Rationale for Correct Answer:
D: Many remote backends support state locking, preventing concurrent operations from corrupting state and enabling safer team collaboration.
E: Remote state often supports encryption at rest (for example, via the remote storage system’s server-side encryption), improving security of sensitive values that may reside in state.
Analysis of Incorrect Options (Distractors):
A: Incorrect—remote state does not prevent drift; drift can still occur if changes are made outside Terraform.
B: Incorrect—credentials for providers are still required; remote state doesn’t remove that need (though a platform like HCP Terraform can centralize variable/credential management).
C: Incorrect—remote backends do not inherently make plan/apply faster; latency can even increase. Performance depends on environment and backend behavior.
Key Concept: Benefits of remote state: collaboration via locking and improved security controls for state storage.
[Reference: Terraform Objectives — Navigate Terraform State and Backends (remote backends, locking, security), Implement and Maintain State., , ]
