Terraform Import Explained: Bring Existing Infrastructure Under Control

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What Is terraform import?

The terraform import command lets you attach an existing resource to your Terraform configuration and state file.

⚙️ Syntax:

terraform import <address> <resource_id>

Where:

• <address> is the Terraform resource name (e.g. aws_s3_bucket.example)

• <resource_id> is the actual cloud provider ID (e.g. the S3 bucket name or EC2 ID)

Hands-On: Import an AWS S3 Bucket

Let’s import an existing bucket named my-imported-bucket.

Step 1: Write the Resource Block

resource "aws_s3_bucket" "imported" {
  bucket = "my-imported-bucket"
}

Step 2: Run the Import Command

terraform import aws_s3_bucket.imported my-imported-bucket

You’ll see:

Import successful!

Step 3: Run terraform plan

This shows what Terraform thinks is different.

Often, you’ll need to add missing attributes to match the actual resource config and eliminate drift.

What Happens After Import?

Terraform doesn’t magically write code for you.

After import:

✅ The resource is tracked in the .tfstate file
 ❌ Terraform doesn’t auto-populate your .tf config
 ✅ You must manually update the config to match the real state
⚠️ Otherwise, terraform plan may show deletion or replacement diffs

Importing EC2 Example

Resource Block:

resource "aws_instance" "prod" {
  ami           = "ami-0abcdef1234567890"
  instance_type = "t2.micro"
}

Import Command:

terraform import aws_instance.prod i-1234567890abcdef0

Limitations of Terraform Import

❌ No automatic config generation
 ❌ No validation that your config matches the real resource
 ❌ Can’t import into modules directly — use full addresses
 ❌ Only imports one resource at a time (without tools)
 ❌ Can be risky with complex, nested resources

Importing Into Modules

To import into a module, use full resource address:

terraform import 'module.network.aws_vpc.main' vpc-0123abcd

Quotes are required due to the dot notation.

Best Practices for Safe Import

✅ Always write config block before importing
 ✅ Use terraform plan immediately after to sync fields
 ✅ Run terraform show to inspect imported state
 ✅ Clean up diff warnings by matching actual cloud settings
 ✅ Avoid importing overly complex resources (or test them first)
 ✅ Back up your state file before each import

Tools That Help with Imports

💡 Tip of the Day:

📚 Resources & References

1️⃣ Terraform Import Command Docs
🔗 Docs
Official usage and syntax guide.

2️⃣ Terraform Importing Modules
🔗 Guide
How to import into module blocks.

3️⃣ terraformer by Google
🔗 GitHub
Tool to reverse-engineer existing infra into .tf code.

4️⃣ AWS CLI Reference – EC2/S3
🔗 AWS Docs
Grab resource IDs and metadata easily.

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