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

The 'terraform apply' command is essential for managing infrastructure because its primary purpose is to apply changes to the infrastructure as defined in the Terraform configuration files. When this command is executed, Terraform reads the current state of the infrastructure and compares it against the desired state described in the configuration files. It generates an execution plan that specifies the changes that will be made. Once this plan is reviewed and confirmed by the user, 'terraform apply' proceeds to create, update, or delete resources according to the specifications in the configuration. This process ensures that the actual state of the infrastructure is modified to align with the desired configuration, thus enabling effective Infrastructure as Code practices.

Choosing this option reflects a clear understanding of the core functionality of Terraform in provisioning and managing infrastructure resources through code-based configurations.