INFRASTRUCTURE AS CODE: SCALING WITH TERRAFORM AND OPENTOFU
Move beyond 'Click-Ops'. How to manage multi-cloud environments with version-controlled infrastructure.
The Era of Versioned Infrastructure
If your infrastructure isn't in Git, it doesn't exist. Infrastructure as Code (IaC) allows us to treat our servers and networks with the same rigor as our application code: peer reviews, automated testing, and predictable rollbacks.
Structuring for Scale
-
A single, massive
main.tffile is a recipe for disaster. Break your infrastructure into logical components: - Networking: VPCs, Subnets, Gateways.
- Compute: EKS Clusters, Lambda functions.
- Data Layers: RDS, Redis, S3.
The Power of Modules
Modules are your "functions" for infrastructure. At Devlyfi, we maintain a library of hardened modules that ensure every database we spin up is automatically encrypted, backed up, and placed in a private subnet by default.
Working with State
The Terraform State file is the source of truth for your infrastructure. Never keep it on your local machine. Use S3 with DynamoDB locking to ensure that two developers don't try to change the same resource at the same time.
CI/CD for Infrastructure
The ultimate goal is "No-Touch" infrastructure. When a PR is opened, a temporary environment is created, tested, and a plan is commented back on the PR. Once merged, the changes are applied automatically to staging, then production.
Keep your state files remote and locked.
Use modules to enforce architectural standards across teams.
Variable validation prevents 'garbage-in' infrastructure.
Implement 'Plan-on-PR' to visualize changes before they happen.
Separate state for different environments (Dev, Staging, Prod).
Tag everything. If you can't measure it, you can't manage it.
Ready to Apply These
Insights?
Theory is one thing, implementation is another. Our collective expertise is ready to help you execute these strategies at scale.