In previous chapters, we've managed cloud resources through the use of interactive tools such as gcloud and the Google Cloud Console. This manual approach to managing infrastructure is fine for learning and tackling small projects, but it does not scale well as projects grow in size and complexity. As we touched on in Chapter 7, Google Compute Engine, there are several tools used for infrastructure management, collectively known as configuration management tools. A common thread across these tools is that they deliver value in a few key areas:

• Repeatability: Configuration management tools allow teams to recreate entire cloud environments in a consistent manner. This makes it possible to ensure that infrastructure is consistent across projects and life cycles, and removes the possibility of an operator forgetting to execute some critical step...