Implementing Infrastructure as Code

Thoughtworks’ Kief Morris is an early proponent of Infrastructure as Code and author of a well-respected book on the subject. Although this presentation dates back to 2016, it is still hugely relevant as it demonstrates the current benefits of Infrastructure as Code and explains some of the critical moments in its evolution.

In this presentation, Morris explains how the shift towards software-based infrastructure gave birth to the first software automation tools and recounts the problems—such as server sprawl and configuration drift—that companies still face today when deploying them.

He outlines some of the practices and patterns that organizations need to be aware of when adopting Infrastructure as Code, explaining how tools such as HashiCorp’s Terraform can assist them. Some of the areas he covers include:

Defining systems as code Automatically test changes Achieving continuous delivery Designing to enable change Immutable infrastructure

The presentation also covers the birth of modern DevOps and the integration of security policy and testing throughout the development process. Morris also illustrates the benefits of deploying shared server images and associated libraries, referencing HashiCorp’s Packer as a tool to do this.