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Main Concepts

In this section, you will find StackSpot's main concepts.


Account

StackSpot's account connects two areas:

  1. Studio: This is where you can create content. Content on StackSpot can include Stacks, Starters, Plugins, and more. They are connected to the Account via a Studio.

  2. Workspace: This is where you use the available content created in Studios. You can create Applications, Shared Infrastructure and deploy them. You use Workspace through your organization's Account.

Action

An Action is a way to execute automation in a remote or local way. It makes workflow automation easier. When you create an Action, it helps you:

  • Integrate it with other systems through StackSpot.
  • Ease task execution for developers, like creating a GitHub repository.

Content

Content refers to what you can create with StackSpot: Stacks, Starters, Plugins, Actions, and Links. Content can be reused in your Workspace, and Studios.

Connection Interface

Represents a way to connect to a Cloud resource. It can be a contract with parameters/inputs, variables, or attributes list. It serves as a means of establishing connectivity with a Cloud resource, which can take the form of a contract featuring parameters/inputs, variables, or a list of attributes. For successful connections between Cloud resources, compatibility is essential. This framework outlines the manner in which StackSpot components will establish connections.

You create a Connection Interface using an Infrastructure Plugin. Infrastructure Plugins can also add a Connection Interface Type when generating Cloud resources. As a result, it is possible that any Application compatible with the Connection Interface contract uses the same resources because it follows the same interface.

Connection Interface Type

Connection Interface Type establishes an attribute contract for Cloud resources. This contract ensures compatibility and interoperability between these resources. When an Infrastructure Plugin creates a Cloud resource, the attributes in the contract create a Cloud resource. After that, you have a Connection Interface implementing the Connection Interface Type . The idea is to structure how StackSpot's resources will connect.

Context

Context are values you can use to define content settings in StackSpot. They have three levels:

  1. Account
  2. Workspace
  3. Stack

Values set at your organization's account level override values set in the Workspace. And it overrides values set in Stacks.

Environment

It is an entity where you can create applications and Cloud resources. It puts applications and Cloud resources together that may be in several Cloud Providers and accounts. It is a way to organize and identify the environments. You can have an environment for Development, Certification, and Production.

Plugin

Plugins add new capabilities to an Application. You can create and apply Plugins on the StackSpot Platform. Plugins can have versions and you can add them to a Studio and Stacks.

There are two Plugins types:

  1. Application (App): It helps writing an Application.
  2. Infrastructure (Infra): It helps provision resources for an Application.

Plugin Examples:

  • A script that adds a function or a library to an Application.
  • A template to create Cloud resources.

StackSpot Cloud Services

StackSpot Cloud Services offers ready-to-use Cloud Computing components. It provides fast and simple cloud management and operation.

StackSpot Runtime Engine

Stackspot Runtime Engine makes it possible to deploy your Application and create infrastructure resources. And it also generates the Cloud resources you need according to your business context.

Stack

It is a group of Plugins. The Stack provides the right resources developers need to create an Application. Stacks may or may not contain Starters.

Starter

It is a set of predefined Plugins of a Stack, and you can apply them using the stk create app command. When you use a Starter, you can create an Application and apply Plugins with one STK CLI command. A Starter is useful for creators to define the most common Plugin combinations in a Stack. This is a predefined way to speed up the process of creating projects.

Studio

A Studio manages the creation and distribution of a Stack and its Plugins. It helps content creators to standardize and centralize their work.

Workspace

Workspaces are where contents created within Studios (Plugins, Stacks, Starters, Connections Interfaces, Actions, etc.) are organized according to context (e.g., project) to facilitate the creation and deployment of Applications in a standardized way.

It works like this:

  • The Workspace creator adds Stacks to the Workspaces;
  • The creator of the Workspace leaves the input values of the Plugins and any other Stack content, such as Actions, preconfigured;
  • The developer in this Workspace uses the previously configured Stacks to create Applications;
  • The SRE in this Workspace uses Stacks with Infrastructure Plugins to create Shared Infrastructures.

The organization and creation of Workspaces is free and up to the company or person responsible for the Account, depending on their context.

For example:

  • In an Enterprise Account: Workspaces can be created according to project, product, Squads, etc.
  • In a Personal account: Workspaces can be created according to Application, project, etc.

Go to the About Workspace section to learn more.

Application

An Application is a project that is constructed through StackSpot. This Application can be created via a Starter or a Stack.

Shared Infrastructure

It provisions Cloud resources, and you can only do that by applying Infrastructure Plugins. A Shared Infra does not generate Microservices for the customer, it creates infrastructure resources for the environment the developer is in. This concept makes it easier for users to create applications/infrastructure in the Workspace.

Slugs

Slugs are the last part of a URL. On StackSpot there are unique identifiers for Accounts, Studios, Stacks, and Plugins. Slugs help you identify features on the platform and make sharing easier. When you configure Slugs, the resources URLs receive a 'name' that identifies each Account, Studio, Stack, and Plugin. The URL is used to share resources to all StackSpot channels.

Tech Products

It enables the abstraction of Cloud processing with security, resilience, quality and cost recommendations.