Warning: Deprecated Parameter: "dynamodb_table" is deprecated, use "use_lockfile" instead

TL;DR

dynamodb_table in the S3 backend is deprecated (AWS provider 5.100+). The replacement is S3-native locking: use_lockfile = true in the backend block, which needs Terraform 1.10+. Make the switch, run terraform init -reconfigure, and you can drop the DynamoDB table.

The warning

Warning: Deprecated Parameter
The parameter "dynamodb_table" is deprecated. Use parameter "use_lockfile" instead.

Steps to fix

1. Confirm your Terraform version is 1.10+ (terraform version); use_lockfile does not exist earlier.

• Expected: version requirement met, or upgrade first.

1. Update the backend block:

   backend "s3" {
     bucket       = "llmops-bedrock-tfstate"
     key [your value]
     region       = "us-east-1"
     use_lockfile = true
     encrypt      = true
   }

• Expected: no dynamodb_table remains.

1. Run terraform init -reconfigure.

• Expected: init succeeds; locking now uses a .tflock object in S3.

1. After confirming applies lock correctly, decommission the DynamoDB table.

• Expected: one less resource to manage, warning gone.

When to use this

• terraform init/plan prints the dynamodb_table deprecation warning on AWS provider 5.100+.

When NOT to use this

• Actual lock failures (ConditionalCheckFailedException) are operational, not deprecation, and are fixed by unlocking, not by migrating. Do not migrate mid-incident.

Compatibility

• use_lockfile: Terraform 1.10+, AWS provider 5.100+. Older setups keep dynamodb_table with no warning.

Root cause

S3 now supports conditional writes, so Terraform can implement locking with a lockfile object in the bucket itself. The provider deprecated the DynamoDB path to consolidate on the simpler mechanism.

Edge cases

• Both set: use_lockfile wins; remove dynamodb_table to silence the warning.
• Cross-account state buckets need the caller's S3 permissions to include the lockfile object operations.
• Teams pinned to Terraform < 1.10 must stay on dynamodb_table and accept the warning (or upgrade Terraform).