Managing Production and Development Infrastructure on AWS

Abstract

AWS infrastructure management practices have evolved dramatically, transforming enterprise cloud deployments from manual console configurations to sophisticated Infrastructure as Code (IaC) paradigms. The progression represents a fundamental shift in cloud resource provisioning approaches, with AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK) emerging as a cutting-edge solution that enables teams to define infrastructure using familiar programming languages. This capability enhances development velocity and code quality through inherent type safety features while presenting challenges that require strategic management. Infrastructure drift, where deployed resources diverge from codified definitions, necessitates robust detection and reconciliation processes to maintain system integrity. Environment consistency between production and development resources proves essential for deployment reliability and security posture, with particular attention to IAM policy alignment and feature flag standardization. Access management strategies emphasizing role-based controls and separation of duties substantially reduce unauthorized modifications and accidental disruptions. Serverless architectures introduce unique cost dynamics during testing phases, requiring specialized approaches such as controlled throttling, local emulation, and constraint analysis to optimize both testing effectiveness and resource efficiency while managing expenditure.