Infrastructure as Code for Consistent and Streamlined Deployments
In this episode, we welcome Luke Orellana from Microsoft to the show! Luke is a Software Engineer for Infrastructure during his day job, and he’s also a VMware vExpert and a Hashicorp Ambassador! I invited Luke on the show specifically because of his high degree of skill when it comes to today’s topic – Infrastructure as Code (IaC).
Infrastructure as Code is the concept of deploying and managing infrastructure using software development practices. As technologies in the industry continue to get more complex, manual deployments are becoming more difficult and time-consuming. Many engineers and businesses are turning to IAC as a way to streamline and add consistency to the deployment process. The problem here is that this pulls in many different tools, such as Terraform, Docker, Ansible, and more, that require a significant time investment from aspiring infrastructure engineers to use effectively.
Luke does a fantastic job of walking us through this new management method, use-cases, why you would want to learn it, resources to get start, and much more. After watching this episode you’ll be armed with enough knowledge to go start learning more and figure out how IaC concepts can help you in your own datacenters!
In this episode
- What is Infrastructure as Code? – 4:45
- Why would I want to learn how to use Infrastructure as Code? – 7:55
- What are some of the core tools that are involved in Infrastructure as Code? – 14:58
- What platforms does the Infrastructure as Code method work with? – 19:45
- What are some good resources for those that are looking to get started with Infrastructure as Code? – 22:00
- An Example of Infrastructure as Code in Action – 26:57
Episode Quotes
The industry is evolving. You’re now using software development practices to manage infrastructure.
People getting into this area now are really the pioneers of this new infrastructure engineer career track.
This is the way.
If you need 100 servers, you run your script and BAMM there’s 100 servers!
Somebody wrote a Terrafom provider for ordering Dominoes pizza. It was a joke, but the provider ACTUALLY works.
Treat your servers like cattle!
Frequently Asked Questions about Infrastructure as Code
What is Infrastructure as Code?
Infrastructure as Code is the concept of deploying infrastructure (on-prem or in the cloud) by using a declaritive scripting file with an automation tool such as Bicep or Terraform. This method brings several benefits such as consistency and version tracking.
I’m a junior admin, should I be learning Infrastructure as Code techniques?
Yes, this deployment method is continuing to see increased adoption in the industry due to its many benefits. Being fluent in IaC concepts could give you a leg up on your competition when apply for jobs and getting promotions. Not to mention it will make your life easier with built-in change tracking, consistency, easy roll-back and faster deployments!
What are some common tools that are used with Infrastructure as Code?
Some big ones that come to mind are PowerShell, Bicep, Azure ARM, Terraform, Ansible, Puppet, Chef, Docker, Kubernetes…etc
Resources for Infrastructure as Code
- Terraform Resources on the DOJO
- Bicep vs. Terraform on the DOJO
- GitHub CoPilot
- Exercism – Learn Programming
- Cloud Posse Community
Have a Question? Want to feedback? Get in touch!
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