What is Infrastructure as Code (IaC)?
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Quick Answer
IaC is managing and provisioning infrastructure through machine-readable definition files rather than manual processes, so servers, networks, and services are versioned, reviewed, and reproducible like application code.
Detailed Answer
Declarative IaC (Terraform, CloudFormation) describes the desired end state and lets the tool reconcile it; imperative approaches script the steps. Benefits: repeatable environments, peer review via pull requests, drift detection, and easy teardown/rebuild. IaC is foundational to reliable, scalable DevOps.
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Interview Tip
Distinguish declarative (Terraform) from imperative, and cite versioning + reproducibility as the payoff.
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