| --- |
| page_title: Authentication - Terraform CLI |
| description: >- |
| Documentation about the login and logout commands that help automate getting |
| an API token for your Terraform Cloud account. |
| --- |
| |
| # CLI Authentication |
| |
| > **Hands-on:** Try the [Authenticate the CLI with Terraform Cloud](https://learn.hashicorp.com/tutorials/terraform/cloud-login?in=terraform/cloud&utm_source=WEBSITE&utm_medium=WEB_IO&utm_offer=ARTICLE_PAGE&utm_content=DOCS) tutorial. |
| |
| [Terraform Cloud](https://cloud.hashicorp.com/products/terraform) and |
| [Terraform Enterprise](/enterprise) are platforms that perform |
| Terraform runs to provision infrastructure, offering a collaboration-focused |
| environment that makes it easier for teams to use Terraform together. (For |
| expediency, the content below refers to both products as "Terraform Cloud.") |
| |
| Terraform CLI integrates with Terraform Cloud in several ways — it can be a |
| front-end for [CLI-driven runs](/cloud-docs/run/cli) in Terraform Cloud, |
| and can also use Terraform Cloud as a state backend and a private module |
| registry. All of these integrations require you to authenticate Terraform CLI |
| with your Terraform Cloud account. |
| |
| The best way to handle CLI authentication is with the `login` and `logout` |
| commands, which help automate the process of getting an API token for your |
| Terraform Cloud user account. |
| |
| For details, see: |
| |
| - [The `terraform login` command](/cli/commands/login) |
| - [The `terraform logout` command](/cli/commands/logout) |
