What this book covers
In Chapter 1, Choosing the Right Approach – Declarative or Imperative, we introduce fundamental Infrastructure-as-Code concepts, covering the challenges of manual infrastructure management, declarative versus imperative approaches, and the pets versus cattle analogy, setting the stage for understanding its importance in modern deployments.
In Chapter 2, Ansible and Terraform beyond the Documentation, we delve into Terraform, an Infrastructure-as-Code tool by HashiCorp, and Ansible, a configuration management tool by Red Hat. We will explore tool selection criteria, be introduced to Terraform and Ansible, and review some guidance on using Visual Studio Code as an IDE for writing code, including some recommended extensions.
In Chapter 3, Planning the Deployment, we highlight the importance of planning in your Infrastructure-as-Code deployments. You will be introduced to the workload to be deployed, learn about deployment approaches, and explore a step-by-step guide for efficient and error-free execution. We will also examine the high-level infrastructure architecture, preparing us for our upcoming Azure and AWS deployment.
In Chapter 4, Deploying to Microsoft Azure, we explore deploying our project to Microsoft Azure, one of the two major public cloud providers covered in this book. Topics include introducing Azure, preparing the cloud environment, creating the low-level design, and using Terraform and Ansible for writing and deploying the infrastructure code.
In Chapter 5, Deploying to Amazon Web Services, we move onto deploying the project to Amazon Web Services (AWS) while highlighting the key differences between Azure and AWS. We will delve deeper into Ansible for deployment and gain insights into using both Ansible and Terraform for managing AWS resources. By the end of the chapter, you will understand how to adapt your deployment approach for different cloud providers.
In Chapter 6, Building upon the Foundations, we delve into the nuances of deploying high-level designs across public cloud providers using cloud-agnostic tools such as Terraform and Ansible. We will learn from my experiences of addressing variations between providers, exploring practical approaches for creating repeatable deployment processes, and looking at the importance of modular code, allowing for streamlined deployment efforts and code reusability.
In Chapter 7, Leveraging CI/CD in the Cloud, we will now focus on using CI/CD to automate infrastructure deployment. We will explore GitHub Actions, a popular CI/CD tool, and learn how to use it to run Terraform and Ansible code for both Azure and AWS.
In Chapter 8, Common Troubleshooting Tips and Best Practices, we will learn essential strategies for planning, writing, and troubleshooting Infrastructure-as-Code projects. The chapter covers best practices and troubleshooting tips for Infrastructure as Code in general and specific guidance for Terraform and Ansible. By understanding the unique challenges associated with each tool, you will be better prepared to handle obstacles that may arise during your Infrastructure-as-Code journey.
In Chapter 9, Exploring Alternative Infrastructure-as-Code Tools, we will expand our Infrastructure-as-Code toolset by exploring three additional tools: Pulumi, Azure Bicep, and AWS CloudFormation. The chapter aims to provide hands-on understanding and knowledge of these tools, highlighting the differences between cloud-agnostic and provider-specific tools and showcasing Pulumi’s unique approach using familiar programming languages.
