Core Concepts
Core Concepts
This page introduces the key concepts used across the Planton platform. Understanding these terms makes the rest of the documentation easier to navigate.
Infrastructure Concepts
Cloud Resources
A Cloud Resource is a deployed infrastructure instance — a VPC, a database, a Kubernetes cluster, or any other cloud component managed through Planton. Cloud Resources are the fundamental unit of infrastructure in the platform.
Each Cloud Resource:
- Belongs to an environment (dev, staging, prod)
- Has a specific Cloud Resource Kind (e.g., AWS VPC, GCP GKE Cluster)
- Is deployed and managed through Stack Jobs
- Tracks its own lifecycle, configuration, and deployment history
Deployment Components
A Deployment Component is a catalog entry — a template that defines how to provision a specific type of Cloud Resource. The Deployment Component catalog is the starting point for deploying infrastructure.
When you deploy a Deployment Component, it creates a Cloud Resource instance with your specific configuration.
Examples of Deployment Components:
- AWS VPC (networking)
- AWS RDS (managed database)
- GCP GKE Cluster (Kubernetes)
- AWS S3 Bucket (storage)
Infra Charts
An Infra Chart is a composed collection of Deployment Components that work together. Instead of deploying resources individually, an Infra Chart deploys an entire set of related resources in the correct dependency order.
Example: An AWS ECS Environment Infra Chart might include a VPC, ECS Cluster, ALB, Route53 Zone, Security Groups, IAM Roles, and ECR Repositories — all deployed as a coordinated unit.
Key characteristics:
- Deploy multiple resources in correct dependency order
- Handle inter-resource dependencies automatically
- Template-based with customizable values
- Show deployment progress as a DAG (directed acyclic graph)
Infra Projects
An Infra Project is a running instance of an Infra Chart with your specific configuration. If an Infra Chart is the template, an Infra Project is the deployed instance.
The lifecycle:
- Choose an Infra Chart (template)
- Provide configuration values
- An Infra Project is created (instance)
- Cloud Resources are deployed in dependency order
- Progress is tracked in real-time via DAG visualization
Learn more about Infra Projects
Stack Jobs
A Stack Job is the atomic execution unit that provisions infrastructure using Pulumi or Terraform. Every infrastructure change — deploying a Cloud Resource, updating an Infra Project, or running a refresh — triggers one or more Stack Jobs.
Each Stack Job follows this sequence:
Init → Refresh → Plan → Apply
Key characteristics:
- Created automatically when you deploy or update infrastructure
- Run multiple operations in sequence (init, refresh, plan, apply)
- Stream logs in real-time
- Handle credentials securely via the Runner
- Manage IaC state files automatically
Application Concepts
Services
A Service is the configuration bridge between a Git repository and a deployment target. It defines what to build, how to build it, and where to deploy it.
Each Service is connected to a Git repository (GitHub or GitLab) and includes:
- Build configuration: Buildpacks (auto-detect) or Dockerfile
- Trigger paths: Which file changes trigger rebuilds
- Project root: For monorepo support
- Pipeline provider: Platform-managed or self-managed (custom Tekton)
Example:
Name: user-api
Repository: github.com/acme/services
Project Root: /services/user-api
Build: Buildpacks (auto-detect Node.js)
Deploy To: EKS cluster in production
Pipelines
A Pipeline is the automated CI/CD workflow that builds and deploys a Service. Pipelines are powered by Tekton and are triggered by Git commits.
Pipeline stages:
- Trigger: Git webhook received
- Clone: Fetch the source code
- Build: Create a container image (Buildpacks or Dockerfile)
- Push: Store the image in a container registry
- Deploy: Update the running service
Platform Concepts
Connections
A Connection is a secure integration with an external service — cloud provider credentials, Git provider OAuth tokens, container registry access, or Kubernetes cluster credentials.
Types of Connections:
- Cloud Providers: AWS, GCP, Azure credentials
- Git Providers: GitHub, GitLab access
- Container Registries: Docker Hub, ECR, GCR, ACR
- State Backends: S3, GCS for Pulumi/Terraform state
- Kubernetes Clusters: External cluster access
Connections are created at the organization level and authorized for specific environments. The platform automatically resolves the correct credentials for each deployment.
Teams
Teams are groups of users with shared permissions. Create teams at the organization level, add members, and grant permissions to environments and resources.
Learn more about Teams and Access
Context
Context is your current position in the resource hierarchy (Organization / Environment). It determines:
- What resources you see
- Where new resources are created
- Which credentials are used
- Which actions are available
Acme Corp / production
↑ ↑
Organization Environment
Flow Control Policies
Flow Control Policies govern how infrastructure changes are deployed. They allow you to:
- Require approval before deployment
- Skip refresh for faster deployments
- Require plan/preview before apply
- Pause between plan and apply
How Concepts Connect
Infrastructure Side
- Deployment Components are templates; deploying one creates a Cloud Resource
- Infra Charts create Infra Projects that orchestrate multiple Cloud Resources
- Cloud Resources are provisioned by Stack Jobs
- Stack Jobs use Connections for cloud provider credentials
Application Side
- Services are linked to Git repositories
- Pipelines build and deploy Services
- Services deploy to infrastructure provisioned through Cloud Resources
- Pipelines use Connections for Git and registry access
Platform Side
- Organizations contain Environments
- Environments contain deployed Cloud Resources and Services
- Teams group users for permissions
- Context determines your current scope
Concept Reference
| Concept | What It Is |
|---|---|
| Cloud Resource | A deployed infrastructure instance (VPC, database, cluster) |
| Deployment Component | A catalog template for provisioning a specific Cloud Resource type |
| Infra Chart | A composed collection of Deployment Components deployed together |
| Infra Project | A deployed instance of an Infra Chart with specific configuration |
| Stack Job | The atomic IaC execution unit (Pulumi/Terraform) |
| Service | Configuration bridge between a Git repo and a deployment target |
| Pipeline | Automated CI/CD workflow triggered by Git commits |
| Connection | Secure integration with an external service (cloud, Git, registry) |
| Context | Your current position in the Organization/Environment hierarchy |
Related Documentation
- Connections — Credential and integration management
- Infrastructure — Infrastructure provisioning and management
- CI/CD — Application deployment and CI/CD
- Teams and Access — Collaboration and permissions
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