How to version control infrastructure?

Short answer

Store infrastructure definitions in a version control system like Git. Use branching strategies, pull requests, and CI pipelines to review and apply changes safely.

Steps

1. Create a dedicated repository for infrastructure code.
2. Organize code by environment or module.
3. Require pull requests for all changes.
4. Use CI to validate and plan changes before applying.

Example

git init infra-repo
git add main.tf
git commit -m "Add VPC module"
git push origin main

Tips

• Tag releases for production deployments.
• Use separate branches for staging and production.
• Store Terraform state in a remote backend with locking.

Common issues

• Large repositories become slow and hard to navigate.
• Merge conflicts in state files can corrupt infrastructure.
• Sensitive values must be encrypted or stored in secret managers.