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knowledge base/the automation paradox.md

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+# The automation paradox
+
+The point of automation is to reduce the manual workload.<br/>
+It's goals are also to maintain consistency and reliability of infrastructure and processes.
+
+The issue:
+
+- For every automation one puts in place, a _system_ is created.<br/>
+  Such system is the automation itself of the set of tools used to create it.
+- A system needs configuration and maintenance.
+- One relies on systems to maintain other systems.
+- Complex systems trend toward _brittle_ and _expensive_.<br/>
+  Especially true when one uses imperative runbooks.<br/>
+  Google [_Software crisis_][software crisis] for more info.
+- The need to manage such complexity gave birth to a whole cottage industry.<br/>
+  This includes tools and specific job titles (i.e. _DevOps_, _SRE_).
+- The tools one choses to implement one's system need to be consistent and reliable.<br/>
+  Should they not be, their issues defeat the whole purpose of what one is trying to automate.
+
+Possible solutions:
+
+- Move from imperative to declarative (desired state) where one can.<br/>
+  Check out [the _GitOps_ approach][gitops].
+- Apply the KISS approach where possible.<br/>
+  Make it so that is simple to maintain, not necessarily simple for the sake of simplicity.
+- Focus on the tools that most allow one to simplify the automation.<br/>
+  Dependent on the final goals.
+- Limit abstractions.<br/>
+  Check out [We have used too many levels of abstractions and now the future looks bleak] and [Why the fuck are we templating yaml?].
+
+## Sources
+
+- Personal experience.
+- [Automating your source of truth - GitOps and Terraform]
+- [Software crisis]
+- [We have used too many levels of abstractions and now the future looks bleak]
+- [Why the fuck are we templating yaml?]
+
+<!--
+  References
+  -->
+
+<!-- Knowledge base -->
+[gitops]: gitops.md
+
+<!-- Others -->
+[automating your source of truth - gitops and terraform]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K8R1OVXPy0
+[software crisis]: https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/software-engineering-software-crisis/
+[we have used too many levels of abstractions and now the future looks bleak]: https://unixsheikh.com/articles/we-have-used-too-many-levels-of-abstractions-and-now-the-future-looks-bleak.html
+[why the fuck are we templating yaml?]: https://leebriggs.co.uk/blog/2019/02/07/why-are-we-templating-yaml.html