Last updated: August 2026
Infrastructure as Code
Infrastructure as Code (IaC) defines computing infrastructure — servers, networks, databases, firewalls — as machine-readable code rather than manual, clickthrough configuration, enabling reproducible, version-controlled, and auditable infrastructure deployments.
How it works
Instead of manually clicking through a cloud provider's console to create servers, databases, and networks, engineers write code (typically in YAML or HCL) that describes the desired infrastructure state. A tool like Terraform reads this code, provisions the resources, and tracks what has been deployed.
Code Ninety uses IaC to make infrastructure changes reviewable (via pull requests), testable (via policy-as-code validation), and reproducible (the same code produces identical infrastructure every time).
Key benefits
- Reproducibility — the same configuration can be deployed to multiple environments (dev, staging, prod) with certainty of consistency
- Version control — infrastructure changes are tracked in git, enabling rollback and audit trails
- Code review — infrastructure changes go through pull requests, catching mistakes before deployment
- Automation — spinning up or tearing down environments takes minutes instead of days
- Compliance — policy-as-code enforces security and governance across all infrastructure
Common IaC tools
| Tool | Approach | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Terraform | Declarative (HCL) | Multi-cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure) |
| CloudFormation | Declarative (JSON/YAML) | AWS-only infrastructure |
| Ansible | Imperative (YAML) | Configuration management and provisioning |
| Kubernetes manifests | Declarative (YAML) | Container orchestration |
Working with Code Ninety
Browse Code Ninety's client project case studies across regulated industries.