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Chapter-2: Create Azure Infrastructure with Terraform

Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

Overview

This is the second chapter of the book, In this second chapter you will learn on how to create the infrastructure in azure cloud, the azure resources created as part of this chapter will be used for deploying our microservices applications created in chapter-1.

Creation of these Azure resources will be completely automated with IaC approach using Terraform configuration and azure DevOps pipelines;

Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

Let's quickly talk about Infrastructure as Code (IaC) in few lines here.

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is an approach to managing IT infrastructure in which the infrastructure is defined and managed using code, rather than through manual configuration. IaC is a set of practices and tools that allow developers and operations teams to automate the process of deploying and managing infrastructure.

With IaC, infrastructure is defined using either Terraform, YAML or JSON, which describes the desired state of the infrastructure. This code is then stored in a version control system like Azure DevOps, allowing teams to collaborate on changes and track changes over time. The code can then be used to provision infrastructure resources, such as servers, networks, and storage, databases in an automated and repeatable way.

Architecture Diagram

The following diagram shows the high level architecture of IaC process.

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Benefits of IaC

Some benefits of IaC include:

  • Faster deployment: IaC allows for rapid and consistent deployment of infrastructure, reducing the time it takes to set up and configure environments.
  • Improved reliability: By automating the deployment and management of infrastructure, IaC reduces the risk of human error and ensures consistency across environments.
  • Increased scalability: IaC enables teams to easily scale infrastructure resources up or down as needed, without manual intervention.
  • Better collaboration: By storing infrastructure code in version control, teams can collaborate on changes and track changes over time.
  • Greater agility: IaC allows for more agile development and deployment, making it easier to iterate quickly and respond to changing requirements.

There are several tools available for implementing IaC, including Terraform, AWS CloudFormation, and Ansible. These tools allow teams to define infrastructure as code and manage the deployment and configuration of infrastructure resources in an automated and repeatable way.

Terraform

Here we've chosen Terraform because of following:

Terraform is a popular infrastructure as code tool that enables users to define, provision, and manage infrastructure resources across multiple cloud provider. Here are some advantages of Terraform over other tools:

  • Multi-cloud support: Terraform supports multiple cloud providers, including AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and more. This allows users to manage resources across multiple providers using a single configuration language and tool.
  • Declarative syntax: Terraform uses a declarative syntax to define infrastructure resources. This makes it easy to understand and maintain infrastructure code over time, as well as to collaborate on changes with team members.
  • Infrastructure as code best practices: Terraform follows infrastructure as code best practices, such as version control, code review, and testing, making it easier to manage infrastructure as part of a software development process.
  • Modularity and reusability: Terraform allows users to define reusable modules that can be shared across multiple infrastructure projects. This promotes code reuse and simplifies the process of managing infrastructure resources.
  • Community support: Terraform has a large and active community of users who contribute to the development of the tool, as well as share best practices, tips, and modules. This provides a wealth of resources and support for users of the tool.

Terraform provides a powerful and flexible tool for managing infrastructure as code that is well-suited for complex and multi-cloud environments. Its declarative syntax, modularity, and community support make it a popular choice for teams looking to adopt infrastructure as code best practices.