Managing IT infrastructure has traditionally been a complex, manual process prone to inefficiencies and human errors. IaC directly addresses these challenges by automating the setup and management of IT infrastructure through code. This approach helps to resolve common infrastructure management problems like lengthy deployment times, configuration drift, and inconsistent configurations. In this guide, we'll explore what IaC is, its benefits, implementation approaches, and best practices, providing you with the knowledge needed to integrate IaC into your software development lifecycle.
What is infrastructure as code?
Infrastructure as code (IaC) is the practice of managing and provisioning computing infrastructure using configuration languages. Rather than relying on manual processes, such as physical hardware configuration or configuration tools, IaC uses code to provision infrastructure resources like virtual machines, load balancers, and operating systems in cloud environments and on-premises data centers. Some IaC tools use familiar languages like JSON or YAML, while others, such as Terraform by Hashicorp, use their own custom languages.
The key elements of IaC are:
Version control: Infrastructure configurations are stored in version control systems, allowing for versioning, collaboration, and rollbacks.
Automation tooling: Scripts and configuration files are used for infrastructure automation, reducing manual intervention.
API usage: IaC uses APIs to manage and provision resources programmatically.
DevOps and IaC
According to the 2024 State of Production Readiness Report, 50% of organizations say automation and continuous integration/deployment (CI/CD) are key features of their production readiness process. IaC is a core part of CI/CD pipelines, which in turns makes it critical to overall production readiness. By automating provisioning and configuration of environments at every point in the software delivery process, IaC makes the entire continuous delivery process easier. For example, IaC tools like Terraform by Hashicorp or Amazon Web Services (AWS) CloudFormation can automatically set up testing, staging, and production environments as part of the CI/CD workflow. IaC tools support the overall CI/CD process by keeping each infrastructure deployment consistent with the desired state. Using IaC, teams can version infrastructure using the same tools and principles as application code. This means that IaC makes it easier to perform rapid, reliable rollbacks and reduces the risk of deployment errors. The codified, standardized infrastructure definitions that IaC provides help establish a common framework and language for the DevOps team.
Benefits of infrastructure as code
The main benefit of IaC is that it automates and standardizes infrastructure provisioning, which helps with overall production readiness. In addition to this core benefit, implementing IaC provides additional benefits that help organizations reach production readiness:
Consistency: Automation of infrastructure setup means that environments are consistently configured, which minimizes errors resulting from manual configurations.
Scalability: IaC supports scaling of infrastructure with adjustable configuration files.
Increased deployment speed: With automated infrastructure changes, deployment times are drastically reduced.
Reduced human error: By automating infrastructure setup, IaC reduces the potential for human error.
Compliance: IaC helps enforce compliance with infrastructure standards and policies, which 66% of organizations struggle to align on.
Version control: Infrastructure changes can be tracked with familiar systems like GitHub, which makes it easier to audit and roll back configurations if necessary.
Collaboration: Teams can collaborate on infrastructure configurations using familiar version control systems.
Disaster recovery: Consistent environment creation makes disaster recovery easier.
Cost efficiency: Automation of manual tasks reduces operational costs and unblocks production readiness.
Developer self-service: Developers can manage infrastructure without ops teams.
Approaches to infrastructure as code
IaC can be approached in multiple ways, each of which is suited for different use cases and development styles. The main approaches to IaC are the declarative approach and the imperative approach. When selecting the right approach, consider factors like the complexity of infrastructure, the level of control required, compatibility with existing tools, scalability needs, and your team’s expertise.
Declarative: The desired end state of the infrastructure is defined in the infrastructure code, and the IaC tool figures out how to achieve that end state. The declarative approach is suited for teams that need predictable environments with less focus on the steps involved to get there. Common tools include Terraform and Pulumi.
Imperative: Using step-by-step commands, the IaC iterates until the desired state is reached. This approach is more prescriptive than the declarative approach, and it’s ideal for scenarios where the exact order of operations is crucial. Common tools include Ansible and Chef.
Getting started with IaC
While every organization has unique needs and requirements, there are a few basic steps that teams can follow to get started with IaC:
Evaluate challenges and goals: Determine your current infrastructure management challenges and define what you want to achieve with IaC.
Choose the right tools: Select IaC tools that align with your organization’s goals, ecosystem, and development styles.
Define standards and best practices: Set guidelines for creating, testing, and managing IaC scripts.
Start with a small project: To demonstrate the benefits of IaC before scaling up, begin with a small project.
Automate testing: Implement configuration validation testing to verify configurations and detect errors early.
Best practices for implementing IaC
Implementing IaC has multiple benefits, but can also introduce new challenges. As you adopt IaC, follow best practices for a smooth and effective implementation:
Write modular, reusable code: Similar to application code, define reusable modules in your configurations to simplify maintenance.
Use version control: Track changes with version control for efficient collaboration.
Enforce environment consistency: Use IaC to enforce consistent environments across development, testing, and production.
Make security a priority: Integrate security checks into your IaC processes from the start to protect infrastructure.
Regularly review configurations: Periodically audit IaC configurations to ensure they remain up to date and secure.
Integrate with CI/CD: Make IaC a core component of your CI/CD pipelines to automate all parts of the software delivery process.
Empower developers with self-service tools: Use tools like internal developer portals (IDPs) and Cortex Scaffolder to allow developers to manage infrastructure independently.
How cortex can help
Cortex can help your team get the most out of IaC with the Cortex IDP. The IDP consolidates IaC resources, integrates with CI/CD tools, enforces governance, and makes collaboration easier across teams. Unlike tools such as Terraform or Ansible that are solely dedicated to IaC, Cortex provides a unified platform for managing infrastructure resources with features like:
Scorecards, to track key IaC metrics like performance metrics and deployment status
Catalogs, to keep track of infrastructure ownership information and version control links.
A centralized view of IaC activities in the Developer Homepage, which automatically pulls data from IaC tools.
Scaffolder, which provides project templates and boilerplate code that can help developers quickly spin up services needed for IaC activities.
Integrations and plug-ins that make it easy to integrate the right IaC tools into your existing workflows.
To learn more about how Cortex can help with your IaC initiatives and support your DevOps practice, book a demo.
