Topic 3: Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

⏱️ Estimated time: 3-4 days

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is a key DevOps practice that allows you to manage and provision infrastructure using code, rather than manual processes, like using console. It ensures consistency, repeatability, and scalability in managing cloud resources.

---

📚 Learning Path

Study

• What is Infrastructure as Code?
• Since Terraform is cloud-agnostic(meaning you can deploy resources to any cloud provider), it is pretty popular. Hence we recommend Terraform.
• Learn the basics of Terraform:
  • Terraform init
  • Terraform plan
  • Terraform apply
  • Terraform destroy
• Explore cloud-specific Terraform providers:
  • AWS Provider
  • Azure Provider
  • GCP Provider

---

🛠️ Hands-on Tasks

Basic IaC Project

1. Install Terraform on your system:
   • Install Terraform
2. Write a Terraform configuration file to:
   • Create a virtual machine in your preferred cloud platform.
   • Configure a security group to allow SSH access.
   • Or deploy a static site to your choice of cloud provider.
3. Learn how you can deploy it using Terraform:
   • Run terraform init to set up the working directory.
   • Run terraform plan to preview changes.
   • Run terraform apply to create the resources.
4. Verify the resources in your cloud platform.
5. Destroy the resources:
   • Run terraform destroy to clean up.

Advanced Challenge (Optional) - Modular Terraform Design with GitHub Copilot

Use what you learned in Phase 2 - Collaborate with GitHub Copilot to design a modular Terraform configuration that supports a multi-tier application:

1. Organize your infrastructure into reusable modules.
   • VPC — public and private subnets, routing
   • Web server tier — compute, load balancing
   • Database tier - managed database, backup configuration
   • Security - security groups, IAM roles, encryption
2. Use variables to parameterize your configuration.
3. Create module outputs for cross-module communication.
4. Implement backend state management.
5. Deploy and verify your resources.
6. Destroy the resources when complete.

---

🧪 Test Your Knowledge

Use an AI assistant to test your understanding of IaC concepts. Here are some example prompts:

1. What are the benefits of using Infrastructure as Code?
2. How does Terraform ensure idempotency in resource management?
3. What is the purpose of the terraform state file?
4. How do you manage sensitive data like API keys in Terraform?
5. What is the difference between terraform plan and terraform apply?
6. What are terraform modules and why/how you should use them?
7. What are the best practices for terraform?
8. What are the benefits of using coding assistants to generate IaC templates?
9. How would you ensure quality and security when using AI-generated IaC?

Resources

• Terraform Documentation
• Terraform Best Practices
• AWS Terraform Example
• Azure Terraform Example
• GCP Terraform Example

---

✅ Topic Checklist

Before moving on, make sure you have:

• Understood Infrastructure as Code concepts
• Installed Terraform on your system
• Learned basic Terraform commands (init, plan, apply, destroy)
• Written Terraform configuration for a VM or static site
• Deployed and verified resources in your cloud platform
• Destroyed resources to clean up
• (Optional) Created modular Terraform design with GitHub Copilot