Why CDK
AWS CDK lets you define cloud infrastructure in familiar languages and synthesizes CloudFormation. You get type checking, reusable constructs, and the same review workflow as application code.
Start small
Begin with one stack (network + one compute path). Keep environments as separate stacks or stages. Prefer least-privilege IAM from day one.
Next steps
Add CI to synth and diff on every PR. Document destroy/update procedures so ops is not tribal knowledge.
