Terraform: Terraform plan -target includes all files in directory

[BGnoinski]

Terraform Version

./terraform -v
Terraform v0.9.4

Affected Resource(s)

Please list the resources as a list, for example:

• terraform plan

Scenario 1

Terraform Configuration Files

test1.tf

provider "aws" {
  region = "ca-central-1"
}

module "test1" {
  source = "test1"
}

test1/main.tf

resource "aws_vpc" "vpc" {
  cidr_block = "10.0.0.0/16"
}

test2.tf

provider "aws" {
  region = "ca-central-1"
}

Scenario 2

Terraform Configuration Files

test1/main.tf

provider "aws" {
  region = "ca-central-1"
}

module "test1" {
  source = "test1"
}
resource "aws_vpc" "vpc" {
  cidr_block = "10.0.0.0/16"
}

Expected Behavior

As per the docs only the specified target and dependencies should be planned.

  -target=resource    Resource to target. Operation will be limited to this
                      resource and its dependencies. This flag can be used
                      multiple times.

Actual Behavior

Scenario 1

Terraform is is looking at all files in the directory not just those targeted, creating a conflict with multiple providers being declared.

Scenario 2

Terraform is looking for a configuration file in the current directory, not just the targeted directory.

Steps to Reproduce

Please list the steps required to reproduce the issue, for example:

Scenario 1

terraform plan -target=test1.tf
1 error(s) occurred:

* module root: 1 error(s) occurred:

* provider.aws: declared multiple times, you can only declare a provider once

Scenario 2

./terraform plan -target=test1/
No configuration files found!

Plan requires configuration to be present. Planning without a configuration
would mark everything for destruction, which is normally not what is desired.
If you would like to destroy everything, please run plan with the "-destroy"
flag or create a single empty configuration file. Otherwise, please create
a Terraform configuration file in the path being executed and try again.

[catsby]

Hello – The syntax for -target is to supply Resource address

Example:

$ terraform plan -target=aws_instance.example

Terraform still needs to load all the files for your infrastructure to find the resource in question, however it limits it's plan / apply operations to just those resources specified, and any dependencies that would require changes as well

[augustgerro]

There is bad logic inside.
I think,
-target=path_to_dir/
-target=file.tf
is more logically than -target=aws_instance.example

For resources will be great specify
-resource=aws_instance.example

[espoelstra]

terraform state list is a great way to see all the modules that are available as targets for terraform plan -target=module.name.

[garrettfoxdotnet]

anyone have this for azure?

[surajn03]

what is the format to feed to multiple resources at same time as list.. similarly would it support multiple module to be input at same time ?

[espoelstra]

@surajn03 you simply specify -target=resourceX multiple times for each module.name that shows in terraform state list.

[hashibot[bot]]

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