What Is Infrastructure as Code: Understanding and Using It with VPS

In today’s digital world, the demand for efficient, scalable, and automated infrastructure management has never been higher. Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is the leading solution for efficient IT environment management, automating processes, and providing unprecedented flexibility and control over the information technology infrastructure.

According to the 2024 Puppet survey, over 80% of organizations use Infrastructure as Code. They attribute this to its ability to save up to 75% of deployment time and increase operational efficiency by almost 65%. It simplifies the deployment of Virtual Private Servers (VPS) and improves reliability and scalability across different application landscapes.

This article will explore the basics of Infrastructure as Code and how to use IaC with VPS. Whether you are a seasoned DevOps engineer or are learning automation for the first time, understanding the principles of IaC and its integration with VPS is crucial to optimizing your digital infrastructure.

What Is Infrastructure as Code (IaC)?

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is the practice of managing and provisioning infrastructure through code rather than manual processes. Any application environment consists of multiple infrastructure elements, such as data storage, operating systems (OS), and databases. Software developers must regularly configure, update, and maintain the infrastructure to develop, test, and deploy applications. However, manually managing infrastructure is labor-intensive, time-consuming, and prone to errors, especially when managing applications at scale. This is where Infrastructure as Code comes in. IaC allows you to define a desired state of infrastructure without specifying every step needed to achieve that state. By automating infrastructure management, developers can focus on building and improving applications rather than managing environments. Organizations use IaC to control costs, reduce risk, and respond quickly to new business opportunities.

How Does Infrastructure as Code Work: Key Principles and Approaches

The following sections explain how IaC works and the main approaches to implementing it.

IaC Key Principles 

The core principle of DevOps is treating infrastructure the same way developers treat code. Just as applications must follow programming language rules, Infrastructure as Code affects a system's architecture and operations. Infrastructure architecture consists of many resources (servers, networks, OS, storage, databases), which are managed as virtualized resources by treating configuration files like source code. This approach enables codified, repeatable, and shared infrastructure management.

IaC configuration management tools use different language specifications, allowing infrastructure to be developed similarly to application code in Python or Java. Developers write IaC in an integrated development environment (IDE) with built-in error checking. IaC can also be kept under source control with commits for every code change. IaC configuration files are stored in version control systems such as Git, which provides:

• Collaboration: Teams can work together simultaneously with a clear history of changes.
• Audit: Each change is documented, ensuring accountability.
• Rollback: If issues arise, previous configurations can be restored to maintain system stability.

IaC Approaches

There are two approaches to Infrastructure as Code:

• Declarative
• Imperative

Declarative Approach to IaC

The declarative approach to IaC allows developers to describe the settings and resources that make up the system's final state. The infrastructure code is then used to build the system using the IaC solution. If the developer knows what components and settings are needed to run the application, using the declarative approach to IaC is easier. The declarative approach also lists the current state of the system's objects, making it easier to manage infrastructure outages.

Imperative Approach to IaC

The imperative approach to IaC allows developers to define all the steps needed to configure resources and achieve the desired system state and operation. While the imperative approach is more complex than the declarative one, it becomes necessary for deploying complex infrastructure projects. The imperative approach is particularly important when the sequence of events is critical.

Infrastructure as Code and VPS

By automating infrastructure setup with code, IaC enables the management and deployment of Virtual Private Servers. This collaboration between IaC and VPS eliminates manual server setup, reducing the risk of errors and speeding up deployment. With IaC, VPS scaling becomes seamless, allowing businesses to adapt to changing needs quickly. IaC also improves version control, making infrastructure changes visible and reversible. Integrating IaC with VPS provides the flexibility, cost efficiency, and increased operational reliability required for modern, scalable cloud architectures and agile development methods.

Benefits of Usage IaC with VPS

Infrastructure as Code combined with Virtual Private Servers offers significant benefits that improve both the development process and the operational performance of an IT environment. This section describes the main advantages of using IaC with VPS.

Deployments Automation

One of the biggest benefits of using IaC with VPS is deployment automation. IaC enables developers to define and provision infrastructure through code, automating the entire process. IaC enables developers to create and provision repeatable VPS configurations using Terraform, Ansible, and Puppet tools. This eliminates manual intervention, reduces the risk of human error, and enables rapid deployment of VPS environments across development, testing, and production. Automation speeds up the deployment process and provides a more efficient workflow, allowing teams to focus on application development rather than infrastructure setup.

Scalability and Efficiency

Another benefit of IaC with VPS is that it simplifies and streamlines scaling VPS environments. By defining infrastructure requirements in code, you can quickly scale based on demand without the need for manual server configuration or resources. IaC supports dynamic scaling, meaning VPS resources automatically adjust as traffic or resource volumes change. This scalability helps companies maintain performance, reduce operational costs, and efficiently handle workloads.

Error Reduction and Consistency

Using IaC with VPS also significantly reduces the risk of errors. Defining infrastructure in code creates a repeatable environment, ensuring consistency across different stages like development, testing, and production. This approach ensures that operations teams and developers work with the same infrastructure specifications. Additionally, IaC reduces the likelihood of deployment failures and improves the overall stability and reliability of the VPS environment by detecting and fixing configuration errors early in the development lifecycle.

These benefits demonstrate how Infrastructure as Code plays a key role in streamlining VPS environment management, making IaC an essential tool for modern infrastructure management.

Popular IaC Tools for VPS Management

The following sections offer a quick overview of five popular IaC tools for VPS management. These tools provide robust capabilities for managing VPS environments, each with its own advantages depending on the specific needs and complexity of the infrastructure.

1. Terraform

Terraform is one of the most popular infrastructure-as-code tools for managing VPS environments. It allows users to create and provision infrastructure using a simple declarative language. With multi-cloud support, Terraform can manage infrastructure across various cloud providers such as AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. Additionally, its state management feature enables it to track infrastructure changes effectively, ensuring that VPS deployments occur in the right order.

2. Ansible

Ansible is an open-source automation tool that simplifies application orchestration, configuration, and deployment. Unlike competing tools, Ansible doesn’t require agents or additional software to be installed on managed systems. It’s ideal for VPS management because it uses a declarative YAML language to create configurations. Ansible’s simplicity and ease of use make it a popular choice for DevOps teams managing scalable VPS environments.

3. Puppet

Puppet is a powerful IaC tool for configuring, deploying, and managing servers. Its model-driven approach uses declarative language to describe infrastructure. With robust reporting, scalability, and consistent configuration provisioning, Puppet is especially useful in large, complex infrastructures. It integrates seamlessly with various VPS setups, ensuring a stable environment is provisioned and maintained.

4. Chef

Chef is a configuration management tool that automates the provisioning and management of infrastructure components. It uses a Ruby-based DSL (domain-specific language) for infrastructure automation as code, offering flexibility and power. Chef is particularly effective at managing large-scale VPS environments and ensuring consistency across multiple servers. It integrates with cloud providers and supports advanced configurations, making it suitable for more complex VPS management tasks.

5. CloudFormation (AWS)

CloudFormation is AWS's native IaC tool that allows you to securely model, provision, and automate AWS infrastructure. It enables the creation of complex, scalable VPS environments on AWS with complete control over configuration and resources. CloudFormation is ideal for users focused on AWS-based VPS infrastructure because it uses JSON or YAML templates to define resources and automate their provisioning.

Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up IaC on VPS

The following sections outline the steps for setting up IaC on a VPS, including:

• Preparing the VPS environment.
• Writing IaC scripts.
• Deploying and managing the infrastructure.

Once you complete these steps, you’ll be able to use infrastructure components as code to automate the management of your VPS.

Step 1: VPS Environment Preparation 

Before writing and deploying IaC scripts, you need to prepare your VPS environment. Follow these steps to prepare your VPS environment:

1. Select a VPS provider. Make sure you have access to a VPS provider such as AWS, DigitalOcean, or any other cloud service that supports IaC management.
2. Configure SSH access. Securely configure SSH access to your VPS ton manage your server from a remote perspective.
3. Install the required tools. Install the necessary software for each IaC tool. For example, if you’re using Terraform, install it on your local machine and verify it’s accessible via the command line.
4. Set up access controls and permissions. Configure user roles and permissions to manage your infrastructure. To change the VPS configuration, ensure the user or role running the IaC scripts has access.

Step 2: IaC Scripts Writing 

The core component of VPS management automation is writing IaC scripts. To write an IaC script using code to define the infrastructure, follow these steps:

1. Choose an IaC tool. Select an IaC tool that fits your needs, such as Terraform.
2. Define infrastructure elements. Describe the infrastructure you want to create, such as virtual machines, storage, and networks. A basic Terraform script might look like this.
   

   provider "digitalocean" {

   token = "your_api_token"

   }

   resource "digitalocean_droplet" "example" {

   name = "example-vps"

   region = "nyc3"

   size = "s-1vcpu-1gb"

   image = "ubuntu-20-04-x64"

   }

   This script provides a VPS (Droplet) on DigitalOcean with the specified size and OS.

3. Write configurations. Include configurations for firewall rules, networking, and other necessary infrastructure resources. Manage configurations in version-controlled files to track changes effectively.

Step 3: Infrastructure Deployment and Management

Once your scripts are written, the next step is to deploy and manage your infrastructure resources. Follow these steps to begin deploying and managing your infrastructure:

1. Initialize your IaC tool. Set up a working environment for tools like Terraform by running the initialization command:
    

   terraform init

   This command initializes the working directory and loads the provider plugins.

2. Validate your script. 

    

   Validate your script to check for errors and generate an execution plan before applying any changes.

   terraform validate

   terraform plan

   This step helps verify that your script will create the resources as expected.

3. Apply your script. 

    

   Once you’ve verified the script, use the following command to deploy your infrastructure:

   terraform apply

   This step helps verify that the script will create the resources as expected by copying the Terraform Plan code.

4. Monitor and manage. Once your infrastructure is deployed, use your IaC tool to monitor and manage ongoing changes. For example, Terraform allows you to change your code and then use the Terraform apply command to update your infrastructure.
5. Automate future deployments. Set up continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines to automatically run IaC scripts when changes are made to the repository for long-term automation.

This method ensures scalability and consistency across your infrastructure while streamlining deployments and reducing errors.

IaC with VPS: Best Practices 

The following sections outline best practices for using Infrastructure as Code with VPS environments:

• Secure Configuration Management
• Regular Testing and Validation
• Monitoring and Documentation

By following these best practices, you can ensure that your IaC implementation on VPS is efficient, secure, and resilient.

1. Secure Configuration Management

When managing Infrastructure as Code, security should be a top priority. Here are key practices to ensure secure configuration management:

• Avoid hardcoding secrets.

Never hardcode sensitive data such as SSH, passwords, or API keys directly in IaC scripts. To securely store sensitive data, use environment variables, secret management tools (AWS Secrets Manager or HashiCorp Vault), or encrypted configuration files instead.

• Restrict permissions.

Follow the principle of least privilege, ensuring only essential roles have access to modify infrastructure. Configure the VPS to limit ports and unnecessary access points.

• Use secure access mechanisms.

To access SSH on a VPS, use strong SSH keys and disable password authentication. Enable multifactor authentication (MFA) where possible.

• Automate patching and upgrades.

To prevent vulnerabilities from accumulating, ensure your infrastructure scripts are configured to patch security and update software automatically.

2. Regular Testing and Verification

Regular testing and validation help detect potential issues early. Here’s what you can do:

• Check your code syntax.

Use built-in validation tools provided by IaC platforms like Terraform Validate for Terraform or Ansible Lint for Ansible to catch syntax errors or misconfigurations before deployment.

• Test in staging environments.

Before going into production, run your IaC scripts in a staging environment that mirrors your production settings. This ensures your infrastructure functions as expected once it’s up and running.

• Use version control.

Store IaC scripts in a version control system like Git to track changes over time and revert to a previous configuration if issues arise during deployment.

• Automate tests.

Implement automated test systems to evaluate infrastructure changes. Once deployed, test your VPS infrastructure using tools such as Serverspec for general testing or Test Kitchen for Chef.

• Implement peer reviews.

Require a peer review process before pushing IaC code to production. This reduces the risk of errors and enforces best practices.

3. Monitoring and Documentation

Continuously monitoring and documenting your scripts and processes is essential for maintaining and troubleshooting your VPS infrastructure. To achieve this, we recommend implementing the following practices:

• Implement monitoring.

Set up monitoring systems such as Prometheus, Grafana, or CloudWatch to track the performance and health of your VPS environments. Monitoring improves resource utilization and helps identify performance degradation or any infrastructure issues.

• Set up automatic alerts.

Configure automatic alerts to notify you of infrastructure failures or unexpected behavior. This enables quick responses and minimizes downtime.

• Keep clear documentation.

Document your IaC scripts, infrastructure setups, and deployment procedures. Well-maintained documentation helps future users understand the setup, streamlining troubleshooting and updates.

• Track changes with version control.

Use version control to manage infrastructure changes and IaC scripts. This allows you to save a history of changes to troubleshoot and revert to previous configurations if necessary.

• Audit your infrastructure.

Periodically check that your infrastructure is up to date with current technologies and security policies. Regular audits ensure the security and optimization of your system.

Following these practices and recommendations will help minimize risks, improve performance, and maintain consistency across your infrastructure.

Conclusion

Infrastructure as Code provides a more efficient way to manage VPS environments by automating deployments, increasing scalability, and improving consistency. Tools like Terraform, Ansible, and Puppet streamline infrastructure management, reduce manual errors, and achieve faster resource provisioning. As IaC adoption grows, it simplifies scaling and maintaining VPS resources, leading to more efficient and reliable infrastructure setups. By following best practices in security, testing, and monitoring, IaC allows teams to manage complex systems with greater flexibility and precision, unlocking the full potential of virtualized environments.