Terraform FAQ

The latest stable version of Terraform is 1.14.6. There are currently 2 actively supported versions and 13 versions that have reached end of life. Visit the Terraform Version Tracker on ReleaseRun for a complete breakdown of all versions, including release dates, support timelines, and end-of-life dates.

OpenTofu is an open-source fork of Terraform created in 2023 after HashiCorp changed Terraform's license from MPL to BSL (Business Source License). OpenTofu is maintained by the Linux Foundation and aims to be a drop-in replacement. Both use HCL configuration and share the same provider ecosystem, but they are diverging over time with different feature sets.

Upgrade one minor version at a time and run 'terraform plan' after each upgrade to verify no unexpected changes. Back up your state file before upgrading. Read the upgrade guide for each version, paying attention to provider compatibility and state format changes. Use version constraints in required_version to prevent accidental use of incompatible versions.

Terraform CLI is source-available under the Business Source License (BSL 1.1) since August 2023. It is free to use for most purposes, but there are restrictions on offering it as a competing managed service. If the license is a concern, OpenTofu is a fully open-source (MPL 2.0) alternative.

Terraform state is a JSON file that maps your configuration to real-world resources. For teams, store state remotely using backends like S3+DynamoDB, Terraform Cloud, or Azure Storage with state locking to prevent concurrent modifications. Never commit state files to version control as they may contain secrets.

HashiCorp does not publish a formal EOL policy for Terraform CLI versions. In practice, only the latest minor version receives regular patch updates. Older versions may receive critical security fixes but are not guaranteed to. For production use, stay within 1-2 minor versions of the latest release.