Happy Path Programming #116 Infrastructure as Effects with Sam Goodwin
Sep 19, 2025
Sam Goodwin, Creator of Alchemy, is transforming Infrastructure as Code with innovative approaches to manage dependencies. He discusses the complications of current tools like CloudFormation and Terraform, and how Alchemy utilizes Effect-oriented programming for better efficiency. Sam explains the advantages of an async model and how it helps with IAM policies and deployment planning. Also, he shares insights on version-controlled infrastructure and previews exciting demos, showcasing the future of developer-focused tools.
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Layers Hide Simple API Calls
- Infrastructure-as-code has become a tower of layered abstractions that hide the simple act of calling provider APIs in the right order.
- Sam argues many teams only need a small subset and would benefit from a handwritten, simpler experience.
Effects Move Side Effects Into Types
- Effects let you move side-effect requirements into the type system so the compiler can flag missing infrastructure concerns early.
- That lets you shift left and catch IAM, config, and dependency errors before deployment.
Prefer Explicit, Type-Checked Requirements
- Make missing infra requirements explicit and type-checked instead of silently inferring everything.
- Let the compiler fail fast so you add the correct IAM or bindings before running deployments.
