Last Updated on February 5, 2024 by Arnav Sharma

IaC Modules can help you deploy your infrastructure much faster than other methods, such as manually configuring each component or using a configuration management tool like Ansible, Puppet, or Chef. This is because IaC Modules automate most of the work required to provision and configure your infrastructure. In addition, IaC Modules can help you achieve greater consistency in your deployments since they allow you to codify your infrastructure configurations.

What are the Pros of IaC Modules?

When it comes to Infrastructure as Code (IaC) modules, there are several pros that make this method of provisioning and configuring infrastructure appealing. IaC modules can help you: 

• Deploy infrastructure faster and more consistently. Using IaC modules will help you avoid the problem of manual configuration. The more infrastructure that is managed using IaC, the less chance there is for human error and inconsistent configurations.
• Easily manage configurations at scale. IaC is configurable. The code that you write can be easily reused, modified and extended to fit your environment. IaC modules can be stored in version control systems (like Git or SVN or Azure DevOps) to ensure that the configurations are maintained and easily accessible to your team members.
• Take advantage of community-developed modules. There are many community-developed modules for IaC that can be used out of the box. You do not have to worry about recreating these complex configurations from scratch.

What are the Cons of IaC Modules?

There are several cons to IaC modules that should be considered before using this technology.

• One con is the potential for errors in the code. These errors can be difficult to find and fix, which can lead to costly downtime for your organization.
• Another con is the need for expert knowledge to properly utilize IaC modules. Without this expertise, you may not be able to properly configure your infrastructure, which could lead to security vulnerabilities or performance issues.
• Finally, IaC modules can be difficult to change once they’ve been deployed, so you need to be sure that you have a good understanding of how they work before implementing them in your environment.

How can these Cons be avoided?

There are several well-known issues with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) that can lead to problems down the road. By understanding these potential dangers and taking steps to avoid them, organizations can reap the many benefits of IaC.

• One of the most common IaC mistakes is failing to properly document code. Without clear and concise documentation, it can be difficult for others (and even yourself) to understand what the code is supposed to do. This can lead to errors and unexpected results.
• Another issue is not keeping the code up-to-date. As infrastructure changes, so should the code that describes it. If not, you run the risk of your IaC becoming out-of-sync with reality, which can cause all sorts of problems.
• Finally, one of the biggest dangers of IaC is using it too much. If you find yourself using IaC for more than just the core infrastructure, you might be overdoing it.

If you use IaC and want to reap the benefits without falling prey to its pitfalls, I recommend taking the following steps:

• Make sure your documentation is clear. If you have to use a bunch of comments in your code to explain what’s going on, you might want to reevaluate your IaC.
• Pick the right tool for the job. If your tool of choice has a lot of overhead, it might be slowing you down more than helping.
• Don t overdo it; IaC is designed to help make your work easier, not harder. Use IaC when you need to, but don t let it control you. Don t be afraid to use it for simple things, but don t feel like you have to use it for everything.
• Don t use IaC if you don t need it. If your project can do without it, avoid adding complexity that may make things harder down the road. Use IaC when it makes sense, and ignore it when you don t need it. If you don t need to test your code, don t.
• Don t let IaC drive you. If you’re working on a small project with only a few people, and you’re using an editor that supports shortcuts for adding new files, there s really no reason to use IaC. IaC is for larger projects, where there s a lot of people working on the same code. If you only have a couple of people on a project, it s really not worth using IaC.

IaC modules have both pros and cons that should be considered before use. On the pro side, IaC modules can help increase efficiency and reduce errors. However, on the con side, IaC modules can be complex and difficult to use. Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to use IaC modules depends on the specific needs of the organization.

FAQ – IaC Modules: Pros & Cons

Q: What is infrastructure as code (IaC)?

A: Infrastructure as code (IaC) is the process of managing and provisioning computing infrastructure using machine-readable definition files.

Q: What are the benefits of infrastructure as code?

A: Infrastructure as code delivers benefits such as increased speed, cost savings, high availability, greater reliability, and traceability.

Q: What are some best practices for infrastructure as code?

A: Best practices for infrastructure as code include version control, use of automation tools, declarative coding, and configuration files. It is also important to treat infrastructure as code like source code.

Q: What are some popular IaC tools?

A: Amazon Web Services (AWS) offers CloudFormation, while Terraform is a popular open-source IaC tool. Google Cloud offers Deployment Manager, and Microsoft Azure offers Azure Resource Manager.

Q: What is the difference between declarative and imperative code?

A: Declarative code specifies what should be done while imperative code specifies how it should be done. In other words, declarative languages are more like templates, and they create infrastructure from a pre-defined set of rules.

Q: What is the role of AWS CloudFormation in IaC?

A: AWS CloudFormation is a service that helps you model and set up your Amazon Web Services resources, so you can spend less time managing those resources and more time focusing on your applications that run in AWS.

Q: How does IaC work?

A: IaC works by representing infrastructure configurations in code that can be versioned, shared, and copied like software code. When IaC code is run, it automates the process of creating and configuring infrastructure. This makes it easy to create, modify, and destroy environments in a consistent and predictable way.

Q: What are some common use cases for IaC?

A: Common use cases for IaC include infrastructure provisioning for virtual machines, immutable infrastructure, and cloud platforms like AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure.

Q: How can I make changes to infrastructure with IaC?

A: With IaC, you can make changes to infrastructure by modifying the code and redeploying the updated version. This allows you to manage infrastructure in a more efficient and consistent way.

Q: Why do organizations need infrastructure as code?

A: Organizations need infrastructure as code to reduce the time-consuming and error-prone traditional process of infrastructure management. IaC allows organizations to deliver infrastructure changes more quickly and with greater reliability.

keywords: data center, api, repository, dependency, yaml, public cloud, software development