juniorDevOps
What is Infrastructure as Code (IaC)?
Updated Apr 28, 2026
Short answer
IaC is managing and provisioning computing infrastructure through machine-readable definition files, rather than physical hardware configuration or interactive configuration tools.
Deep explanation
IaC allows infrastructure to be version-controlled, tested, and automated. Tools like Terraform, CloudFormation, or Ansible define the desired state. This guarantees repeatability, prevents configuration drift, and allows infrastructure to be spun up or destroyed quickly.
Real-world example
Provisioning 10 identical staging environments for testing by running a single Terraform script, instead of clicking through the AWS console.
Common mistakes
- Modifying infrastructure manually in the cloud console after it was provisioned by IaC, creating 'configuration drift'.
Follow-up questions
- What is declarative vs imperative IaC?