IAC

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is a fundamental practice in modern IT, particularly within DevOps. In essence, it involves managing and provisioning IT infrastructure through machine-readable definition files, rather than through manual configuration. Here's a breakdown:

• Automation:
  • IaC automates the process of setting up and managing infrastructure components like servers, networks, and databases.
  • This automation eliminates the inconsistencies and errors that can occur with manual configuration.
• Codification:
  • Infrastructure configurations are written as code, which can be version-controlled, reviewed, and tested like any other software code.
  • This allows for consistent and repeatable deployments.
• Benefits:
  • Consistency: IaC ensures that environments are consistently configured, reducing the risk of "configuration drift."
  • Speed: Automated provisioning accelerates the deployment of infrastructure.
  • Version control: changes to infrastructure can be tracked and rolled back.
  • Cost reduction: Automation can help optimize resource utilization and reduce manual labor.
• Key concepts:
  • IaC tools allow for the definition of the desired state of infrastructure. Then the tool is responsible for bringing the actual infrastructure to that desired state.
  • IaC is a key enabler of CI/CD pipelines, allowing for the automated deployment of both applications and their underlying infrastructure.

In essence, IaC treats infrastructure management as a software development process, bringing the benefits of automation, version control, and repeatability to IT operations.