---
title: "Infrastructure Automation on AWS: CloudFormation, SAM, and Terraform for IaC"
description: "Scalable, resilient systems need infrastructure you can define in code. This post walks through how AWS CloudFormation, AWS SAM, and Terraform automate infrastructure in a cloud native AWS setup."
author: "Mohammad Abu Mattar"
canonical: https://mkabumattar.com/blog/post/infrastructure-automation-on-aws-cloudformation-sam-and-terraform-for-iac
---

# Infrastructure Automation on AWS: CloudFormation, SAM, and Terraform for IaC

## Introduction

This post covers Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and how it fits into a Cloud Native AWS environment: what IaC gives you, and how CloudFormation, AWS SAM, and Terraform each handle a different part of the job.

## Understanding Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

IaC lets you define and manage your entire infrastructure using code instead of clicking through a console by hand. Treat your infrastructure like a piece of code and you get reproducibility, scalability, and less time spent on manual setup.

To Read more about IaC, check out our blog post [**Understanding Infrastructure as Code (IaC).**](/blog/post/understanding-infrastructure-as-code-iac)

## Cloud Native Infrastructure on AWS

Cloud Native Infrastructure means designing applications specifically for the cloud. It's about using AWS services like AWS Lambda, Amazon DynamoDB, and Amazon S3 to build applications that scale and hold up under failure.

To Read more about Cloud Native Infrastructure, check out our blog post [**Cloud Native Infrastructure on AWS.**](/blog/post/cloud-native-infrastructure-on-aws)

## Using AWS CloudFormation for IaC

AWS CloudFormation lets you declare your infrastructure using JSON or YAML templates instead of tracking the exact order of resource creation yourself. It also handles updates and rollbacks, so your infrastructure stays consistent and easy to manage.

To Read more about AWS CloudFormation, check out our blog post [**AWS CloudFormation for Infrastructure as Code (IaC).**](/blog/post/aws-cloudformation-for-infrastructure-as-code-iac)

## Simplifying Application Deployment with AWS SAM

AWS Serverless Application Model (SAM) provides a simplified way to define and deploy serverless applications on AWS Lambda. It handles the deployment details so you can focus on writing code.

To Read more about AWS SAM, check out our blog post [**Deploying Serverless Applications with AWS SAM.**](/blog/post/deploying-serverless-applications-with-aws-sam)

## Orchestrating Infrastructure with Terraform

Terraform is an open-source tool that lets you define and manage infrastructure as code across multiple cloud providers, including AWS, using a single workflow.

To Read more about Terraform, check out our blog post [**Orchestrating Infrastructure with Terraform.**](/blog/post/orchestrating-infrastructure-with-terraform)

## Best Practices for Infrastructure Automation in a Cloud Native AWS Environment

The linked post below covers securing your infrastructure, implementing CI/CD pipelines, and managing cost so your setup keeps performing as it grows.

To Read more about Best Practices for Infrastructure Automation, check out our blog post [**Best Practices for Infrastructure Automation in a Cloud Native AWS Environment.**](/blog/post/best-practices-for-infrastructure-automation-in-a-cloud-native-aws-environment)

## Conclusion

This post covered the basics of IaC in a Cloud Native AWS environment, and how AWS CloudFormation, SAM, and Terraform each play a role. The tools handle the repetitive parts; the design decisions are still on you.

For more on related topics, see [**The AWS Well-Architected Framework Explained**](/blog/post/aws-well-architected-framework-explained), [**How to Avoid Common Cloud Services Mistakes**](/blog/post/how-to-avoid-common-cloud-services-mistakes), and [**How to Setup a Bastion Host on AWS using CloudFormation Template.**](/blog/post/how-to-setup-bastion-host-on-aws-using-cloudformation-template)

## References

- [AWS CloudFormation User Guide](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSCloudFormation/latest/UserGuide/Welcome.html)
- [AWS Serverless Application Model (SAM) Developer Guide](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/serverless-application-model/latest/developerguide/what-is-sam.html)
- [Terraform by HashiCorp - Official Documentation](https://developer.hashicorp.com/terraform/docs)
- [What is Infrastructure as Code? - AWS](https://aws.amazon.com/devops/infrastructure-as-code/)
- [What is Cloud Native? - AWS](https://aws.amazon.com/what-is/cloud-native/)
- [AWS Well-Architected Framework](https://aws.amazon.com/architecture/well-architected/)
- [Understanding Infrastructure as Code (IaC).](/blog/understanding-infrastructure-as-code-iac)
- [Cloud Native Infrastructure on AWS.](/blog/cloud-native-infrastructure-on-aws)
- [AWS CloudFormation for Infrastructure as Code (IaC).](/blog/aws-cloudformation-for-infrastructure-as-code-iac)
- [Deploying Serverless Applications with AWS SAM.](/blog/deploying-serverless-applications-with-aws-sam)
- [Orchestrating Infrastructure with Terraform.](/blog/orchestrating-infrastructure-with-terraform)
- [Best Practices for Infrastructure Automation in a Cloud Native AWS Environment.](/blog/best-practices-for-infrastructure-automation-in-a-cloud-native-aws-environment)
- [The AWS Well-Architected Framework Explained](/blog/aws-well-architected-framework-explained)
- [How to Avoid Common Cloud Services Mistakes](/blog/how-to-avoid-common-cloud-services-mistakes)
- [How to Setup a Bastion Host on AWS using CloudFormation Template.](/blog/how-to-setup-bastion-host-on-aws-using-cloudformation-template)