How do you target a specific resource when applying changes?

To target a specific resource when applying changes in Terraform, using the -target option with the resource address is the correct approach. This functionality allows operators to specify a particular resource or module for Terraform to apply changes, rather than applying changes to all resources defined in the configuration.

When you use the -target option in the command line, you can define the exact resource in your Terraform state that you want to affect. The resource address typically comes in the format of resource_type.resource_name, which uniquely identifies the resource within the Terraform configuration. This focused approach helps manage and apply changes more granularly, especially useful in complex infrastructures where you might not want to impact other resources during updates.

It's important to note that while other approaches might seem logical, they do not align with how Terraform is designed to manage state and resources. Specifying the resource ID directly does not work since Terraform requires the full resource address. Editing the configuration file directly alters the desired state configuration but does not apply targeted changes. Similarly, labeling resources in the code may help with organization but does not facilitate the targeting mechanism when executing commands.