Lessons Learned from Infrastructure as Code

When I first started working with Infrastructure as Code, I thought it was just a way to automate server provisioning. It turned out to be something much more fundamental — a different way of thinking about how systems should be built and maintained.

The real value isn’t automation

Yes, IaC lets you spin up environments faster. But the deeper benefit is that your infrastructure becomes reviewable, testable, and versioned. When a configuration lives in a pull request instead of a console session, you get all the same collaboration benefits you’re used to with application code: peer review, history, rollback.

Start small, stay consistent

One mistake I’ve seen teams make is trying to codify everything at once. A better approach is to start with the next piece of infrastructure you need to create and write it in code from the start. Over time, you can backfill existing resources as you touch them.

The key is consistency within a given domain. If your networking layer is managed in code but your DNS records are manually configured, you’ll eventually hit a mismatch that’s hard to debug.

Treat modules like libraries

As your IaC codebase grows, the same instincts that apply to application code start to matter. Duplication becomes a liability. Naming conventions matter. You need sensible abstractions.

I’ve found it helpful to think of shared infrastructure modules the same way I’d think of a shared library:

• Clear inputs and outputs
• Good defaults with escape hatches
• Documentation that explains why, not just what

The human side

The hardest part of adopting IaC isn’t the technology — it’s the cultural shift. Engineers who are used to clicking through a console need to feel confident that the code-based workflow is just as capable. That means good documentation, patient onboarding, and making the easy path the right path.