What is the purpose of the 'terraform validate' command?

The purpose of the 'terraform validate' command is to check the validity of Terraform configuration files without executing them. This command does a syntax check and evaluates whether the configuration files are well-formed and logical in structure. It helps to identify any errors in the HCL (HashiCorp Configuration Language) before attempting to apply the configurations to the infrastructure, allowing users to catch mistakes early in the development process.

This command ensures that the configuration can be parsed correctly by Terraform, helping to prevent runtime errors during resource creation or modification. It does not interact with the actual infrastructure, nor does it attempt to deploy or validate any state; rather, it focuses purely on the correctness of the syntax and structure of the files written. By running this command, users can gain confidence that their Terraform scripts are free of basic errors before proceeding to apply configurations that change the state of their infrastructure.