Infrastructure as Code
Definition
Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is the process of managing and provisioning computer data centers through machine-readable definition files, rather than physical hardware configuration or interactive configuration tools.
Why It Matters
IaC brings the principles of software development (like version control and CI/CD) to infrastructure management. It allows infrastructure to be provisioned, updated, and replicated in an automated, reliable, and repeatable way, which is essential for DevOps and cloud environments.
Contextual Example
A developer writes a Terraform or AWS CloudFormation template that defines all the required resources for an application: virtual servers, databases, load balancers, and network rules. They can then run this template to automatically create the entire environment in the cloud.
Common Misunderstandings
- Tools like Terraform, AWS CloudFormation, and Ansible are popular for implementing IaC.
- With IaC, your infrastructure is versioned and can be reviewed, just like your application code.