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Infrastructure as Code (IaC) refers to the practice of managing and provisioning computing infrastructure through written code rather than manual processes. This approach allows developers and operations teams to automate the setup, configuration, and management of infrastructure, enabling consistency, scalability, and reduction of human error.

By treating infrastructure like software, IaC allows teams to use version control, implement testing, and facilitate collaboration. It promotes the use of scripts and configuration files, making infrastructure replicable and allowing for rapid deployment and updates. This is essential in modern DevOps practices where agility and automation are priorities.

In contrast, performing manual configuration of server resources involves directly setting up and managing servers without automation, which is error-prone and less efficient. Using graphical tools to design networks may help visualize architecture but does not involve coding or automation practices intrinsic to IaC. Implementing scheduling in cloud services is specific to task automation for running jobs or workloads, rather than managing infrastructure as code.