Which command would you use to check for discrepancies between the actual infrastructure and your Terraform configuration?

The command that you would use to check for discrepancies between the actual infrastructure and your Terraform configuration is indeed the one that allows you to preview changes before they are applied. Terraform plan analyzes the current state of your infrastructure relative to the configuration specified in your Terraform files. It provides a detailed output that shows what actions Terraform will take to reconcile the differences between the current state and the desired state defined in the configuration files.

This command highlights resources that will be created, modified, or destroyed, enabling you to review potential changes and assess their impact before proceeding to apply them. It's an essential step in the Terraform workflow, promoting safe and informed infrastructure management.

In contrast, the apply command executes the proposed changes, making changes directly to the infrastructure without providing an intermediary check. The show command allows you to inspect the current state or the detailed information about a specific resource but does not compare it with the configuration. The term "update" doesn't apply to a standard Terraform command, as there's no command named terraform update; Terraform commands typically include plan, apply, destroy, and various others specific to managing infrastructure states.