Cloud-native infrastructure - quick start guide
Cloud-native infrastructure - quick start guide
Your cloud infrastructure spans three providers, a dozen Kubernetes clusters, and hundreds of managed services. Your cloud consoles show you resources, but they do not show you relationships, ownership, or cost attribution across the estate. This schema gives you a single, structured inventory of everything: from the AWS account at the top to the individual deployment at the bottom.
Cloud-Native Infrastructure extends the Core Schema with 10 object types purpose-built for modern cloud operations. It covers the full stack: Cloud Accounts, Kubernetes Clusters, Namespaces, Deployments, Container Registries, Serverless Functions, Managed Databases, Object Storage, CDN Distributions, and Service Meshes.
When to use this schema
Deploy the Cloud-Native Infrastructure schema when your organisation needs structured visibility into cloud infrastructure:
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Multi-cloud operations. You run workloads across AWS, Azure, and GCP and need a unified inventory of accounts, clusters, and managed services.
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Kubernetes at scale. You operate multiple Kubernetes clusters and need to track namespaces, deployments, and service mesh configurations centrally.
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FinOps and cost attribution. You need to attribute cloud spend to teams, projects, or cost centres and track monthly spend by account.
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Platform engineering governance. Your platform team needs to enforce standards for cluster versions, registry scanning policies, and mTLS configurations.
This schema is particularly valuable when you have 3 or more cloud accounts or 2 or more Kubernetes clusters.
Pro tip: If you have only on-premises infrastructure with no cloud presence, use the Standard CMDB instead. If you only need basic application and service tracking, the Core Schema is a better starting point.
What you get
| Object Type | Purpose | Key Attributes |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud Account | AWS accounts, Azure subscriptions, GCP projects | Account ID, Provider, Environment, Monthly Spend, Cost Center |
| Kubernetes Cluster | EKS, AKS, GKE, and self-managed clusters | Version, Node Count, Region, GitOps Repo, Cloud Account |
| Namespace | Kubernetes namespace boundaries for workload isolation | Cluster, Team Owner, CPU Quota, Memory Quota |
| Deployment | Kubernetes workload controllers (Deployments, StatefulSets) | Image, Replicas, CPU/Memory Limits, Registry |
| Container Registry | ECR, ACR, GCR, Docker Hub image registries | Provider, URL, Scan Policy |
| Serverless Function | AWS Lambda, Cloud Functions, Azure Functions | Runtime, Memory, Timeout, Trigger Type |
| Managed Database | RDS, Cloud SQL, Cosmos DB, DynamoDB | Engine, Version, Instance Type, Multi-AZ, Storage |
| Object Storage | S3, GCS, Azure Blob Storage | Versioning, Encryption, Public Access |
| CDN Distribution | CloudFront, CloudFlare, Azure CDN | Domain, Origin, SSL Certificate, Cache Policy |
| Service Mesh | Istio, Linkerd, Consul Connect | Version, mTLS Status, Cluster |
Schema at a glance
Cloud Account (AWS/Azure/GCP)
│
├── Kubernetes Cluster (EKS/AKS/GKE)
│ ├── Namespace
│ │ └── Deployment (workloads)
│ └── Service Mesh (Istio/Linkerd)
│
├── Container Registry (ECR/ACR/GCR)
├── Serverless Function (Lambda/Cloud Functions)
├── Managed Database (RDS/Cloud SQL)
├── Object Storage (S3/GCS/Blob)
└── CDN Distribution (CloudFront/CloudFlare)
Screenshot coming soon
Reference types: Belongs To (blue, ownership hierarchy), Deployed In (green, deployment context), Uses (purple, dependencies).
Core Schema extension: Cloud-Native Infrastructure references Person, Team, Application, Vendor, and Location from Core Schema. Update a person's role once in Core and it reflects across all cloud resources.
Documentation
This Quick Start Guide is split into three focused pages:
| Page | What it covers | Reading time |
|---|---|---|
| Object type reference | Full attribute references, best practices, AQL queries, and real-world examples for all 10 object types. | ~22 min |
| Deployment guide | Step-by-step deployment, first records in dependency order, population sequence, and relationship patterns. | ~7 min |
| Integration and operations | Multi-cloud API integration patterns (AWS, Azure, GCP), FinOps integration, troubleshooting guide, and FAQ. | ~8 min |