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What is infrastructure as code (IaC), and how might a Node.js team use a tool like Terraform or the AWS CDK alongside their application code?

Intermediate

Answer

IaC defines cloud infrastructure in version-controlled configuration rather than manual console clicks, enabling reproducible, reviewable infrastructure changes. The AWS CDK lets teams define infrastructure using actual TypeScript/JavaScript code rather than a separate declarative language, letting a Node.js team reuse familiar tooling for infrastructure too.
const fn = new lambda.Function(this, 'ApiHandler', {
  runtime: lambda.Runtime.NODEJS_20_X,
  handler: 'index.handler',
  code: lambda.Code.fromAsset('dist'),
});
new apigateway.LambdaRestApi(this, 'Api', { handler: fn });
Real-world example A team migrating from manually configured AWS resources to the CDK captures their entire infrastructure as version-controlled TypeScript, letting infrastructure changes go through the same PR review process as application code.

Common follow-ups: What's the tradeoff of using the CDK versus a purely declarative tool like Terraform?;How do you handle infrastructure state drift when using IaC alongside occasional manual console changes?

Serverless Node.js (AWS Lambda & Functions);Git & Project Management
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