Implementing Infrastructure as Code for Hybrid Cloud Environments

{
  "title": "Implementing Infrastructure as Code for Hybrid Cloud Environments",
  "description": "This rule provides guidance on using Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools to manage and provision resources across hybrid cloud infrastructures, ensuring consistency and scalability.",
  "category": "DevOps",
  "rules": [
    {
      "id": "iac-001",
      "description": "Ensure all infrastructure code is stored in a version control system to track changes, collaborate effectively, and revert to previous versions if needed.",
      "severity": "high",
      "recommendation": "Use a version control system like Git to manage your infrastructure codebase."
    },
    {
      "id": "iac-002",
      "description": "Break down infrastructure code into reusable modules to promote consistency, scalability, and maintainability across deployments.",
      "severity": "medium",
      "recommendation": "Organize your infrastructure code into modular components for better management and reusability."
    },
    {
      "id": "iac-003",
      "description": "Implement automated tests for infrastructure code to catch errors early, validate configurations, and ensure stability before deployment.",
      "severity": "high",
      "recommendation": "Integrate automated testing frameworks into your CI/CD pipeline to validate infrastructure code."
    },
    {
      "id": "iac-004",
      "description": "Adopt the practice of creating and deploying immutable infrastructure to enhance security, reliability, and consistency in your environment.",
      "severity": "medium",
      "recommendation": "Use immutable infrastructure patterns to prevent configuration drift and ensure consistency."
    },
    {
      "id": "iac-005",
      "description": "Securely manage and store sensitive information such as API keys, passwords, and certificates outside of version control using dedicated secret management tools.",
      "severity": "critical",
      "recommendation": "Utilize secret management solutions like HashiCorp Vault or AWS Secrets Manager to handle sensitive data."
    },
    {
      "id": "iac-006",
      "description": "Ensure that your infrastructure code is idempotent to prevent unintended changes and maintain consistency across environments.",
      "severity": "high",
      "recommendation": "Design infrastructure code to be idempotent, allowing repeated executions without side effects."
    },
    {
      "id": "iac-007",
      "description": "Use centralized standards and resources to collaborate with other teams for standardization and reusability.",
      "severity": "medium",
      "recommendation": "Establish organization-wide standards for IaC to promote efficiency and consistency."
    },
    {
      "id": "iac-008",
      "description": "Apply the principle of 'security as code' to ensure that security is part of the deployment pipeline.",
      "severity": "critical",
      "recommendation": "Integrate security checks and vulnerability scanning into your IaC development process."
    },
    {
      "id": "iac-009",
      "description": "Test routine and non-routine activities, including deployment-rollback processes.",
      "severity": "high",
      "recommendation": "Regularly test deployments, configuration updates, and recovery processes to ensure reliability."
    },
    {
      "id": "iac-010",
      "description": "Maintain clear documentation for your IaC codebase to improve collaboration and ease of maintenance.",
      "severity": "medium",
      "recommendation": "Keep documentation up-to-date and store it alongside your codebase for easy access."
    }
  ]
}