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Infrastructure as Code Generation with nOps Discovery

Overview​

nOps Discovery's Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Generation capability automatically creates comprehensive, production-ready Terraform/OpenTofu code for your AWS landing zone based on workload analysis data and migration preferences. This capability transforms traditional manual infrastructure provisioning into a data-driven, code-based approach that ensures consistency, enables version control, and facilitates collaborative infrastructure development.

Data-Driven Infrastructure Design​

Telemetry-Based Resource Sizing​

nOps leverages workload analysis data to make intelligent infrastructure decisions:

  1. Precise Resource Allocation:

    • EC2 instance types selected based on actual CPU, memory, and I/O utilization patterns
    • Database sizing based on storage usage, transaction volumes, and growth patterns
    • Networking components sized according to actual traffic patterns and latency requirements
    • Auto-scaling configurations derived from historical load variation

  2. Optimized Cost-Performance Balance:

    • Reserved Instance recommendations based on steady-state workload patterns
    • Spot Instance candidate identification for interruptible workloads
    • Multi-AZ deployment decisions based on availability requirements
    • Storage tier selection (GP2, GP3, IO1, etc.) based on actual I/O metrics

  3. Right-Sized Security Controls:

    • Security group rules derived from observed network traffic patterns
    • IAM policies tailored to actual service interactions
    • Encryption requirements mapped from data sensitivity analysis
    • Compliance control implementations based on regulatory requirements

Intelligent Dependency Management​

The system automatically maps and manages complex infrastructure dependencies:

  • Service Dependency Ordering: Resources created in the correct sequence based on dependency analysis
  • Circular Dependency Resolution: Identification and resolution of potential circular references
  • Cross-Stack References: Proper management of outputs and references between Terraform modules
  • State Management: Best practices for managing state files across environments

Landing Zone Architecture Generation​

Multi-Account Strategy​

nOps generates a comprehensive AWS account structure based on best practices:

  1. Account Segmentation:

    • Management account for centralized control
    • Security/audit account for compliance and monitoring
    • Shared services account for common resources
    • Segregated environment accounts (dev, test, prod)
    • Application-specific accounts based on isolation requirements

  2. Security Foundations:

    • GuardDuty and Security Hub configuration
    • CloudTrail and AWS Config setup
    • IAM role structure with least privilege principles
    • Service control policies for account guardrails

  3. Networking Architecture:

    • Transit Gateway or VPC peering for inter-account connectivity
    • Network segmentation with proper subnet design
    • Route tables and NACLs based on security requirements
    • VPC endpoints for private AWS service access

Infrastructure Components​

The generated code includes all necessary components for a complete landing zone:

Core Infrastructure​

  • VPC Design:

    • Right-sized CIDR blocks based on projected workload scale
    • Public, private, and isolated subnet tiers
    • NAT gateways and internet gateways
    • VPC flow logs configuration

  • Identity & Access:

    • IAM roles and policies for applications
    • Cross-account access patterns
    • Service-linked roles for AWS services
    • Permission boundaries for delegation

  • Security Controls:

    • Key Management Service (KMS) configuration
    • Security groups with least-privilege access
    • AWS WAF and Shield configurations
    • Secrets management infrastructure

Application Infrastructure​

  • Compute Resources:

    • EC2 instances with right-sized instance types
    • Auto Scaling Groups with appropriate scaling policies
    • ECS/EKS clusters based on containerization needs
    • Lambda functions for serverless components

  • Data Storage:

    • RDS instances with proper instance classes
    • DynamoDB tables with appropriate capacity modes
    • S3 buckets with lifecycle policies
    • ElastiCache clusters for caching needs

  • Integration Services:

    • API Gateway configurations
    • SQS queues and SNS topics
    • EventBridge event buses
    • Step Functions for workflow orchestration

Collaborative Infrastructure Development​

Version Control Integration​

nOps facilitates collaborative infrastructure development through seamless version control:

  1. Git Repository Integration:

    • Direct commits to GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps, or Bitbucket
    • Branch management for environment promotion
    • Pull request automation for infrastructure changes
    • Commit message generation with detailed explanations

  2. Change Management:

    • Detailed change explanations in commit messages
    • Tagging for environment identification
    • Release management through git tags
    • Semantic versioning for infrastructure modules

  3. Collaborative Workflows:

    • Pull request templates for infrastructure reviews
    • Automated documentation generation
    • Design decision tracking through commit history
    • Role-based access control integration

Infrastructure Evolution Support​

The IaC generation capability supports ongoing infrastructure evolution:

  1. Progressive Refinement:

    • Incremental updates as workload data matures
    • Non-destructive changes prioritized
    • Migration-phase-appropriate adjustments
    • Technical debt prevention through best practices

  2. Configuration Drift Detection:

    • Comparison between intended and actual state
    • Remediation recommendations for drift
    • Enforcement options for compliance
    • Change tracking and attribution

  3. Team Collaboration Features:

    • Shared variable definitions
    • Module sharing across teams
    • Standardized naming conventions
    • Documented design decisions

Terraform/OpenTofu Implementation​

Module Architecture​

The generated infrastructure uses a modular design for maintainability:

  1. Module Hierarchy:

    • Root modules for environment orchestration
    • Service-specific modules for reusability
    • Shared modules for common patterns
    • Third-party module integration where appropriate

  2. Configuration Strategy:

    • Environment-specific variable files
    • Hierarchical variable precedence
    • Sensitive data management
    • Default value selection based on best practices

  3. State Management:

    • Remote state configuration for S3/DynamoDB
    • State locking implementation
    • Isolation strategy for parallel development
    • Import workflows for existing resources

Code Quality Standards​

All generated code adheres to high-quality standards:

  1. Readability and Maintainability:

    • Consistent naming conventions
    • Comprehensive comments and documentation
    • Logical resource grouping
    • Standardized formatting

  2. Security Best Practices:

    • No hardcoded secrets
    • Encryption by default where appropriate
    • Least privilege access patterns
    • Security group minimization

  3. Operational Excellence:

    • Comprehensive tagging strategy
    • Monitoring and alerting setup
    • Backup and recovery configurations
    • Cost optimization recommendations

DevOps Pipeline Integration​

CI/CD Integration​

The generated infrastructure code includes CI/CD pipeline configurations:

  1. Pipeline Definitions:

    • GitHub Actions workflows
    • GitLab CI pipeline configurations
    • Azure DevOps pipeline YAML
    • Jenkins pipeline definitions

  2. Automated Testing:

    • Terraform validation steps
    • Policy compliance checks (e.g., OPA, Checkov)
    • Cost estimation previews
    • Security scanning

  3. Deployment Controls:

    • Approval workflows
    • Environment promotion paths
    • Rollback procedures
    • Deployment scheduling

Operations Integration​

The infrastructure includes operational tooling integration:

  1. Monitoring Setup:

    • CloudWatch dashboard definitions
    • Alarm configurations based on workload characteristics
    • Log group configurations
    • Metrics collection

  2. Backup and DR:

    • Backup policies aligned with workload importance
    • DR infrastructure for critical components
    • Recovery time objective (RTO) alignment
    • Multi-region considerations where needed

  3. Cost Management:

    • Budget definitions and alerts
    • Cost allocation tagging
    • Reserved instance configurations
    • Savings plan recommendations

Migration-Specific Infrastructure​

Migration Service Configurations​

The generated code includes AWS migration service setups:

  1. AWS Application Migration Service (MGN):

    • Replication settings
    • Launch template configurations
    • Post-launch action scripts
    • Testing instance configurations

  2. Database Migration Service (DMS):

    • Replication instance sizing
    • Task configurations
    • Schema conversion settings
    • Ongoing replication for cutover

  3. Transfer Acceleration:

    • S3 Transfer Acceleration setup
    • DataSync configurations
    • Direct Connect provisioning where needed
    • Dedicated transfer networks

Landing Zone Customization​

The infrastructure adapts to your specific migration approach:

  1. Migration Strategy Alignment:

    • Rehost (lift and shift) infrastructure
    • Replatform (lift and optimize) configurations
    • Refactor (rearchitect) foundations
    • Hybrid approaches with interconnectivity

  2. Wave-Based Deployment:

    • Infrastructure staged according to migration waves
    • Progressive environment expansion
    • Temporary migration components
    • Cutover-specific resources

  3. Migration Tooling Integration:

    • CloudEndure setup
    • AWS Migration Hub configuration
    • Application Discovery Service integration
    • Migration tracker dashboards

How It Works with Workload Analysis​

Data Flow Process​

The IaC generation leverages multiple data sources from the nOps Discovery process:

  1. Telemetry Data Integration:

    • Performance metrics from the Agentless Data Collector feed into resource sizing
    • Network traffic patterns inform security group and subnet design
    • Storage usage patterns guide storage tier selection
    • Application dependencies map to infrastructure dependencies

  2. Migration Preference Integration:

    • Risk tolerance settings influence redundancy patterns
    • Modernization preferences affect service selection
    • Cost optimization priorities guide instance family selection
    • Compliance requirements drive security control implementation

  3. Deep Code Introspection Integration (if enabled):

    • Application configuration requirements map to environment variables
    • Service dependencies translate to infrastructure components
    • Authentication requirements inform IAM strategy
    • API patterns guide service mesh and API Gateway design

Iterative Refinement​

The IaC generation process improves over time:

  1. Initial Generation:

    • First draft based on early telemetry
    • Conservative resource sizing
    • Standard architectural patterns
    • AWS Well-Architected Framework alignment

  2. Progressive Enhancement:

    • Resource optimization as more data is collected
    • Pattern recognition for common workloads
    • Cost optimization recommendations
    • Security posture strengthening

  3. Feedback-Driven Improvement:

    • Performance data from test deployments
    • User modifications and customizations
    • Successful migration patterns
    • Industry-specific optimizations

How to Access Infrastructure as Code Generation​

  1. Complete the Workload Analysis process
  2. Define your preferences in Migration Planning
  3. Navigate to "Discovery" → "Infrastructure as Code" in your nOps dashboard
  4. Review and customize the generated infrastructure code
  5. Export to your version control system or download as ZIP archive
  6. Implement using standard Terraform/OpenTofu workflows