Terraform-Associate-004 Exam Dumps - HashiCorp Certified: Terraform Associate (004) (HCTA0-004)

The terraform state rm commandremovesa resource from Terraform’s state file butdoes not destroythe resource in the actual infrastructure. It only removes Terraform’s knowledge of the resource, meaning Terraform will no longer manage it.

If you run terraform state rm on a resource, Terraform will forget that the resource exists.

However, the resource will still exist in the cloud or infrastructure provider.

If you later run terraform apply, Terraform may try torecreatethe resource because it is no longer present in its state file.

Official Terraform Documentation Reference:

terraform state rm - HashiCorp Documentation

The terraform state show command allows you to access all of the attributes and details of a resource managed by Terraform. You can use the resource address (e.g. provider_type.name) as an argument to show the information about a specific resource. The terraform state list command only shows the list of resources in the state, not their attributes. The terraform get command downloads and installs modules needed for the configuration. It does not show any information about resources. References = [Command: state show] and [Command: state list]

Rationale for Correct Answer: depends_on explicitly adds a dependency edge in Terraform’s graph. By adding depends_on = [azurerm_role_assignment.kv_access] to the web app resource, you force Terraform to create the role assignment first, even if Terraform can’t infer the dependency from attribute references.

Analysis of Incorrect Options (Distractors):

B: create_before_destroy is a lifecycle setting relevant to replacement behavior, not initial create ordering between independent resources.

C: File/block order does not control creation order; Terraform uses its dependency graph.

D: count controls quantity, not ordering.

Key Concept: Dependency graph and explicit dependencies via depends_on.

This is a secure way to protect sensitive data in the state file, as it will be encrypted at rest and in transit2. The other options are not recommended, as they could lead to data loss, errors, or security breaches.

 The concept of infrastructure as code (IaC) is to define and manage infrastructure using code, rather than manual processes or GUI tools. A script that contains a series of public cloud CLI commands is an example of IaC, because it uses code to provision resources into a public cloud. The other options are not examples of IaC, because they involve manual or interactive actions, such as running curl commands, sending REST requests, or entering commands into a console. References = [Introduction to Infrastructure as Code with Terraform] and [Infrastructure as Code]

Rationale for Correct Answer: Marking a variable (or output) as sensitive = true primarily prevents Terraform from displaying the value in CLI output and in some UI contexts. It does not prevent the value from being stored in the state file if that value is used by resources. Terraform state must often store attribute values to track and manage infrastructure; sensitive marking is about redaction, not state omission.

Analysis of Incorrect Options (Distractors):

A (True): Incorrect—sensitive values can still be written to state; you must protect state storage (encryption, access control) and avoid storing secrets in state where possible.

Key Concept: Sensitive values are redacted in output, but still can exist in state.

The public Terraform Module Registry automatically exposes all the information about published modules, including required input variables, optional input variables and default values, and outputs. This helps users to understand how to use and configure the modules.

 This is the command that you would use to access all of the attributes and details of a resource managed by Terraform, by providing the resource address as an argument. For example, terraform state show 'aws_instance.example' will show you all the information about the AWS instance named example.