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infrastructure as code

  • Definition
    • Defining and provisioning infrastructure through machine-readable definition files rather than manual console clicks.
  • Why it matters
    • Repeatable — the same template produces an identical environment every time, in any Region or account.
    • Version controlled — infrastructure changes get reviewed, diffed, and rolled back like application code.
    • Auditable — the template is the documentation.
    • Disaster recovery — rebuild a whole environment from a file.
    • Eliminates configuration drift and human error.
  • AWS tooling
    • AWS CloudFormation — the native declarative service. Free; you pay only for the resources.
    • AWS CDK — define infrastructure in TypeScript, Python, Java; synthesizes to CloudFormation.
    • AWS SAM — a CloudFormation extension specialized for serverless.
    • Terraform — the common third-party, multi-cloud alternative.
  • Ties to

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