
In this post we want to explore the critical role of infrastructure in our innovation projects and introduce the concept of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) with Terraform.
What is infrastructure and why is it important?
Infrastructure is the set of technological resources that support any application or digital service. These resources include servers, databases, and network equipment. Here’s a quick overview:
- Servers: These are powerful computers that are designed to provide services and information. It’s where the application is running and, normally, we need the servers to be constantly working, so the application is always available
- Databases: They store and retrieve large amounts of data, which is critical for application functionality.
- Networks: This includes hardware like routers, firewalls, and cables that interconnect devices to ensure communication.
Infrastructure acts like the foundation of a house, it is the base on which everything else is built.
The challenges of traditional infrastructure
Historically, managing infrastructure was a complex and manual process. Let’s imagine we are a startup company developing a mobile application. What do we need to get our traditional infrastructure up and running?
First, we need to purchase the physical servers and build our own data center in our facilities.
These servers have to be constantly operational, so we need to equip a space with special conditions: refrigeration systems, uninterrupted power and a robust network connectivity.
We also need to configure those servers manually one by one, install the operating system and the necessary software. And after the installation the servers would need to be always under maintenance.

This approach presents disadvantages:
- Scalability Issues: Adding capacity during high demand requires purchasing additional servers. On the contrary, during low demand periods, servers would be underutilized but generating maintenance costs.
- Time-Consuming: Manual configurations are slow and prone to inconsistencies and human errors.
- High Costs: Setting up a data center, buying software licences and hiring specialized personnel (such as system administrators, network engineers or security specialists) can cost millions of dollars.
The Cloud: a revolution in infrastructure
The arrival of the Cloud transformed infrastructure management. The Cloud refers to a global network of remote resources, located all over the world, hosted by providers like Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS).

With the Cloud, companies can "rent" infrastructure on a pay-per-use model. This shift brought several benefits:
- Accessibility: Startups and enterprises can launch projects without having to build their local data centers.
- Scalability: Easily increase or decrease resource capacity as needed.
- Security: Data is replicated across geographic locations, ensuring availability even during regional disasters.
- Time Savings: Now it's possible to create and manage resources in a matter of minutes through an online console. Also servers maintenance is not on our side anymore.
Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

While the Cloud made infrastructure more accessible, Infrastructure as Code took it a step further and made its management more efficient.
Infrastructure as Code or IaC is a practice that consist of using files of code to define the infrastructure. Those files can be interpreted by the cloud providers and the described infrastructure is set up and configured automatically.
Terraform

There are different ways of using IaC but, at Astara Labs, we use the tool Terraform. Here's how it works:
- Write infrastructure definitions in code files.
- Use the terraform plan command to generate an execution plan, detailing changes like creating, updating, or deleting resources.
- Execute the terraform apply command to implement these changes.
For example, if a server’s CPU capacity needs adjustment, we can modify the configuration in code, review the plan, and apply the change seamlessly.

While managing resources through a Cloud provider's interface might seem simpler, IaC offers unique benefits:
- Error reduction: The automation, instead of manual configuration, reduce errors and inconsistencies.
- Collaboration: All team members are involved managing infrastructure and review each other changes.
- Multi-Cloud Support: Terraform works with multiple providers, ensuring flexibility in business decisions.
- Reproducibility: It's easy to reproduce the infrastructure in new projects which saves time and effort.
- Security: When a security issue arises, IaC allows to fix it across the entire infrastructure by updating the base configuration.
Takeaways
- Infrastructure forms the foundation of every development project.
- The Cloud makes infrastructure management flexible and accessible.
- IaC makes the infrastructure management automation more efficient.
- Terraform is the IaC tool used in Astara Labs that allows us to reuse our infrastructure configurations across projects.