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What is Infrastructure from Code? IaC vs. IfC, Explained

Written by Asif Awan | Jan 8, 2025 5:00:00 AM

Maybe you’ve heard of Infrastructure as Code (IaC), which is the process of managing and provisioning computer data center resources (mostly but not entirely in the cloud) through version-controlled, machine-readable definition files (or configurations), rather than via manual hardware configuration or web consoles. But what is Infrastructure from Code? This post explores what IfC means, how it works, and how it expands upon IaC.

What is Infrastructure from Code?

Infrastructure from Code (IfC) is a transformative way of provisioning infrastructure, automating the process of generating infrastructure from diverse sources—application code, existing state files, deployment specifications, or cloud environments. It removes the need to build infrastructure configuration from scratch, instead tailoring infrastructure to the business intent and specific needs of your applications, environments, and existing resources.

We now define IfC as:

Infrastructure from Code: Automate infrastructure generation from any source—application code, existing state files, deployment specifications or cloud environments.

IfC ensures infrastructure is not just a static entity but a dynamic, responsive system that evolves alongside your application and organizational needs. It improves the developer and DevOps experience, accelerates delivery, and enhances governance by embedding architecture and security standards into every stage of the process.

Infrastructure from Code means Infrastructure from Anywhere to Everywhere.

The Four Pillars of Infrastructure from Code

IfC can be implemented through several key approaches, each addressing different user needs and workflows:

1. Infrastructure from Code (Code-to-Code)

Automatically generate Infrastructure as Code based on application code, ensuring golden standards are applied. Deploy to cloud providers like AWS, Azure, or GCP. Whether you’re building new applications or refactoring legacy systems, this approach simplifies infrastructure provisioning for developers.

  • Use Case: For developers creating or modernizing applications.
  • Capabilities:
    • Auto-generate secure, compliant IaC.
    • Deploy across major cloud platforms.
    • Build for greenfield or legacy applications.

2. Infrastructure from Design (Canvas-to-Code)

Drag and drop resources, including resource packs and custom policies, to create and visualize your deployment architecture. Generate secure and compliant IaC based on an opinionated path designed for reliability and security.

  • Use Case: For platform engineers and DevOps professionals seeking to visualize and standardize infrastructure.
  • Capabilities:
    • Visual design of deployment architectures.
    • Integration of governance and compliance policies.

3. Infrastructure from State Files (Cloud-to-Code)

Ingest existing IaC files or manually created resources, enhancing and remediating them to ensure reliability, standardization, and security. This approach is ideal for environments built using ClickOps or legacy IaC files.

  • Use Case: For platform engineers and DevOps professionals managing existing cloud infrastructure.
  • Capabilities:
    • Analyze existing infrastructure to create an assessment of current status
    • Organize resources including remediating and standardizing existing infrastructure.
    • Manage infrastructure including generating secure and reliable Terraform and Helm charts.

4. Infrastructure from Cloud (Cloud-to-Cloud)

Translate your infrastructure configurations to migrate seamlessly between cloud environments. This enables organizations to adapt - multi-cloud strategies with ease.

  • Use Case: For platform engineers and DevOps professionals managing cloud migrations.
  • Capabilities including all capabilities from Cloud-to-Cloud and: 
    • Translate IaC for cloud-to-cloud migrations.
    • Ensure consistency across cloud providers.
    • Translate security policies for cloud-to-cloud migrations.

IaC vs IfC

While IaC revolutionized how infrastructure is provisioned and maintained, it has its limitations. IfC addresses these by focusing on application-driven infrastructure generation. Here’s a comparison:

Infrastructure as Code Infrastructure from Code
  • Creates an infrastructure source of truth that is ideally the VCS config, but can be a little hard to pin down if anyone strays from the config. 
  • Generates infrastructure from any starting point - application code, existing state files, or cloud environments.
  • Implements architecture & security best practices.
  • Embeds security and standards into the generation workflow.
  • Can be difficult to manage and update over time.
  • Dynamically evolves with application changes.
  • Often follows a one-size-fits-all approach.
  • Tailors infrastructure to each app’s unique needs.

 

Into the future with IfC and StackGen

StackGen is pioneering the IfC approach by offering an intuitive, low-effort way to generate infrastructure. Here’s how StackGen supports each IfC workflow:

  • Code-to-Code: Automatically scan application repositories to generate IaC that adheres to golden standards.
  • Canvas-to-Code: Use a visual designer to create deployment architectures and auto-generate IaC.
  • Cloud-to-Code: Enhance and standardize existing IaC files or manually created infrastructure.
  • Cloud-to-Cloud: Translate infrastructure configurations to enable seamless multi-cloud migrations.

Why Choose Infrastructure from Code?

Infrastructure from Code represents the next evolution of infrastructure management. It empowers developers and platform teams to work faster, smarter, and more securely, ensuring infrastructure becomes an enabler, not a bottleneck, in your software delivery lifecycle. With StackGen, you can experience the future of infrastructure provisioning today.
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