Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is essential for modern cloud operations, allowing companies to define their infrastructure through code, facilitating easy deployment, rollbacks, and reproducibility. By using tools like Terraform, teams can manage resources more efficiently, eliminating the risks associated with "snowflake servers" and improving overall agility in infrastructure management.

The article showcases on-demand videos from the {unscripted} VIRTUAL conference, featuring insights from various industry leaders in software engineering, DevOps, and cloud operations. Key speakers include executives from companies like Deluxe, Sony, and Capital One, who discuss the future of AI-powered software delivery and related innovations.

Google Cloud has launched new AI-powered tools aimed at simplifying the application lifecycle for developers and operators. The introduction of services like Application Design Center and Cloud Hub allows for more efficient design, deployment, and management of applications, while Gemini Code Assist enhances developer productivity with AI support throughout the software development process.

The article highlights a series of on-demand videos from the {unscripted} VIRTUAL conference, featuring industry leaders discussing the future of AI-powered software delivery. Experts from various companies share insights into enterprise architecture, security, DevOps, and cloud operating models, showcasing the evolving landscape of software engineering and technology.

Pulumi CLI v3.192.0 introduces the `pulumi state taint` and `pulumi state untaint` commands, allowing users to mark resources for replacement without direct access to cloud APIs. This feature enhances infrastructure management by enabling users to prepare for resource replacement in CI/CD pipelines, facilitating smoother deployments. Users can preview changes and apply replacements later, streamlining the workflow.

Day-0, Day-1, and Day-2 operations provide a framework for managing the lifecycle of software services from planning and deployment to ongoing maintenance. By defining tasks for each phase, teams can improve operational stability and efficiency, ensuring successful software launches and management. The article outlines the key activities and best practices for each operational day, emphasizing the importance of structured processes in the DevOps lifecycle.

Terraformer is an open-source CLI tool developed by Google that facilitates the reverse-engineering of existing infrastructure into Terraform code. It automates the process of generating Terraform configurations and state files from cloud resources, making it invaluable for migrating legacy infrastructure, auditing, onboarding projects, and disaster recovery. The article details Terraformer's features, use cases, installation, and provides practical examples of its operation.

Hosting GitHub Actions runners on HashiCorp Nomad offers a lightweight and scalable alternative to Kubernetes, enabling organizations to run self-hosted runners within their private networks for enhanced security and control. This solution reduces operational costs, simplifies management, and improves deployment speed by utilizing ephemeral runners that minimize resource overhead and ensure clean environments for each job. Additionally, it supports multi-cloud and hybrid deployments, allowing for flexible infrastructure management without vendor lock-in.