What is the primary purpose of 'terraform import' command?

The primary purpose of the 'terraform import' command is to bring existing resources that were created outside of Terraform under its management. This command allows users to connect the resources that are already provisioned in a cloud provider or on-premises infrastructure to Terraform’s state file. Once imported, Terraform can track these resources, manage their configurations, and apply subsequent changes as specified in the Terraform configuration files.

This command is particularly useful in scenarios where teams want to begin using Terraform for resources that were manually provisioned earlier or by other means, ensuring that these resources can be managed consistently moving forward. The imported resource will then be represented in Terraform's state file and can be modified or destroyed based on future Terraform plans and applies.

In contrast, applying a state configuration involves applying changes derived from Terraform configurations to resources, removing a resource from the state is about disassociating Terraform management from it, and creating new resources relates to deploying new infrastructure rather than managing pre-existing resources.