you need the other — leads to stale modules, unexpected provider changes, or wasted time re-downloading things you didn&rsquo;t intend to touch.</p> <h2 id="quick-comparison">Quick Comparison</h2> <table> <thead> <tr> <th>Aspect</th> <th><code>terraform get -update</code></th> <th><code>terraform init -upgrade</code></th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>Scope</td> <td>Modules only</td> <td>Modules + Providers + Backend</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Updates providers</td> <td>No</td> <td>Yes</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Updates modules</td> <td>Yes</td> <td>Yes</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Updates <code>.terraform.lock.hcl</code></td> <td>No</td> <td>Yes (provider entries)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Initializes backend</td> <td>No</td> <td>Yes</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Works with a broken or misconfigured backend</td> <td>Yes</td> <td>No (fails while initializing the backend)</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Typical use case</td> <td>Refresh module source code</td> <td>Full dependency upgrade</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <h2 id="terraform-get">terraform get</h2> <p><code>terraform get</code> downloads and updates module source code into <code>.terraform/modules/</code>. That&rsquo;s all it does — nothing else.</p>https://blog.corneschi.ro/posts/terraform-init-upgrade-and-constraints/Sat, 10 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://blog.corneschi.ro/posts/terraform-init-upgrade-and-constraints/<h2 id="overview">Overview</h2> <p><code>terraform init -upgrade</code> tells Terraform to ignore the versions pinned in <code>.terraform.lock.hcl</code> and resolve providers and modules again — selecting the newest versions that still satisfy your version constraints. Without <code>-upgrade</code>, <code>terraform init</code> respects whatever is already locked and only downloads what&rsquo;s missing.</p> <p>Understanding when to use <code>-upgrade</code> and how to write effective version constraints keeps your infrastructure reproducible while still allowing controlled updates.</p> <h2 id="what-terraform-init-does-normally">What terraform init Does Normally</h2> <p>A plain <code>terraform init</code>:</p>