You can probably identify these acronyms, but you may not precisely remember what they mean. Phrases like “Agile as a Service,” “Artificial Intelligence as a Service,” “Platform as a Service,” and “Software as a Service” are becoming more prevalent, as “as a service” models gain more traction.
You might be taken aback by the extensive assortment of As-a-Service (aaS) acronyms. Nevertheless, IT industry has been transformed by the emergence of DevOps, which integrates IT operations and development, creating a multitude of opportunities.
- As a consequence, software could be designed and launched with greater speed and dependability.
- It enables the inclusion of automation throughout all stages of operation.
- The collaboration between developer and operation teams will be more effective as a consequence.
- In simpler terms, it permits the utilisation of CD/CI, which stands for Continuous Delivery/Continuous Integration.
The growing prominence of DevOps has led to a rise in the adoption of Infrastructure as Code (IaC). To comprehend IaC, it is essential to examine it in greater depth.
In the realm of information technology, the term “infrastructure” pertains to anything that serves as a foundation for the distribution of business systems.
- Hardware
- Software
- Facilities
- Services
- Networks
It is accurate that the conventional outlook on infrastructure continues to persist, yet, due to the advent of DevOps, the distribution of technology has seen a significant shift. Although the fundamental components of infrastructure remain, the implementation methods have undergone a considerable transformation.
It is observable that the conventional strategy for dispensing applications and services was not capable of coping with the evolving demands of organisations. Consequently, containers have seen an increased demand, leading to the surge in adoption of container management technologies, like Kubernetes.
It was imperative for developers to recognise the potential of these technologies in constructing CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery) systems once they had gained acceptance from a growing number of enterprise-level organisations. This facilitated the implementation of automation, minimising the software development and deployment cycle through automated testing and distribution of any code changes.
The integration of automation in the CI/CD software development cycle led to a noteworthy enhancement in both the swiftness and precision of the supply chain. Furthermore, automating the environments allowed advancements from test, staging and live environments, thus curbing any problems associated with code modifications or configuration variances across environments.
Infrastructure as Code operates on the principle of establishing a standardised approach for infrastructure-related tasks, including application design, development, and deployment. This empowers developers to deploy applications more rapidly and with greater dependability than ever, leveraging many of the same tools utilised in conventional software development projects.
Diverse Methodologies of Instance-based Computing
Regarding IaC, there are two avenues from which you may opt:
- Declarative is a functional approach that defines the desired configuration by stating it.
- Imperative is a systematic approach that lays stress on modifying the underlying structure to suit the requirements of the present project.
While utilising an imperative approach, although the objective is expressed in a clear and succinct fashion, the steps required to attain it and the sequence in which they should be executed are minutely laid out.
What resources are required to implement IaC?
It may be astonishing for some, but the technologies employed in Infrastructure as Code are actually rather common. In order to commence, it is advisable to confirm that the following are operational and prepared to function.
- These are industry-standard frameworks that are employed by your team’s developers.
- Software to establish infrastructure (like Terraform or AWS CloudFormation).
- Management applications for configuring setups (such as Chef, Puppet, Ansible, or Saltstack).
- Container engine (like Docker).
- Platform to manage containers (like Kubernetes).
- Version control (like Git).
- Approaches for Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (such as Jenkins, circleci, TeamCity, Bamboo, Datadog, or GitLab).
It should be kept in mind that not every element may be required for the project. However, there might be supplementary necessities. The crucial steps comprise identifying an Infrastructure as Code (IaC) strategy, delimiting the scope of the project and its indispensable resources, and beginning the fabrication of the pertinent components.
The significance of automating processes
The significance of automatizing Infrastructure as Code (IaC) processes cannot be emphasized enough. It is mandatory to move away from manual software stack update procedures and switch to wholly automated ones. With each new code repository submission, automatic testing and deployment should begin instantly. This is a primary advantage of IaC, as the code not only operates as the delivery and updating mechanism, but also as the service or application itself.
Moreover, you have elevated your delivery platform in manners that are unattainable with traditional infrastructure by automating functions like deployment and configuration.
Do not disregard penetration testing
To begin establishing an Infrastructure as Code (IaC) platform, the primary emphasis should be on stack implementation and automation. However, it is crucial to bear in mind security testing to ensure the security of the provided applications and services. Additionally, guarantee software stack adherence to industry regulations and best practices when developing your IaC delivery platform.
Given the intricacy of Infrastructure as Code (IaC), it can be fairly demanding to guarantee its secure implementation. To ensure accurate implementation of security, it is necessary to prioritize it from the outset. Authorised container images must be utilized, futile ports should be avoided, and comprehensive testing should be performed.
It is highly recommended to incorporate automatic security testing alongside automatic bug testing and deployment. Migrating security to initial development stages (‘moving left’) will not provide sufficient shielding for the system; with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) highlighting DevOps, it is crucial for all participants to ensure the system is secure.
Conclusion
Implementing Infrastructure as Code (IaC) may seem intricate, but it is feasible to attain immense success. Allying the necessary endeavor initially and devising the system in conformity with industry standards, will assure that the IaC platform can expand to fulfil any future needs of the corporation.
