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Troubleshooting a Terraform Locked State File Issue

This lab will demonstrate how to troubleshoot a Terraform locked state file issue. We will attempt to go through the different stages of deployment to try and deploy our configuration and work through the locked state file issue until we have successfully deployed our resources.

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Path Info

Level
Clock icon Intermediate
Duration
Clock icon 30m
Last updated
Clock icon Sep 01, 2025

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Table of Contents

  1. Challenge

    Deploy Your Backend Resources

    1. In the terminal, once logged into your instance, change to the s3 directory.
    2. In the s3 directory, edit the S3.tf file and either append a number or rename the bucket name in the file.
    3. Run the terraform fmt command.
    4. Now initialize your working directory.
    5. If initialization is successful, then apply your code and deploy your resources.

  2. Challenge

    Create the Lock

    1. Now change to the terraform directory.
    2. In the terraform directory, edit the main.tf file and add in your ami ,subnet_id, and vpc from the resource_ids.txt file.
    3. Run the terraform fmt command.
    4. Edit the backend.tf file and change the bucket name to the bucket name you used in the S3.tf file.
    5. Now initialize your working directory.
    6. If initialization is successful, then move step by step until you get to the apply stage.
    7. Run the terraform apply command but DO NOT type yes to confirm. Leave it at this step.

  3. Challenge

    Troubleshoot the Error and Deploy Your Resources

    1. In a new terminal session, log in to your lab instance.
    2. Go to the terraform directory.
    3. Run the terraform apply command.
    4. Fix the lock file error and deploy your resources to complete this lab.
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Pluralsight Skills

Pluralsight Skills gives leaders confidence they have the skills needed to execute technology strategy. Technology teams can benchmark expertise across roles, speed up release cycles and build reliable, secure products. By leveraging our expert content, skill assessments and one-of-a-kind analytics, keep up with the pace of change, put the right people on the right projects and boost productivity. It's the most effective path to developing tech skills at scale.

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