Error: Resource instance managed by newer provider version

Workarounds

1. 95% success Upgrade the provider to match the version that wrote the state

   # Check which provider version wrote the state:
   terraform providers
   # Or inspect state:
   #   terraform show -json | jq '.values.root_module.resources[].provider_name'
   
   # Update version constraint in your config:
   terraform {
     required_providers {
       aws = {
         source  = "hashicorp/aws"
         version = ">= 5.30.0"  # Match or exceed the version in state
       }
     }
   }
   
   # Upgrade:
   terraform init -upgrade
   terraform plan  # Should work now

   Sources: https://developer.hashicorp.com/terraform/language/providers/requirements#version-constraints

2. 90% success Pin provider versions in required_providers and use a dependency lock file across the team

   # Pin exact versions to prevent accidental upgrades:
   terraform {
     required_providers {
       aws = {
         source  = "hashicorp/aws"
         version = "= 5.40.0"  # Exact pin
       }
     }
   }
   
   # Commit .terraform.lock.hcl to version control:
   git add .terraform.lock.hcl
   git commit -m "Pin provider versions"
   
   # All team members and CI pipelines now use the same version.
   # To upgrade, one person runs:
   #   terraform init -upgrade
   #   terraform plan  # Verify
   #   terraform apply
   #   git add .terraform.lock.hcl && git commit -m "Upgrade AWS provider to X.Y.Z"

   Sources: https://developer.hashicorp.com/terraform/language/files/dependency-lock

3. 78% success If state is in a remote backend, restore a state backup from before the provider upgrade

   # For Terraform Cloud / remote backends with state versioning:
   # List state versions:
   terraform state list
   
   # In Terraform Cloud UI: go to the workspace -> States tab
   # Find the state version before the provider upgrade and rollback.
   
   # For S3 backend with versioning enabled:
   # aws s3api list-object-versions --bucket my-tf-state --prefix terraform.tfstate
   # aws s3api get-object --bucket my-tf-state --key terraform.tfstate \
   #   --version-id <old-version-id> terraform.tfstate.backup
   # terraform state push terraform.tfstate.backup
   
   # WARNING: Rolling back state loses any resource changes applied
   # after the backup. Plan carefully after rollback.

   Sources: https://developer.hashicorp.com/terraform/language/state/remote