What is Infrastructure as Code? Benefits & Best Approaches

If you have encountered the problem of environment drift when you are in the release cycle, then you are on the right page today as we are going to discuss Infrastructure as code and also give you a brief introduction about what is infrastructure as code. There are various configurations that go into an environment when you are developing software and they are kind of fragile. There are many times that you face issues while maintaining those infrastructures, but with IaC, you are going to resolve this issue. There are various tools now in your hand that you can use to emphasize the use of these environments and have a better configuration in them with the release.

What do you mean by Infrastructure as Code?

A code based on the model which can be used for maintaining various platforms as well provisioning them is known as Infrastructure as Code. We know that the same source code generates the same binary, the same code in the Infrastructure as code generates the same environment all the time it is going to be applied. There are various environments that can be part of this like networks, virtual machines, various connections topology, and also load balancers. If you are looking to edit as well as distribute the Infrastructure configurations, this is the best way as the configuration files are being created which have all the details you need. This makes sure that you have a well-defined code for this and do not depend on the manual processes all the time.

As provisioning is available when you are using IaC, you will be able to have all the details without going for them one by one. They will have the configuration files which can be used to set up servers, operating systems as well as storage with the automated code for the Infrastructure. These files are able to develop as well as deploy all the necessary settings from one environment to another. Also, infrastructure as code in devops has seen various advantages and the projects are getting so many benefits after its use in the team.

What are the benefits of IaC?

Consistency

We are already aware of the fact that when the processes are done manually for the tedious jobs, there are errors that are bound to happen. The environment configuration when done manually can lead to various discrepancies and this might affect the whole developmental cycle. But when you are using IaC in your project, you are going to have consistency in the project where all the processes are being automated and there is no room for error. Using this, it can be guaranteed that the same configurations will be deployed every time no matter how many times it needs to be done.

Speed

One of the major benefits of having IaC is that you are going to have speed when you need to deploy environments. The script is being used which makes the processes very easy as well as accurate. There are various stages that are needed when the software is getting developed, with this tool, you can have a better hand at the deployment of those environments at any stage, and this will make the whole cycle work very smoothly.

Lower cost at better efficiency

If you are looking to have a significant reduction in your cost involved in the project, going for cloud computing with IaC is your way to go. There are so many tools that you can use, but using IaC has shown great results. Not only are you going to have lower costs for the deployment of the environment with the right configurations, but you are also going to attain maximum efficiency. There will not be a need for a higher professional manual process that is led by the resources or need and dedicated Infrastructure to perform those tasks. This can reduce the cost of having training of new resources or the Infrastructure needed and the processes can be made automated. When you are going for your DevOps certification training, you will learn various tools and methods that can be used to lower the cost for software development in the given project.

Traceability

Also, when you are using the code for the provisioning of the infrastructure you are going to have all the accountability you need. As they are going to work as the source code, it becomes very easy to trace. You can see the kinds of configuration changes that have come when the deployment was done. You will not need too much time for this, all of this is automated and makes it easier for the team to know and trace the issue on time. Furthermore, you are going to have better integration with CI/CD pipelines and work with them in a better way.

Approaches to write IaC

When we are dealing with writing infrastructure as code, there are generally two different ways that we can incorporate in our team:

1. Declarative

2. Imperative

Declarative Approach

In this kind of approach, the user will define the requirements that are needed from the system and the tools will deliver and configure the environments as per the declarations. The user will be able to define the state and other things needed and then it will be taken care of by the IaC tools to complete that work. When you are managing the infrastructure, the declarative approach is preferred over the imperative approach as you are going to have a lot of flexibility in the system, and in this; you can take note of the current state of the infrastructure as well.

Imperative Approach

In this kind of approach, the user is going to define the exact steps that are needed to be done to have a desired state in the system. The tools in IaC are going to deviate from the specified steps and this is going to happen in the same exact way. These commands that are given by the user are needed to be executed in a defined order for an action to be completed. Using this approach, you have to figure out how the work needed to be completed. This method is less flexible than the declarative approach.

While working with DevOps infrastructure as code, the choice of approaches the team follows depends mainly on their requirements and they choose one approach over another based on the same.

Also Read : What is a Cloud First Strategy?

Best Practices for IaC

Code, Code, and Code

When you are going for the infrastructure as code, you should be aware of the fact that all things should be present in your code. If you are going to use this tool, then you can make the best out of it when you are going to codify everything. The code is your truth and this is going to make sure that the deployment in the environments is going to be accurate as well as efficient. The files are going to be the single source of truth for the environment.

Focus less on documentation

As you are going to have everything in your code in IaC, you should not focus too much on the documentation. Again, you can use that time to have a better code for your system. This is being said because the code you are going to use in IaC is going to serve as a document file in itself and you will not have to go anywhere when you need to look for the source code or things related to it.

Have version control

If you are going to make changes in the code files, that should be recorded and the version controlling those files should be made a topmost priority in your project. The configuration files can be made version controlled using various tools that are very effective in making sure that these changes are being tracked and recorded.

Continuous testing and monitoring

As you are going to have code in IaC and as all the codes are needed to be monitored and tested from time to time for their better function, these configuration files codes should be tested and monitored very often. This is going to help the team track any discrepancies. The errors can be spotted very easily when your team is going to practice this from time to time.

Other than these, you should also make sure that the code that you are writing is modular as well as immutable. This will make sure that the configurations that you are looking to deploy from one environment to another remain the same and you do not face any kind of issue while using iac DevOps.

Final Word

The use of IaC in the team significantly reduced the time and cost and it has become an integral part of the DevOps movement. There are various teams all over the world that are following this approach and seeing great results from the same. As there could be dependencies while deployment or configuration drifts, using IaC in the team is going to help overcome these issues. The two approaches to have that are mentioned in the article above and as it suits the team, they can choose the right fit for their project and have a great result with this method. This automated coding of the configuration files is going to be very helpful where the complex and manual processes are involved as error-free responses can be generated.

So, if you also wish to learn about DevOps and want to enter this exciting world, then going for DevOps certification can open doors for you. There are various platforms where you can go for this training, but with StarAgile, you are going to have an opportunity to learn from the certified professionals and great content for better understanding. So choose the best for your best career.

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