February 2019 • 8 min read
Understanding Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
Infrastructure as Code (IaC) becomes increasingly critical in 2019 as enterprises adopt DevOps, multi-cloud strategies, and rapid release cycles. By treating infrastructure configurations as software, IaC enables consistent environments, faster deployments, and improved scalability.
Key Drivers of IaC in 2019
As businesses embrace automation and agility, the need for repeatable, versioned infrastructure becomes a top priority. This year, we see greater adoption driven by:
- Multi-cloud and hybrid cloud architectures
- Containerized workloads and orchestration platforms (e.g., Kubernetes)
- Demand for zero-downtime deployments and rollback capabilities
- Auditability and compliance in regulated industries
Popular IaC Tools and Frameworks
The IaC ecosystem continues to evolve. Leading tools in 2019 include:
- Terraform: Vendor-agnostic provisioning tool with declarative syntax and strong community support
- CloudFormation: AWS-native IaC with tight integration and growing modularity via nested stacks
- Ansible: Agentless configuration management that blends well with provisioning
- Pulumi: Newer option using general-purpose languages like Python and TypeScript for infrastructure logic
IaC and DevOps Synergy
DevOps teams adopt IaC to accelerate build pipelines and reduce manual provisioning errors. IaC integrates with CI/CD tools like Jenkins, GitLab CI, and Azure DevOps. This synergy creates predictable environments and reinforces the principle of "infrastructure drift prevention."
Best Practices for IaC Adoption
To succeed with IaC in 2019, organizations should follow these principles:
- Use version control (e.g., Git) for all infrastructure code
- Implement code review workflows and automated testing
- Adopt modular templates and parameterization
- Leverage policy-as-code (e.g., Sentinel, OPA) to enforce standards
- Document architecture and dependencies thoroughly
Challenges to Watch
Despite its advantages, IaC presents challenges such as:
- Steep learning curve for non-developers
- Security misconfigurations in reusable modules
- Complexity of drift detection in large-scale deployments
- Tool sprawl and inconsistent adoption across teams
Future Outlook
IaC becomes foundational to cloud-native operations in 2019. Expect to see deeper integration with service meshes, automated remediation using AI/ML, and expansion of IaC to network infrastructure and policy domains. As organizations mature in DevSecOps, IaC will play a central role in maintaining governance and agility.
💡 Tip: Start small with IaC by codifying a single environment or workflow. Version it, test it, and iterate. Expand from there as the team gains confidence and architectural clarity.