Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is a DevOps practice that involves managing and provisioning computing infrastructure through machine-readable scripts or configuration files rather than manual processes. With IaC, infrastructure components such as servers, networks, databases, and storage can be defined, deployed, and managed using code, allowing for version control, automation, and consistency across environments. Popular IaC tools include Terraform, AWS CloudFormation, and Ansible, which allow teams to define their infrastructure in code and automatically apply these configurations to create or modify environments.

IaC brings several advantages to the software development and IT operations process. By treating infrastructure as code, teams can leverage the same tools and practices used in software development, such as version control, testing, and continuous integration, to manage their infrastructure. This leads to more reliable and repeatable deployments, reducing the risk of human error and enabling faster, more efficient scaling of resources. IaC also supports the principles of DevOps by promoting collaboration between development and operations teams and facilitating the creation of consistent environments for development, testing, and production.