For creating a replica of production infrastructure for testing after a system breach, which approach aligns with Google-recommended practices?

The approach of developing a Terraform script to duplicate your production environment and executing the script as needed aligns with Google-recommended practices for several reasons.

Terraform is an infrastructure as code (IaC) tool that allows users to define and manage their infrastructure in a declarative way, which enhances consistency, repeatability, and reliability. By using Terraform, organizations can create version-controlled configurations for their infrastructure, making it easier to recreate, test, and make changes to the environment as necessary. This eliminates manual steps that could introduce errors during the replication process, such as discrepancies in configuration or resource settings.

Additionally, Terraform provides the capability to manage infrastructure across different stages of the development lifecycle while enabling the team to maintain consistency. It allows for more efficient management of environments, and any changes to resources can be tracked and rolled back if needed. Utilizing Terraform also promotes collaboration among team members since the configuration files can be shared and reviewed. This collaborative approach helps ensure that best practices are adhered to throughout the replication process.

In contrast, manually listing production resources and recreating them—whether through the Google Cloud console or CLI—introduces the possibility of human error and inconsistency. Furthermore, relying solely on shell scripts for replication can lead to difficulties in maintaining and scaling the environment,