Querying cloud provider API’s takes a while. It can be done, but the results are cached afterwards, which is the state file.

Refreshing the state file (and reconciling differences) also uses the cloud provider API’s. I don’t think we’re going to get better than that.

Unless someone makes a common standard for resource reporting that all cloud providers implement.

exactly. relying purely on the provider’s api seems like an untenable solution with the current state of things.

The state file is more than a cache. If it was just a cache, it wouldn't be problematic.

you’d be subject to rate limits and all manner of potential issues and outages if you only query the providers api.

that’s part of the case for a centralized state, to have an additional place that describes what should exist and what it looks like.