Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is the practice of managing and provisioning computing infrastructure through machine-readable definition files, rather than through manual processes or interactive configuration tools. By treating infrastructure definitions as software code, IaC enables version control, peer reviews, and automated testing of infrastructure changes, bringing the same rigor and reliability to infrastructure management that software development practices provide for application code. This approach leverages tools like Terraform, Ansible, and cloud-specific solutions to create declarative configurations that ensure consistent, repeatable, and auditable infrastructure deployments across all environments.
Effective IaC requires robust state management and drift detection to ensure that the actual infrastructure matches the declared desired state. Teams should integrate automated policy checks, security scanning, and environment validation into their IaC workflows to ensure safe and compliant changes. IaC enables policy-as-code to enforce security, compliance, and cost controls consistently across environments.
IaC serves as a foundational pillar for modern cloud operations and DevOps practices, enabling organizations to achieve true infrastructure automation and scalability. The practice significantly reduces manual errors, accelerates deployment cycles, and provides the foundation for advanced methodologies like GitOps where infrastructure changes are managed through Git workflows. By implementing IaC, teams can maintain immutable infrastructure patterns, support disaster recovery scenarios with rapid environment recreation, and enable self-service capabilities that allow development teams to provision resources independently while maintaining governance and security standards through code-based policies and approval processes.