CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701)Security ArchitectureHard
A DevOps team adopts a deployment model where servers are never patched or modified after deployment; instead, any update requires building a new server image and replacing the running instance entirely. Which security architecture principle does this describe?
- ABlue-green failover
- BJust-in-time provisioning
- CConfiguration drift
- DImmutable infrastructure
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Immutable infrastructure
Immutable infrastructure means deployed components are never modified in place; any change requires deploying a new, replacement instance built from an updated image, reducing configuration drift and improving consistency.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Blue-green is a deployment/rollback strategy that can use immutable images but is a distinct concept (parallel environment switching).
- B. Just-in-time provisioning refers to creating access or resources on demand, not the never-modify-in-place principle.
- C. Configuration drift is the problem immutable infrastructure prevents, not the practice itself.
Immutable Infrastructure
An architecture approach where deployed servers/containers are never modified after creation; changes are made by deploying new replacement images instead of patching in place.
- Reduces configuration drift and inconsistency
- Common in containerized/cloud-native environments
- Simplifies rollback: redeploy the prior known-good image
Memory trick: Don't fix it, replace it—immutable means untouched after birth.