immutable infrastructure
compound.compound. a way of managing computer systems where you never change a server after it is set up. If you need to update something, you replace the old server with a brand new one instead of fixing it.
compound. an IT deployment strategy where components are replaced rather than modified after they are provisioned. This approach ensures consistency across environments by treating servers as disposable units that are redeployed from a common image for every update.
Our team uses immutable infrastructure to make our software updates safer.
By adopting immutable infrastructure, the engineering team eliminated the risk of configuration drift between their testing and production environments.
The shift toward immutable infrastructure allows for more predictable scaling and recovery, as every instance is an exact replica of a verified version-controlled image rather than a uniquely patched machine.
A compound of the adjective immutable, derived from the Latin immutabilis, and the noun infrastructure. The term gained prominence in technical discourse following a 2013 blog post by Chad Fowler.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Commonly used in cloud computing and DevOps contexts; often contrasted with 'mutable infrastructure'.
Last updated July 22, 2026