How to fix Error: Error inspecting states in the s3 backend: S3 bucket does not exist in Terraform

Check your Terraform backend configuration in your code. The bucket name must exactly match an existing S3 bucket in your AWS account.

Look for the backend block in your Terraform files (usually in a root main.tf or backend.tf):

terraform {
  backend "s3" {
    bucket = "your-bucket-name"
    key    = "path/to/terraform.tfstate"
    region = "us-east-1"
  }
}

Write down the exact bucket name and region. You'll use these in the next step.

Ensure you have the correct AWS credentials configured and are targeting the correct AWS account and region.

Check your current AWS profile and credentials:

aws sts get-caller-identity
aws s3 ls

This shows which AWS account you're currently authenticated to. The bucket must exist in this account and region.

If you use named AWS profiles, ensure your Terraform backend configuration references the correct profile:

terraform {
  backend "s3" {
    bucket  = "my-bucket"
    region  = "us-west-2"
    profile = "my-profile"
  }
}

If the bucket doesn't exist, create it using the AWS CLI:

For us-east-1 region:

aws s3api create-bucket --bucket my-terraform-state --region us-east-1

For other regions (e.g., us-west-2):

aws s3api create-bucket \
  --bucket my-terraform-state \
  --region us-west-2 \
  --create-bucket-configuration LocationConstraint=us-west-2

Note: S3 bucket names must be globally unique across all AWS accounts. If you get an error saying the bucket already exists, try a different name.

Enable versioning for better state management:

aws s3api put-bucket-versioning \
  --bucket my-terraform-state \
  --versioning-configuration Status=Enabled

Enable encryption for security:

aws s3api put-bucket-encryption \
  --bucket my-terraform-state \
  --server-side-encryption-configuration '{
    "Rules": [{
      "ApplyServerSideEncryptionByDefault": {
        "SSEAlgorithm": "AES256"
      }
    }]
  }'

Once the S3 bucket exists and is accessible, run terraform init:

terraform init

Terraform should now successfully connect to the S3 backend. You should see output like:

Successfully configured the backend "s3"!

If you previously had a different backend configuration and are now switching to S3, you may need to migrate your state:

terraform init -migrate-state

This will prompt you to confirm migrating state from the old location to the new S3 backend.