AWS for DevOps — Infrastructure as Code

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Chapter 8 — Infrastructure as Code

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) means managing AWS resources through template files instead of clicking through the console. CloudFormation is AWS’s native IaC service.

  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
  │           Infrastructure as Code on AWS           │
  │                                                    │
  │  CloudFormation        CDK                         │
  │  (YAML/JSON templates) (TypeScript/Python code)    │
  │  ┌──────────────┐    ┌──────────────┐             │
  │  │  template.yml │    │  cdk app     │             │
  │  │    ↓          │    │    ↓         │             │
  │  │  Stack        │    │  synth →     │             │
  │  │    ↓          │    │  CFN template│             │
  │  │  AWS Resources│    │    ↓         │             │
  │  └──────────────┘    │  Stack       │             │
  │                       └──────────────┘             │
  └──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

What You’ll Learn

Section Topic Key Concepts
8.1 CloudFormation Templates YAML structure, resources, parameters, outputs
8.2 Intrinsic Functions Ref, GetAtt, Sub, Join, If, Select
8.3 Stacks & Nested Stacks Create, update, delete, cross-stack references
8.4 Change Sets & Drift Detection Preview changes, detect manual modifications
8.5 CDK — Cloud Development Kit TypeScript/Python IaC, constructs, synth
8.6 Practice Exercises Hands-on scenarios

Why IaC for DevOps?

Manual (Console) Infrastructure as Code
Click, click, click — one at a time One template creates everything
“How was this configured?” — nobody knows Template IS the documentation
Can’t reproduce in another region Deploy the same template anywhere
Risky changes — no preview Change Sets show exactly what will change
Configuration drift over time Drift detection catches manual changes

CloudFormation vs Terraform vs CDK

Feature CloudFormation Terraform CDK
Language YAML / JSON HCL TypeScript, Python, Java, C#
Provider AWS only Multi-cloud Compiles to CloudFormation
State management AWS-managed State file (S3 + DynamoDB) AWS-managed (via CFN)
Drift detection Built-in terraform plan Via CloudFormation
Learning curve Medium Medium Low (if you know programming)
Best for AWS-native teams Multi-cloud teams Developers who prefer real code

Next → CloudFormation Templates

Updated:

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