Introduction to Infrastructure As Code : A Brief Guide to the Future of DevOps

Get inspired to explore the depths of the DevOps field. In today’s rapidly transforming world, Infrastructure as Code (IaC) has emerged as an effective approach to maintain, scale, and deploy software systems. This book offers a mixture of foundational IaC concepts and practical examples to give you hands-on experience. You will first gain an understanding of DevOps culture as well as how to adapt to IaC. Introduction to Infrastructure as Code begins by reviewing the innovative features that DevOps in general, and IaC in particular, have to offer for adoption and growth for different verticals. With this solid base established, you will then learn the importance, processes, and outcome of building infrastructure solutions. Authors Sneh Pandya and Riya Guha Thakurta then provide hands-on examples utilizing IaC platforms, open source tools, and essential considerations such as security, scalability, and deployments. Each chapter focuses on one vertical (i.e., foundations, architecture patterns, securing infrastructure, preparing for deployment), how it impacts the DevOps toolchain in a holistic manner, and how it can be used to build solutions specific to that vertical, with a detailed walkthrough of code, environments, and other tools. After completing this book, you’ll have launched your own infrastructure solution through an open source stack consisting of platforms and tools such as Terraform, Chef, and Puppet. What You Will Learn Understand the fundamentals of DevOps and Infrastructure as Code Prepare for the ever-evolving ecosystem of modular infrastructure and the needs of the future Avoid potential pitfalls and breakdowns while working with infrastructure Build scalable and efficient IaC solutions that work at a small, medium, and large scale in a real-life environment Understand and be responsibly aware of security concerns related to the domain, and how to address them Who Is This Book For Beginners interested in building a career in DevOps as well as professionals looking to gain expertise and advance their career with greater knowledge of IaC. including Technical Product Managers, and Architects. Table of Contents About the Authors About the Technical Reviewer Acknowledgments Introduction Part 1: Concepts Chapter 1: Introduction to Infrastructure as Code The Culture of DevOps The Evolution from DevOps to Infrastructure as Code What Is Infrastructure as Code? The Perspectives Benefits Adapting Infrastructure as Code Improved Time to Production Reduction in Drifting Configurations Faster and Efficient Development Life Cycle Maximizing the Scope of Provisioning Lowered Costs and Increase in ROI Adapting Tools of Infrastructure as Code Factors Deciding Adaption of Infrastructure as Code Approaches for Infrastructure as Code Best Practices of Infrastructure as Code The Way Ahead Chapter 2: Patterns and Principles of Infrastructure as Code The Emergence of Infrastructure as Code The Focus with Infrastructure as Code The Challenges with Infrastructure as Code Sprawling Servers Configuration Drift Snowflake Server Fragility of Infrastructure Fear of Automation Erosion of Infrastructure Considerations for Quality Infrastructure In-Depth Knowledge Organizational Workflow Perpetual Steps The Principles of Infrastructure as Code Idempotency Immutability Easily Reproducible Systems Easily Disposable Systems Easily Repeatable Processes Consistent Systems Ever-Evolving Designs Self-Reliant Documentation The Patterns of Infrastructure as Code Updates in Documentation Using GitOps Securing Your Infrastructure Securing Secrets Adapting Security Standards Restricting User Privileges Relying on Trusted Sources Security Measures Least Privileged Position Using Security Tools Infrastructure Updates Threat Detection Testing the Infrastructure Concerns with Infrastructure as Code Infrastructure as Code at Scale Evolving Business Requirements Evolving Security Requirements Evolving Provider Requirements The Way Ahead Chapter 3: Management of Infrastructure as Code The Emergence of Infrastructure Teams Preparing Infrastructure as Code Evaluation of Infrastructure Choosing the Right Security Mechanisms Structuring the Data Automating Workloads Uniform Governance Hybrid Strategies Blue-Green Deployment Strategy Process and Architecture Working Mechanism Preparing Deployments Adapting Simplicity Environment Replicability Configuration Management Process and Architecture The Way Ahead Chapter 4: Production Complexity Management Modern Application Infrastructures Managing Deployments Without Downtime Canary Deployment Strategy Process and Architecture Working Mechanism Adapting Simplicity Environment Replicability Rolling Release Deployment Strategy Process and Architecture Steps for Managing Production Complexity Harnessing the Power Fail-Safe Environment Management Monitoring Your Infrastructure Compartmentalizing Releases Adapting Serverless Architecture Feature Flagging The Impact of Deployment Strategies Caveats While Managing Complex Production Environments The Way Ahead Chapter 5: Business Solutions with Infrastructure as Code Managing Modern Infrastructures Enabling Business Possibilities Enabling Domain Sustainability Supporting Evolving Strategies Decision-Making for Businesses The Way Ahead Part 2: Hands-on Experience Chapter 6: Hands-on Infrastructure as Code with Hashicorp Terraform Introduction to Terraform Why Choose Terraform? Understanding Terraform Core Concepts Directory Structure How Terraform Works Terraform Core Providers Implementing Terraform in Real Projects Priority Order for Terraform Variables Declaring Output Variables Declaring Terraform Resources Terraform Provider Terraform Modules Terraform Provisioner Terraform State File Example Terraform Configuration Terraform Command-Line Interface Terraform Use Cases Supporting Platform as a Service Managing Self-Service Clusters Performing Multicloud Deployments Managing Parallel Environments Application Infrastructure Automation Managing Software-Defined Networks Policy Compliance The Way Ahead Chapter 7: Hands-on Infrastructure as Code with Puppet Introduction to Puppet Why Choose Puppet? Understanding Puppet Architecture Puppet Master Puppet Agents Configuration Repository Facts Catalog Configuration Module Structure Security Mechanisms How Puppet Works Puppet Infrastructure Plugins Indirector Implementing Puppet in Real Projects Getting Started with Puppet Preparing the Repository Running the Repository Setting Up Users Creating Modules Dynamic File Generation Modifying Configurations Managing Repositories Puppet Command-Line Interface The Way Ahead Chapter 8: Introduction to Infrastructure as Code with Chef Introduction to Chef Understanding Chef Recipe Cookbook Resource Attributes Metadata Templates Libraries Chef Infrastructure Chef Workstation Configuration of Nodes with Chef Clients Chef Habitat Chef InSpec Final Words Index