Infrastructure as Code

Infrastructure as Code Fundamentals

• What you Need to Know

  • IaC Principles and Benefits

    • Declarative vs. imperative infrastructure definition
    • Version control and reproducibility of infrastructure
    • Infrastructure testing, validation, and compliance
    • Resources:
      • Infrastructure as Code - Kief Morris - Comprehensive IaC principles and practices
      • IaC Best Practices - HashiCorp - Terraform-focused best practices
      • Infrastructure Testing - ThoughtWorks - Testing strategies for IaC

  • IaC Tools and Ecosystem

    • Terraform for multi-cloud infrastructure provisioning
    • CloudFormation for AWS-native infrastructure
    • ARM templates for Azure resource management
    • Resources:
      • Terraform Documentation - Complete Terraform reference and tutorials
      • AWS CloudFormation User Guide - AWS infrastructure automation
      • Azure Resource Manager Templates - Azure infrastructure as code

  • State Management and Backends

    • Infrastructure state tracking and management
    • Remote state storage and locking mechanisms
    • State file security and backup strategies
    • Resources:
      • Terraform State Management - State file concepts and management
      • Remote State Backends - Centralized state storage
      • State Security Best Practices - Securing infrastructure state

Terraform Infrastructure Automation

• What you Need to Know

  • Terraform Configuration and Syntax

    • HCL (HashiCorp Configuration Language) syntax and structure
    • Resource definitions, data sources, and variables
    • Modules, outputs, and dependency management
    • Resources:
      • Terraform Language Documentation - Complete HCL syntax reference
      • Terraform Configuration Examples - Sample configurations and patterns
      • Learn Terraform - HashiCorp - Hands-on Terraform tutorials

  • Multi-Cloud Resource Provisioning

    • AWS provider configuration and resource management
    • Azure and Google Cloud provider integration
    • Cross-cloud networking and resource dependencies
    • Resources:
      • Terraform AWS Provider - AWS resource provisioning
      • Terraform Azure Provider - Azure resource management
      • Terraform Google Cloud Provider - GCP infrastructure automation

  • Terraform Modules and Reusability

    • Module development and best practices
    • Module versioning and distribution
    • Public and private module registries
    • Resources:
      • Terraform Module Development - Creating reusable modules
      • Terraform Registry - Public module and provider registry
      • Module Best Practices - Module design patterns

Cloud-Native Infrastructure Patterns

• What you Need to Know

  • AWS Infrastructure Automation

    • VPC design and networking automation
    • EC2, ECS, and Lambda resource provisioning
    • RDS, S3, and other managed service configuration
    • Resources:
      • AWS Well-Architected Framework - Cloud architecture best practices
      • Terraform AWS Examples - Community AWS modules
      • AWS CloudFormation Samples - CloudFormation template examples

  • Azure Infrastructure Management

    • Resource Group and subscription organization
    • Virtual Network and compute resource automation
    • Azure SQL, Storage, and App Service provisioning
    • Resources:
      • Azure Architecture Center - Azure design patterns and practices
      • Azure Quickstart Templates - ARM template examples
      • Terraform Azure Examples - Azure infrastructure patterns

  • Google Cloud Platform Automation

    • Project and IAM resource management
    • Compute Engine, GKE, and Cloud Functions provisioning
    • Cloud SQL, Cloud Storage, and networking configuration
    • Resources:
      • Google Cloud Architecture Framework - GCP design principles
      • Cloud Foundation Toolkit - GCP infrastructure templates
      • Terraform GCP Examples - Community GCP modules

Configuration Management with Ansible

• What you Need to Know

  • Ansible Playbooks and Automation

    • Playbook structure and YAML syntax
    • Task organization and role-based automation
    • Variable management and template processing
    • Resources:
      • Ansible User Guide - Complete Ansible documentation
      • Ansible Best Practices - Playbook optimization
      • Ansible Examples - Sample playbooks and configurations

  • Infrastructure Configuration and Management

    • Server provisioning and configuration automation
    • Application deployment and service management
    • Security hardening and compliance automation
    • Resources:
      • Ansible for DevOps - Jeff Geerling - Practical Ansible implementation
      • Ansible Galaxy - Community roles and collections
      • Red Hat Ansible Automation - Enterprise Ansible platform

  • Ansible Integration with Cloud Providers

    • Dynamic inventory and cloud resource discovery
    • Cloud module usage and authentication
    • Hybrid cloud configuration management
    • Resources:
      • Ansible Cloud Modules - Cloud provider integrations
      • Dynamic Inventory Guide - Cloud resource discovery
      • Ansible Vault - Secrets management for cloud credentials

Container Infrastructure and Orchestration

• What you Need to Know

  • Kubernetes Cluster Provisioning

    • Managed Kubernetes service setup (EKS, AKS, GKE)
    • Self-managed cluster installation and configuration
    • Cluster networking and storage configuration
    • Resources:
      • Kubernetes Documentation - Complete Kubernetes reference
      • EKS Workshop - AWS Kubernetes hands-on learning
      • Kubernetes the Hard Way - Manual cluster setup tutorial

  • Kubernetes Resource Management

    • Namespace organization and resource quotas
    • ConfigMaps, Secrets, and persistent volume management
    • Service mesh and ingress controller configuration
    • Resources:
      • Kubernetes Best Practices - Google - Cluster management best practices
      • Helm Package Manager - Kubernetes application packaging
      • Istio Service Mesh - Service mesh implementation

  • GitOps and Kubernetes Automation

    • ArgoCD and Flux for GitOps workflows
    • Application deployment automation
    • Configuration drift detection and remediation
    • Resources:
      • Argo CD Documentation - GitOps continuous deployment
      • Flux Documentation - GitOps toolkit for Kubernetes
      • GitOps Guide - Weaveworks - GitOps principles and implementation

Infrastructure Testing and Validation

• What you Need to Know

  • Infrastructure Testing Frameworks

    • Unit testing for infrastructure code
    • Integration testing with real cloud resources
    • Compliance testing and security validation
    • Resources:
      • Terratest - Go-based infrastructure testing framework
      • Kitchen-Terraform - Test Kitchen integration for Terraform
      • InSpec - Infrastructure compliance testing

  • Policy as Code and Governance

    • Open Policy Agent (OPA) for policy enforcement
    • Terraform Sentinel for policy validation
    • Cloud security posture management
    • Resources:
      • Open Policy Agent - Policy as code framework
      • Terraform Sentinel - Policy enforcement for Terraform
      • Cloud Custodian - Cloud resource governance

  • Cost Management and Optimization

    • Infrastructure cost estimation and tracking
    • Resource rightsizing and optimization
    • Cost allocation and chargeback automation
    • Resources:
      • Terraform Cost Estimation - Infrastructure cost planning
      • AWS Cost Explorer - AWS cost analysis
      • Infracost - Infrastructure cost estimation tool

CI/CD Integration for Infrastructure

• What you Need to Know

  • Infrastructure Pipeline Automation

    • Terraform plan and apply automation
    • Infrastructure change approval workflows
    • Rollback and disaster recovery procedures
    • Resources:
      • Terraform Cloud Workflows - Automated infrastructure workflows
      • GitLab Infrastructure Pipelines - Infrastructure CI/CD integration
      • GitHub Actions for Terraform - Terraform automation with GitHub

  • Multi-Environment Infrastructure Management

    • Environment-specific configuration management
    • Infrastructure promotion and deployment strategies
    • Environment isolation and security
    • Resources:
      • Terraform Workspaces - Environment separation
      • Environment Management - Atlassian - Environment strategy
      • Infrastructure Environments - HashiCorp - Configuration organization

  • Infrastructure Monitoring and Observability

    • Infrastructure metrics and monitoring setup
    • Log aggregation and analysis automation
    • Alerting and notification configuration
    • Resources:
      • Prometheus Monitoring - Infrastructure metrics collection
      • Grafana Dashboards - Infrastructure visualization
      • ELK Stack for Infrastructure - Log management and analysis

Security and Compliance Automation

• What you Need to Know

  • Infrastructure Security Hardening

    • Security group and firewall automation
    • Encryption and key management configuration
    • Identity and access management automation
    • Resources:
      • CIS Benchmarks - Security configuration standards
      • AWS Security Best Practices - Cloud security guidance
      • Terraform Security Modules - Security-focused infrastructure modules

  • Compliance as Code Implementation

    • Automated compliance checking and reporting
    • Regulatory framework implementation (SOC 2, PCI DSS, HIPAA)
    • Audit trail generation and management
    • Resources:
      • Compliance as Code - Chef InSpec - Automated compliance validation
      • AWS Config Rules - Compliance monitoring automation
      • Azure Policy - Azure compliance automation

  • Secrets Management and Encryption

    • Secrets management integration with IaC
    • Encryption at rest and in transit configuration
    • Key rotation and lifecycle management
    • Resources:
      • HashiCorp Vault - Secrets management platform
      • AWS Secrets Manager - Cloud secrets management
      • Kubernetes Secrets Management - Container secrets handling

Advanced Infrastructure Patterns

• What you Need to Know

  • Multi-Cloud and Hybrid Infrastructure

    • Cross-cloud networking and connectivity
    • Workload distribution and failover strategies
    • Data synchronization and backup across clouds
    • Resources:
      • Multi-Cloud Architecture - Google - Multi-cloud strategy and implementation
      • Hybrid Cloud Patterns - Microsoft - Hybrid infrastructure design
      • Terraform Multi-Cloud Examples - Cross-cloud infrastructure patterns

  • Infrastructure Scaling and Auto-Scaling

    • Horizontal and vertical scaling automation
    • Load balancing and traffic distribution
    • Capacity planning and resource optimization
    • Resources:
      • Auto Scaling Best Practices - AWS - Scaling strategy and implementation
      • Kubernetes Horizontal Pod Autoscaler - Container scaling automation
      • Infrastructure Scaling Patterns - Scaling architecture patterns

  • Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity

    • Backup and recovery automation
    • Cross-region replication and failover
    • Recovery time and point objectives implementation
    • Resources:
      • Disaster Recovery Planning - AWS - DR strategy and implementation
      • Azure Site Recovery - Automated disaster recovery
      • Kubernetes Disaster Recovery - Container platform DR

Performance Optimization and Cost Management

• What you Need to Know

  • Infrastructure Performance Tuning

    • Resource sizing and performance optimization
    • Network performance and latency optimization
    • Storage performance and IOPS optimization
    • Resources:
      • AWS Performance Optimization - Cloud performance best practices
      • Kubernetes Performance Tuning - Container performance optimization
      • Infrastructure Performance Monitoring - Performance metrics and analysis

  • Cost Optimization Strategies

    • Resource rightsizing and utilization optimization
    • Reserved instances and savings plans
    • Spot instances and preemptible workloads
    • Resources:
      • AWS Cost Optimization - Cloud cost management strategies
      • Azure Cost Management - Azure cost optimization
      • GCP Cost Optimization - Google Cloud cost management

  • FinOps and Cloud Financial Management

    • Cost allocation and chargeback implementation
    • Budget management and cost alerting
    • Financial governance and reporting automation
    • Resources:
      • FinOps Foundation - Cloud financial management practices
      • Cloud Cost Management - Atlassian - Cost optimization strategies
      • Infrastructure Cost Tracking - Cost estimation and tracking tools

Ready to Continue? Advance to Module 4: Containerization and Orchestration to master Docker, Kubernetes, and modern container deployment strategies!