# Terraform: Backend Bucket (GCS)
This directory contains Terraform configuration to provision a Google Cloud Storage (GCS) bucket for storing Terraform state remotely. This bucket is critical for tracking infrastructure deployed via Terraform and supporting collaboration across your team.
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## ⚠️ Important Notes
- **This setup is typically a one-time operation per project.**
- **Do NOT delete the backend bucket unless you are absolutely certain!**
- The bucket contains the Terraform state, which is required to manage and update cloud resources. Deleting it could result in losing track of all deployed infrastructure.
- **After running Terraform, always check in any changed files (e.g., backend config or lock files).**
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## Why Use a Remote Backend?
- Storing state remotely in GCS enables safe collaboration and disaster recovery.
- See: [Storing Terraform State in Google Cloud](https://cloud.google.com/docs/terraform/resource-management/store-state)
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## Prerequisites
- [Terraform](https://www.terraform.io/) installed (v1.0+ recommended)
- Google Cloud SDK installed
- Sufficient permissions in GCP to create and manage GCS buckets
- Authenticated with GCP:
```sh
gcloud auth application-default login
```
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## Usage
Run these commands directly in this directory:
Initialize the working directory:
```sh
terraform init
```
See planned actions:
```sh
terraform plan
```
Apply changes (create the backend bucket):
```sh
terraform apply
```
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## After Setup
Once the backend bucket is created, reference it in your Terraform backend configuration to enable remote state storage:
- [Terraform GCS Backend Documentation](https://developer.hashicorp.com/terraform/language/settings/backends/gcs)
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## Example: Using the Backend Bucket
After applying actions, you will see an output that looks like:
```terraform
tfstate_bucket = "deephaven-mcp-tfstate"
```
To use the backend, create `backend.tf` in your project:
```terraform
terraform {
backend "gcs" {
bucket = "deephaven-mcp-tfstate"
prefix = "terraform/state"
}
}
```
See also [Terraform Backend Configuration](https://developer.hashicorp.com/terraform/language/settings/backends/configuration)
for details on configuring using files or the command line.
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For more details, see the main project README or contact the maintainers.
