Infrastructure as Code (IaC) in DevOps is a practice that involves managing and provisioning computing infrastructure through machine-readable definition files, rather than physical hardware configuration or interactive configuration tools. This approach enables the automation of infrastructure deployment and changes, ensuring consistent environments at scale. Key characteristics include:

1. Automation and Efficiency: Automate the provisioning, configuration, and management of infrastructure.
2. Version Control: Manage infrastructure definitions using version control systems like Git.
3. Consistency and Standardization: Ensure consistent environments, reducing the “works on my machine” problem.
4. Reusability: Templates and scripts can be reused, saving time and effort.

IaC tools like Terraform, Ansible, AWS CloudFormation, and Azure Resource Manager are essential in implementing IaC in DevOps, supporting the rapid, reliable, and scalable deployment of infrastructure needed in modern software development.