Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is a modern approach to provisioning, configuring, and managing infrastructure through machine-readable definition files rather than manual processes. By treating infrastructure the same way developers treat application code, IaC brings reliability, scalability, and automation to operations.
IaC enables teams to:
- Version-control infrastructure.
- Automate environment creation and teardown.
- Improve consistency and reduce configuration drift.
- Deliver infrastructure rapidly and repeatedly.
- Support DevOps and GitOps workflows.
Declarative vs. Imperative Approaches
- Declarative: Define what the final state should be (e.g., Terraform, OpenTofu, Nix).
- Imperative: Define how to reach that state step-by-step (e.g., Ansible, scripts).
Idempotency
IaC tools ensure repeated operations result in the same desired state without side effects.
Version Control Integration
IaC definitions are stored in Git, enabling reviews, rollbacks, and auditability.
Automation & CI/CD Integration
Infrastructure changes can be validated, tested, and applied through pipelines.
Tools
- Terraform / OpenTufo : IaC deployment for multiple services using providers and their API.
- Nix : Declerative builds
- Ansible : Declerative state for machines
- Kubernetes : Manifests can be considered IaC