» Remote Operations (plan, apply, etc.)

Most backends run all operations on the local system — although Terraform stores its state remotely with these backends, it still executes its logic locally and makes API requests directly from the system where it was invoked.

This is simple to understand and work with, but when many people are collaborating on the same Terraform configurations, it requires everyone's execution environment to be similar. This includes sharing access to infrastructure provider credentials, keeping Terraform versions in sync, keeping Terraform variables in sync, and installing any extra software required by Terraform providers. This becomes more burdensome as teams get larger.

Some backends can run operations (plan, apply, etc.) on a remote machine, while appearing to execute locally. This enables a more consistent execution environment and more powerful access controls, without disrupting workflows for users who are already comfortable with running Terraform.

Currently, the remote backend is the only backend to support remote operations, and Terraform Enterprise is the only remote execution environment that supports it. For more information, see:

• The remote backend
• Terraform Enterprise's CLI-driven run workflow