What method can be employed to ensure infrastructure changes are reviewed before being applied?

The correct approach to ensure that infrastructure changes are reviewed before being applied is by using Terraform plan along with version control systems for pull requests. This methodology facilitates a clear review process. When you run Terraform plan, it generates an execution plan that details what changes will be made to the infrastructure. This plan can be shared with team members, allowing them to review the proposed changes before they are executed.

Integrating this process with a version control system enables collaboration among team members, where they can create pull requests with the planned changes. Each pull request can be meticulously reviewed, ensuring that all modifications go through a quality check before being merged and applied to the infrastructure. This practice minimizes the risk of errors and enhances accountability, as multiple eyes assess the planned alterations.

While validating the configuration with terraform validate is a good practice, it does not inherently provide a review mechanism for proposed infrastructure changes. Directly editing the state file is not advisable due to the potential for introducing inconsistencies and errors, compromising the integrity of the infrastructure management. Automating the apply process with a script can streamline deployment but does not incorporate a review step, potentially leading to unvetted changes being applied directly. Therefore, the combination of Terraform plan and version control pull requests is the best method