Learn what Terraform drift is, how Terraform Cloud detects drift, how to enable it, and what to do when drift is found.

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Infrastructure drift is inevitable when using Terraform at scale. Terraform Cloud (HCP Terraform) detects drift by running periodic terraform plan operations comparing actual infrastructure state to the recorded state file. Enabling drift detection requires at least the HCP Standard plan, configured via workspace Health settings. When drift is found, teams can revert to the previous state, incorporate manual changes into code, or (not recommended) ignore it. Alternative detection methods include using terraform plan -detailed-exitcode in CI/CD pipelines with exit code 2 signaling drift. Third-party platforms like Spacelift offer centralized drift detection across multiple IaC tools with optional automatic remediation and targeted notifications.

Terraform Cloud Drift Detection: How It Works & Setup

How does Terraform Cloud drift detection work?

Alternative methods for detecting Terraform drift