Oct 5, 2024 · 5 min read
Python has become my language of choice for infrastructure automation. Its readable syntax, extensive standard library, and rich ecosystem of packages make it ideal for everything from simple scripts to complex automation frameworks.
The boto3 library for AWS, azure-sdk for Azure, and google-cloud libraries for GCP provide programmatic access to cloud services. Combined with Terraform for infrastructure provisioning, Python handles the custom logic and glue code that IaC tools cannot express.
Automation scripts benefit from proper structure. I have moved from single-file scripts to organized projects with configuration management, logging, and error handling. Using click or argparse for CLI interfaces makes tools reusable and user-friendly.
Testing infrastructure code is often overlooked but essential. Pytest provides a flexible framework for testing Python automation. Mocking cloud API calls allows testing logic without incurring costs or requiring live infrastructure.
Async programming with asyncio enables efficient concurrent operations. When automating tasks across many resources—like checking status of hundreds of instances—async code provides significant performance improvements over sequential execution.
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