The benefits of Infrastructure as Code (IAC) are many, but it's important to recognize that IAC has its limitations and challenges. Here are some key takeaways:
- Reproducibility: Infrastructure code is reproducible, but it has a shelf-life and requires constant updating to avoid problems.
- Self-documentation: While infrastructure code can be self-documenting, it can become outdated and confusing over time, requiring rewrites.
- Visibility: Infrastructure code is visible, but non-engineers may struggle to understand it.
- Mistake prevention: Infrastructure code can prevent mistakes, but it can also amplify them if used improperly.
- Cost savings: IAC can lower costs if used frequently, but it can also be a time sink for engineers to maintain.
- Drift prevention: IAC can prevent drift, but it's not foolproof as humans can still make changes out of band.
- Toil prevention: While IAC can prevent toil, updating IAC code can also be a time-consuming task.
- Self-service: Self-service infrastructure can be great, but it's important to consider the needs of the end-users.
