What Is Infrastructure as Code? Meaning, Working, and Benefits

Infrastructure as code (IaC) is the process of using software code for resource provisioning in data center and cloud environments, instead of hardware settings or configuration tools, with the benefits of automation and remote provisioning. This article explains the meaning of IaC, how it works, and its top benefits.

What Is Infrastructure as Code?

Infrastructure as code is defined as using software code for resource provisioning in data center and cloud environments, instead of hardware settings or configuration tools, with the benefits of automation and remote provisioning. 

Infrastructure as code is essentially the process of managing infrastructure with automated methods. In addition, infrastructure as code (IaC) involves managing and provisioning data centers through code modules rather than interactive configuration tools or physical hardware configuration. In straightforward terms, IaC means managing your IT infrastructure with lines of code. There are four different types of infrastructure as code, and each is used according to the needed situation:

• Scripts: Scripting is a very direct form of IaC. This type of IaC is usually used for simple or one-off tasks and is not advised for complex tasks.
• Configuration management tools: These tools implement automation by installing and configuring servers. This type of IaC is designed for complex tasks as they are specialized tools built to manage software. They are the most common type of IaC; examples are Ansible, chef, etc. 
• Provisioning tools: This type of IaC has more advantages in complex tasks. These tools implement automation by creating infrastructure. Developers use this type of IaC to create infrastructure components. Common examples of some provisioning tools are OpenStack heat and AWS CloudFormation.
• Containers and templating tools: These tools formulate templates and images pre-loaded with all the libraries and components required to run an application. Data distributed with these tools are easy to manage and have a lower overhead compared to running an entire server. However, container security may be a concern.

As much as they differ, they surprisingly all work following the same principle. Many complex steps make automation possible, but in summary, IaC works via templates. With IaC, the configuration files are created according to the configuration specifications of your infrastructure. This is simply referred to as codifying your infrastructure. It automates the editing and distribution of configurations as the codified infrastructure serves as a template. IaC also helps you provision the same environment using the specifications in this template every time.

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How Does Infrastructure as Code Work?

Before we discuss how infrastructure as code works, we have to establish that there are two methods of using IaC. These methods are called imperative and declarative methods.

With the imperative method, the developer states the steps the IaC is to follow to achieve desired solutions. This method is organized around how a human being thinks. The user controls how the automation happens, making this method more accessible and efficient. Its primary advantage is that it allows you to automate every detail and layer of command and is most efficient for specific purposes.

On the other hand, in the declarative method, the user simply describes the solution they need, how it should look, and everything that would be in the state of the final solution, leaving the process for the IaC to decide.

The leading advantages of this method are, first, anybody can use IaC as the user does not require much knowledge about this method. Secondly, this method emphasizes the idempotent feature of IaC more than the imperative method, which means that the code can be deployed multiple times in any manner long as it gives the results indicated by the user.

With either method, three defining steps are the working principles of IaC in every use case. These steps are:

1. A developer writes the specifications for the infrastructure in a domain-specific language

Writing these specifications is the first step and is mainly done manually. These specifications would later serve as a configuration template that would be used to create other versions and identify drifts and configurations in changes that one would make later. Some tools like Terraform and Amazon Web Services (AWS) CloudFormation use declarative method languages like SQL, Hashicorp Configuration Language (HCL), etc.

2. The files containing the specifications are sent to a master server, code repository, or a management API

In conversing with the server, two different methods bring two different outcomes: the Push and Pull methods. 

The controlling server pushes the configuration to the destination system in the Push method. This implies that instructions would be sent from your server to a central server. But in the pull method, the server that needs configuration acquires it from the controlling server. This implies that your system would pull instructions from the central server.

With these two methods, those specifications were written and communicated with a server, code repository, or management API so that implementation can be done.

3. With those specifications, the platform creates and configures the computer’s resources with some steps 

The last step of IaC is the implementation of specifications to create the environment components and computer resources. As declarative tools are used more than imperative tools, the process of implementation is automatic and these declarative tools can add beneficial modifications to the solution state you requested. But if the imperative method is used, the specifications are implemented according to the steps given by the user. This method is prone to errors as the user might not get the intended solution.

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Top 9 Benefits of Infrastructure as Code

Infrastructure as code has multiple features that benefit developers and business owners. These are the top 9 benefits of IaC to both groups.

1. Cost reduction

Every task done contributes to the heavy financial budget of every building team. Most times, the time taken to complete the task results in high pricing. However, since significant tasks, like time-consuming infrastructure configuration, are automated by IaC, the engineers or IT experts can finish these tasks in no time and focus on other mission-critical tasks. This would help minimize costs from necessary tasks and improve salaries of other functions according to their demands. The team can even decide to save this money for important decisions in the future.

2. Speed

There are many processes in building, monitoring, and managing infrastructure structures, but as IaC has made it possible to automate almost every process, the work can be two times faster. Automation stretches from significant procedures like virtualization to user account management, databases, network management, and even minor operations like adding environments and resources when needed or shutting down when it is not the case. This automation feature promises faster and simpler procedures. This speed is not only for the developers but for the rest of the team as simple code improves clarity and, in turn, efficiency and speed.

3. Low risk of human errors

On this benefit, there are two descriptions of human errors. The first is the face meaning which implies mistakes made by engineers or IT personnel in the manual process of infrastructure building. The second side to human error is the adaptation of new employees to the infrastructure built by the former IT expert. IaC solves these two issues as automation reduces the risks of human-made mistakes by cutting down long processes. 

Also, IaC standardized and logs all processes during the building stage. This creates detailed reports and documentation of how the infrastructure works, how it is managed, deployed, and how new employees can continue managing without setbacks.

4. Improved consistency

Still on human errors, infrastructure as code aids consistency as it helps avoid human errors and incompatibility in activities, like deployment and configuration that are prone to the already stated. Paradoxically, one must execute these activities prone to inconsistencies as fast as possible. This makes it almost impossible to manually carry out activities like deployment and configuration without at least one inconsistency. 

IaC improves consistency during these activities by preventing waste of valuable resources, unwanted downtime, and setbacks that can cause inconsistencies in the configuration. These inconsistencies can be challenging to remove when discovered.

5. Eliminate configuration drift

Another critical benefit of infrastructure as code is that it is idempotent. This implies that one can deploy the code many times, with the first deployment being the actual deployment and subsequent deployments having no essential effect. 

Amongst the many advantages of this idempotency feature, the most striking is how IaC prevents configuration drift. If someone changes a resource, not in sync with your IaC pipeline, you need to correct this and get the resources back to the correct state as fast as possible. But with IaC, the specifications of your environment configuration are already in the code. This implies that the correction happens automatically if the change is implemented. 

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6. Improved security strategies

Amongst other features of IaC, a feature that can help in improving security strategies is the one-way deployment feature. With IaC, computing, storage, and networking services are all provisioned with code and deployed the same way, often using a private or public cloud. This can also be the case for security standards. They can be easily created and deployed. This would enhance other strategies as this is a way to avoid security gatekeeper review and approval for almost every security change. This would prove most beneficial for infrastructures requiring tight security, resulting in multiple security passes.

7. Accountability

This benefit is an accumulated result of various features of infrastructure as code, majorly self-documentation and source control. These features document actions made in the configuration and give you access to the source code, respectively. These features make the source code of the configuration easily accessible and transparent enough to explain why users made specific changes when they were made and the result of those changes. Thus, IaC improves accountability and visibility of automated configuration and deployment methods to the other team members, which in turn improves the team’s productivity.

8. Stable and scalable environment

Using IaC, teams can configure their environments according to their specifications rapidly and at scale. As stated earlier, they can also create these environments with sure consistency as they can deploy the configuration several times. These several deployments also make the environment stable, preventing incompatibility caused by configuration drift or missing dependencies. In conclusion, working with best practices and IaC tools to create environments is a sure bet to make a stable one due to the impressive features of IaC.

9. Self-documentation

Remember that IaC creates detailed reports and documentation of every process. This is another impressive feature of IaC that holds multiple benefits. When employees leave a company or a person is setting up the code model for another person, IaC documents every action, process, and change. IaC also tracks and tests every configuration like a code. This documentation can be a yardstick for a new employee or configuration manager.

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Top 8 Best Practices of Infrastructure as Code

Infrastructure as code was designed to automate the building, management, and monitoring of IT infrastructure components and provision of resources. However, these purposes would only be actualized if IaC is done according to best practices.

1. Employ immutable Infrastructure

Immutability in IaC implies that every component is built strictly according to initial specifications. In a broad sense, this means there is no room for adjustments or editing on components that have been deployed. Why is this a best practice? If an immutable infrastructure is implemented, there is zero chance of inconsistencies across configuration items and environments. 

If you employ immutability and wish to edit an environment or configuration, you would have to delete the existing component and rebuild another from scratch using the IaC templates. This ensures the consistency and security of components.

2. Use version control for IaC

One cannot update IaC files alone. They need to be updated alongside the environment that they manage. Version control involves keeping different IaC files of updates to a particular configuration and environment. This practice can help you trace, manage, and restore former updates. This is helpful as it allows the team to debug and diagnose issues easily or even go back to the previous version. Version control also helps to trigger security actions when a change is made to the environment. 

3. Protect the “secrets”

Some IaC files can only configure resources with sensitive information like passwords or encryption keys. This sensitive information is called secrets. Although it is easier to define secrets in IaC files, they are written in plain text, and anybody with access can obtain this sensitive information. This means that the individual can configure the resources in any manner.

To protect the secrets, keep them in a secrets manager where they would be stored safely and only accessed by IaC tools when necessary. In addition, do not put secrets in files that one would use for web-based services, like version control files.

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4. Conduct multiple testing, integration, and deployment

The importance of running multiple testing, integrations, and deployment in IaC files for quality work cannot be overemphasized. This reduces the risks of inconsistencies that might cause issues during deployment. This is because developers can run different types of tests, and by implementing continuous integration and continuous deployment, you would be able to provision templates in different environments. This would improve collaboration and cause errors to be discovered in the early stages of the development cycle. 

5. Use modularity in IaC

Modularity involves making changes and updates to small sections and places instead of big or bulky ones. It usually breaks the bulky code modules into different files for more efficient changes or updates. This is because it is easier, faster, and more efficient to change, fix and even reverse a small unit change than a single file.

6. Correct environmental drifts

Drifts are configurations of an IT environment that are not in sync with their template. Correcting environmental depicts and fixing misconfigurations is a best practice that is almost mandatory for quality work and security. Drifts can be caused by careless human errors and be difficult to fix. To identify a drift, compare IaC to the actual production configurations. This is time-consuming and would cost businesses significant downtime if done manually. You can quickly identify a configuration drift with IaC security scanning tools.

7. Be careful of code leaks

When a source code is published publicly, there is a chance of intellectual property theft. It is best practice to release source code in an intelligent manner that would prevent mishaps. In source code release, secrets and feature announcements become vulnerable; attackers might also parse the code for secrets, vulnerabilities, or misconfiguration.

It is best practice to employ protocols to prevent code leaks and develop a contingency plan in case of any code leakage. Also, regularly check to ensure source code is not published in public repositories, and deal with code leaks quickly because the longer they stay public, the higher chance of being available to malicious actors.

8. Always scan the IaC code

For early identification of IaC code misconfigurations, scan the code regularly with IaC scanning tools. Misconfigurations can be of various forms, majorly as insecure default configurations; others are publicly accessed S3 buckets or unencrypted databases. These security scans hedge the code against inadvertent misconfigurations that might lead to security vulnerabilities and cause breaches and exposure. Also, by scanning, you can detect and correct infrastructures that are not coherent with the template. Scanning is a best practice as it assures the security of your code modules and everything accomplished using other best practices.

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Takeaway

Infrastructure as code is a foundational concept in IT, helping infrastructure managers quickly and conveniently provision resources, configure security, and make changes to the landscape from any location. Nearly every cloud environment today, be it AWS, Google, or Microsoft Azure, support the use of IAC via their respective resource management interfaces. You can use declarative templates built from scratch or third-party IAC platforms like Terraform or Pulumi to get started. 

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