Everything as code is a way to manage the various components of an organization’s infrastructure, including its tools and software. It takes the manual processes that people perform and turns them into code so that machines can perform those tasks. This process is then documented and can be accessed by humans. Everything that teams need to agree on is automatically “codified” into a configuration file that machines can access.
Through Everything as Code, people can get the best out of their work by allowing them to think through complex problems and collaborate with others. It then lets machines perform those tasks for them. This eliminates manual intervention and allows them to get the most out of their projects.
Repeatability
All of the processes, policies and descriptions in a project are written down in code so that they can easily be replicated. For instance, a developer might want to create a policy that only US residents can access business accounts.
With an updated time zone, a European developer can easily copy the same policy to work with their European counterparts. This eliminates the need for them to reinvent the wheel and allows them to get the most out of their projects.
Scalability
Defining a configuration as code allows systems to scale up and down quickly without the risk of error. Also, since environments can be spun up anywhere, testing becomes more effortless. A code-defined climate allows people to run tests and develop applications as close to their actual state as possible.
Through an as-code approach, developers can test their changes before releasing them to the public, reducing security risks and errors. Also, they can focus on more differentiated projects by freeing up their time.
Security
When a security configuration and policy are moved out of their traditional black boxes and into policy files, teams can treat them like any other software. This means that they can check them in and review them just like any other software.
They can then quickly point to the code when they must prove that their policies comply. Having a policy file allows teams to improve their security continuously.