When working with cloud computing, managing infrastructure efficiently is key to scalability, security, and cost control. Two common methods have emerged for managing cloud resources: ClickOps and Infrastructure as Code (IaC). Both approaches serve the same goal—provisioning and configuring resources—but they differ significantly in how they achieve it, and which scenarios they are best suited for.

ClickOps

ClickOps refers to manually creating and managing cloud resources through a cloud provider’s web interface. It’s often the first method developers or small teams use, thanks to its simplicity and accessibility. With just a few clicks in AWS Management Console, Azure Portal, or Google Cloud Console, you can spin up servers, databases, and storage services.

Pros:

• No coding required.
• Immediate visual feedback.
• Great for learning or small-scale experimentation.

Cons:

• Hard to track changes and maintain consistency.
• Prone to human error.
• Difficult to scale or audit over time.

Best For: One-off setups, small teams, proof-of-concept projects, or quick testing environments.

Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is the practice of managing and provisioning cloud resources through code, using tools like Terraform, AWS CloudFormation, or Pulumi. With IaC, infrastructure setups are written in declarative or imperative scripts that can be version-controlled, reused, and shared—just like application code.

Pros:

• Repeatable and consistent deployments.
• Easier auditing and change tracking via version control.
• Scalable for large, complex environments.

Cons:

• Steeper learning curve.
• Requires setup and tool knowledge.

Best For: Production environments, DevOps teams, multi-region setups, and organizations aiming for continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD).

Industry trends

The industry is increasingly moving toward IaC as a best practice, particularly in DevOps and SRE (Site Reliability Engineering) cultures. IaC supports automation, reduces errors, and enables scalable infrastructure management—all crucial for modern cloud-native applications. While ClickOps still has its place for quick tasks or individual learning, most organizations strive to minimize it in favor of code-driven, automated processes.

About Terraform

When it comes to Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Terraform stands out as one of the most popular and versatile tools in the industry. Developed by HashiCorp, Terraform allows users to define, provision, and manage cloud infrastructure across a wide range of providers—including AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and even on-premises systems.

Terraform is an open-source IaC tool that uses a declarative language called HashiCorp Configuration Language (HCL). With Terraform, you describe the desired state of your infrastructure in code, and Terraform figures out the steps needed to reach that state. This includes creating, updating, or deleting resources as needed.

Key Features

• Multi-cloud support: Manage infrastructure across multiple cloud providers with a unified workflow.
• Declarative syntax: Define what you want, not how to do it.
• Execution plan: Review changes before applying them to avoid surprises.
• State management: Maintains a state file to track the actual resources it manages.
• Modularity: Supports reusable modules for cleaner and more scalable codebases.

While tools like AWS CloudFormation or Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates are tightly coupled to their respective platforms, Terraform is cloud-agnostic, which is a major advantage for organizations working in hybrid or multi-cloud environments. Its ecosystem of providers and modules makes it incredibly extensible.

Implementing Terraform

1. Set up environment

   • Install Terraform.
   • Configure AWS credentials using aws configure or environment variables.

2. Create Terraform Project

   • Make a folder (e.g., aws_infra/).
   • Inside, create .tf files to define:
     • AWS provider
     • Resources: EC2, RDS, and S3

3. Write configuration
   In main.tf, define:

   • An EC2 instance (with AMI, type, tags).
   • An RDS database (with engine, storage, credentials).
   • An S3 bucket (with name and permissions).

4. Deploy infrastructure
   In terminal:

   terraform init      # Initialize the project
   terraform apply     # Review and confirm to create resources

   Terraform will build all AWS resources.

5. Manage resources

   • To change something: update .tf files and run terraform apply again.
   • To delete everything: run terraform destroy.

Some findings and thoughts

• IaC is more popular nowadays in large-scale companies.
• Terraform is very useful for managing cloud resources, and it’s good for working with multiple cloud providers.