An operation is idempotent if doing it once or doing it many times produces the same result. Pressing an elevator call button is a common analogy: pressing it five times does not summon five elevators. For infrastructure tools, idempotence means that running the same configuration against infrastructure that already matches it changes nothing.
Free account
Keep reading for free
Create a free StudyToCert account to read the rest of this lesson: 5 more sections, 4 key terms, a real-world example, an exam tip and self-check questions. Every lesson, lab and practice test is free with an account.