In the context of Infrastructure as Code, what does a Declarative approach emphasize?

In the context of Infrastructure as Code (IaC), a Declarative approach emphasizes defining the desired state of the system rather than specifying the exact steps to achieve that state. This means that you describe what the final configuration should look like, and the IaC tool takes care of determining how to reach that state.

This approach is beneficial because it abstracts the details of the implementation and allows the automation tool to manage the complexities of deployment and configuration. For example, instead of scripting every individual command that leads to the desired infrastructure state, you simply declare that "I want three web servers with the latest version of the application installed." The IaC tool will figure out how to reach that state, adding or removing resources as necessary.

This makes the process simpler and more efficient, as it allows for more straightforward management, version control, and repeatability of infrastructure deployments.