Introduction
Managing infrastructure manually is slow, error-prone, and doesn’t scale. That’s why modern teams use Infrastructure as Code (IaC) — a practice that lets you define and manage your infrastructure with code.
Let’s see what that means.
1. What is IaC?
Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is the process of provisioning and managing infrastructure through code, instead of using manual processes or GUIs.
With IaC, your servers, databases, networks, and cloud resources are defined in configuration files that can be version-controlled and automated.
2. How does IaC work?
You write configuration files (usually in YAML, JSON, or HCL) that describe:
- What infrastructure you need
- How it should be configured
- How components should connect
These files are then used by IaC tools to create and manage the actual infrastructure.
3. Declarative vs Imperative
There are two main approaches:
- Declarative: You declare the desired state. (e.g. Terraform, CloudFormation)
- Imperative: You define exact steps to achieve the state. (e.g. Ansible, Pulumi in imperative mode)
4. Benefits of IaC
- Automation: Reduce manual setup
- Speed: Deploy infrastructure in minutes
- Consistency: Eliminate human errors
- Version control: Track changes like with code
- Scalability: Manage large infrastructures easily
5. IaC and DevSecOps
In a DevSecOps context, IaC also means:
- Scanning code for misconfigurations (e.g. open security groups, hardcoded secrets)
- Enforcing security policies before deployment
Tools like Checkov, tfsec, and OPA help secure IaC pipelines.
Common IaC Tools
- Terraform – cloud-agnostic, declarative
- AWS CloudFormation – AWS-native
- Pulumi – code-based, supports multiple languages
- Ansible – configuration management, imperative
Conclusion
Infrastructure as Code transforms infrastructure into repeatable, testable, and secure code. It’s a key part of automation and security in DevOps and DevSecOps.
That’s Infrastructure as Code (IaC).