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YAML vs programming languages for IaC

The choice of data representation language is a defining characteristic of different [[Infrastructure as Code]] (IaC) tools. Tools like Pulumi advocate for using general-purpose programming languages, allowing developers to define infrastructure using familiar syntax and logic rather than domain-specific languages or static configurations^[400-devops-08-infrastructure-as-code-pulumi.md].

Programming Languages

Using standard programming languages (such as JavaScript, Java, Go, or Python) for IaC allows engineers to leverage existing language skills, software development practices like testing, and the full power of a runtime, including conditional logic, loops, and abstraction (classes, functions, and packages)^[400-devops-08-infrastructure-as-code-pulumi.md].

YAML

YAML is widely used in IaC (particularly in Kubernetes ecosystems) as a declarative configuration format. While explicit and simple, it often requires significant boilerplate and relies on external tooling or generators to handle logic that would be trivial in a general-purpose programming language^[400-devops-08-infrastructure-as-code-pulumi.md].

Comparison

  • Abstraction and Logic: Programming languages allow developers to encapsulate infrastructure details into reusable components and manage complexity with standard control structures^[400-devops-08-infrastructure-as-code-pulumi.md].
  • Complexity: Using a general-purpose language can help avoid the repetitive "boilerplate" often associated with extensive YAML configurations^[400-devops-08-infrastructure-as-code-pulumi.md].
  • Pulumi
  • [[Infrastructure as Code]]

Sources

^[400-devops-08-infrastructure-as-code-pulumi.md]