How to fix Error: Backend initialization required, please run terraform init in Terraform

The simplest fix is to reinitialize Terraform with the current backend configuration. Run:

terraform init -reconfigure

This tells Terraform to forget the previous backend configuration and use the current one without attempting to migrate state. Use this when you're intentionally changing backends or fixing a corrupted state.

If you want to keep your existing state and migrate it to a new backend, use:

terraform init -migrate-state

This attempts to copy existing state from the old backend to the new one. Terraform will prompt you to confirm the state migration. This is safer if you want to preserve all your infrastructure state during a backend migration.

If the above doesn't work, the local Terraform cache may be corrupted. Remove the local cache and reinitialize:

rm -rf .terraform
rm .terraform.lock.hcl
terraform init

WARNING: This only deletes local cache files. Your remote state (if configured) is unaffected. Only use this approach if you're confident your remote state is safe.

Check that your backend block contains all required fields with correct values. Open your Terraform configuration (often in main.tf, backend.tf, or a separate backend configuration file) and verify:

terraform {
  backend "s3" {
    bucket         = "my-terraform-state"
    key            = "prod/terraform.tfstate"
    region         = "us-east-1"
    encrypt        = true
    dynamodb_table = "terraform-locks"
  }
}

Ensure all bucket names, keys, regions, and other settings match your actual remote storage configuration.

If you want to work with local state instead of a remote backend, completely remove the backend block from your configuration:

terraform {
  # Remove the backend block entirely
}

Then run:

terraform init -reconfigure

This forces Terraform to forget the remote backend configuration and use local state (terraform.tfstate file in your working directory).