Infrastructure Validation

Activation Triggers

•Files matching: *.tf, *.tfvars, Dockerfile, docker-compose.yml, playbook*.yml, roles/, inventory/
•Config: .shipyard/config.json has iac_validation set to "auto" or true

Overview

IaC mistakes don't cause test failures — they cause outages, breaches, and cost overruns. Validate before every change.

Core principle: Never apply without plan review. Like TDD requires tests before code, IaC requires validation before apply.

File Detection

Files Present	Workflow
`*.tf`	Terraform
`playbook*.yml`, `roles/`, `inventory/`	Ansible
`Dockerfile`, `docker-compose.yml`	Docker
Templates with `AWSTemplateFormatVersion`	CloudFormation
YAML with `apiVersion:`	Kubernetes

Terraform Workflow

Run in order. Each step must pass before proceeding.

code

terraform fmt -check          # 1. Format (auto-fix with fmt if needed)
terraform validate            # 2. Syntax validation
terraform plan -out=tfplan    # 3. Review every change — NEVER skip
tflint --recursive            # 4. Lint (if installed)
tfsec . OR checkov -d .       # 5. Security scan (if installed)

Drift detection: terraform plan -detailed-exitcode — exit code 2 means drift. Document what drifted and why before overwriting.

Ansible Workflow

code

yamllint .                              # 1. YAML syntax
ansible-lint                            # 2. Best practices
ansible-playbook --syntax-check *.yml   # 3. Playbook syntax
ansible-playbook --check *.yml          # 4. Dry run (where supported)
molecule test                           # 5. Role tests (if configured)

Docker Workflow

code

hadolint Dockerfile                     # 1. Lint (if installed)
docker build -t test-build .            # 2. Build
trivy image test-build                  # 3. Security scan (if installed)
docker compose config                   # 4. Validate compose (if applicable)

Common Mistakes

Terraform

Mistake	Fix
Local state file	Use remote backend (S3+DynamoDB, GCS)
No state locking	Enable lock table
Hardcoded secrets	Use variables + secret manager
`*` in security groups	Restrict to specific CIDRs
Unpinned provider version	Pin in `required_providers`
Missing tags	Require via policy or module defaults

Ansible

Mistake	Fix
Plaintext secrets	`ansible-vault encrypt`
`shell` instead of modules	Use native modules (apt, copy, etc.)
Everything as root	`become: false` by default, escalate only when needed

Docker

Mistake	Fix
`FROM ubuntu:latest`	Pin to digest: `FROM ubuntu:22.04@sha256:...`
Running as root	Add `USER nonroot`
`COPY . .`	Use `.dockerignore`, copy specific files
Secrets in ENV/ARG	Use build secrets or runtime injection
No health check	Add `HEALTHCHECK` instruction
Single-stage build	Use multi-stage builds

Red Flags — STOP

•terraform apply -auto-approve without prior plan review
•Security group with 0.0.0.0/0 on non-HTTP ports
•IAM policy with * action or * resource
•Secrets in .tf, .yml, or Dockerfile
•State file committed to git
•latest tag on any base image
•Container running as root in production

Integration

Referenced by: shipyard:builder (detects IaC files, follows appropriate workflow), shipyard:verifier (IaC validation mode), shipyard:auditor (IaC security checks)

Pairs with: shipyard:security-audit (security lens for IaC), shipyard:shipyard-verification (IaC claims need validation evidence)