Immutable vs. Mutable Infrastructure: Choosing the Right Approach for DevOps and IaC

I have been asked several times by customer executives who have embraced the DevOps way of life but struggle with the right approach to updating or changing infrastructure and software. This post clarifies the two primary approaches—immutable and mutable—and when to use each. Two keywords, Immutable and Mutable, can define how we execute updates or changes to infrastructure and software. The former, according to the Oxford Dictionary, means "unchanging over time or unable to be changed," and the latter means "liable to change." In the context of DevOps and IaC (Infrastructure as Code), immutable and mutable infrastructures are two different approaches to managing resources, especially when making updates or changes. Immutable Infrastructure In immutable infrastructure, once a resource is created, it is never modified after deployment. Instead of updating an existing instance, you create a new one. This approach treats resources as disposable, making deployments more predictable, stable