Terraform import is commonly misunderstood as a way to “bring code into Terraform.”
The actual mechanism is narrower and more operationally sensitive.
Import attaches an existing remote object to a Terraform resource address inside state. The infrastructure already exists before Terraform begins managing it. After import, Terraform compares configuration against that adopted state and identifies drift.
This lesson explains:
- Why Terraform addresses matter before import
- How import IDs identify remote infrastructure
- Why import does not validate correctness
- How imported production resources can introduce operational risk
- Why import should be treated as a controlled ownership transfer