Meaning
Management approaches use machine readable definition files in place of manual hardware configuration or interactive tools to provision computing environments. The adoption of infrastructure as code allows for the automation of server setup, networking, security and storage through software development practices. The automation stops at the OS and application layer where other configuration management tools typically take over.
Consistency is mandatory.
Configuration State
Scripts define the desired appearance of the network and the system automatically works to reach that condition. Using infrastructure as code eliminates the human errors that occur during manual setup. This consistency ensures that the development environment matches the production environment perfectly.
Provisioning Speed
Large clusters of servers can be launched in minutes by executing a single file. Engineers use infrastructure as code to scale their capacity up or down in response to demand. This agility allows a company to respond quickly to market changes without a heavy investment in permanent hardware.
Version Control
Storing the environment definitions in a repository allows teams to track changes and roll back to previous versions if a problem arises. This audit trail is essential for meeting the compliance requirements of highly regulated industries. Infrastructure as code transforms the hardware layer into a flexible asset that supports the rapid pace of modern production.
