What command do you use to initialize a Terraform configuration?

When working with Terraform, the command used to initialize a Terraform configuration is "terraform init." This command sets up the working environment by creating the necessary backend configuration files, downloading the required provider plugins, and preparing the directory for the deployment of infrastructure. It is essentially the first command you run after writing your configuration files because it lays the groundwork for any further operations, such as applying or validating the configuration.

During the initialization process, Terraform also checks for any changes in the configuration and ensures that the working directory is in the correct state to proceed. This makes it an essential step in the Terraform workflow, ensuring that all dependencies are managed before any infrastructure changes are made.

While other commands have important roles in the Terraform lifecycle—like "apply" which applies the changes defined in the configuration, "validate" which checks whether the configuration is syntactically valid, and "refresh" which updates the state file with the real infrastructure state—none of these commands perform the initialization task. Therefore, "terraform init" is the correct and necessary choice to start with before engaging in further Terraform operations.