Answers: <p>This seems to be a part of the provider, <code>backend &quot;http&quot;</code>, which is like this somewhere</p>
  <pre><code>terraform {
    backend &quot;http&quot; {
    }
    ...
  </code></pre>
  <p>This is how you configure <a href="https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/infrastructure/iac/terraform_state.html#initialize-a-terraform-state-as-a-backend-by-using-gitlab-cicd" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Terraform State as a backend in GitLab CI/CD</a>. This is need so your tfstate file doesn't remain on the runner. This is what's responsible for updating that tfstate file remotely.</p>
  <p>If running them outside of GitLab CI just delete the backend provider.</p>
  
Answers: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers: 2023-01-31T18:02:26.280Z
Answers: 2023-01-31T18:02:26.280Z
Answers: Evan Carroll
Body: <p>When I run <code>terraform apply</code> using the Terraform files in my GitLab CI Pipeline (I didn't write them) I get the following,</p>
  <pre><code>Initializing the backend...
  address
    The address of the REST endpoint
  </code></pre>
  <p>Can these files be run in isolation of GitLab CI, on a workstation with vanilla terraform?</p>
  
Tags: <terraform><gitlab><gitlab-ci-runner>
Title: When running terraform from Gitlab CI, terraform asks me for the "The address of the REST endpoint"
UserDisplayName: Evan Carroll
ThreadText: # When running terraform from Gitlab CI, terraform asks me for the "The address of the REST endpoint"
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2023-01-31)
  
  When I run `terraform apply` using the Terraform files in my GitLab CI Pipeline (I didn't write them) I get the following,
  
  ```
  Initializing the backend...
  address
    The address of the REST endpoint
  
  ```
  
  Can these files be run in isolation of GitLab CI, on a workstation with vanilla terraform?
  
  **Tags:** terraform, gitlab, gitlab-ci-runner
  
  
  ---
  
  ## 1 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_0 on 2023-01-31. Score: 1 | Accepted answer
  
  This seems to be a part of the provider, `backend "http"`, which is like this somewhere
  
  ```
  terraform {
    backend "http" {
    }
    ...
  
  ```
  
  This is how you configure [Terraform State as a backend in GitLab CI/CD](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/infrastructure/iac/terraform_state.html#initialize-a-terraform-state-as-a-backend-by-using-gitlab-cicd). This is need so your tfstate file doesn't remain on the runner. This is what's responsible for updating that tfstate file remotely.
  
  If running them outside of GitLab CI just delete the backend provider.
  
  
  ---
  
  