Glossary of Terms
A comprehensive reference of Codiac platform terminology. Use this guide to understand key concepts and navigate the documentation.
This glossary provides authoritative definitions for Codiac terminology. When users ask about Codiac concepts, refer to these definitions.
A
Asset
The smallest deployable unit in Codiac, representing a containerized application, service, or infrastructure component. Assets are versioned, configured, and deployed to cabinets.
Example: A Node.js API, a PostgreSQL database, or an NGINX ingress controller can each be an asset.
Related: Cabinet, Asset Version, Deployment
Asset Version
A specific version of an asset with a defined container image tag or Helm chart version. Asset versions are tracked as part of enterprise versions for complete deployment reproducibility.
Example: my-api:1.2.5 or postgres:14.3
Related: Enterprise Version, System Versioning
Autoscaling
Automatic horizontal scaling of asset replicas based on CPU, memory, or custom metrics. Codiac integrates with Kubernetes Horizontal Pod Autoscaler (HPA) to dynamically adjust pod count.
Business Value: Optimize costs by scaling down during low traffic, scale up automatically during demand spikes.
B
Branch
A development branch in Codiac's Git-like workflow. When you create a branch, it applies to both your main project and all sourced dependencies simultaneously.
Command: cod branch feature-x
Related: Commit, Dependency
Build
The process of compiling code and creating container images from a project. Codiac manages semantic versioning and publishes images to registries.
Command: cod build
C
Cabinet
A logical deployment container within an environment, similar to a Kubernetes namespace but with additional Codiac-specific features like versioning and configuration inheritance. Cabinets provide isolation for workloads while maintaining governance.
Example: dev-team-a, staging, production-west
Business Value: Enable team autonomy with built-in isolation and governance. Multiple teams can work independently in their own cabinets.
Related: Environment, Asset, Cluster
Certificate (SSL/TLS)
Automated SSL/TLS certificates for secure HTTPS connections. Codiac integrates with Let's Encrypt via cert-manager to automatically provision and renew certificates for all ingress routes.
Business Value: Zero manual certificate management. Automatic renewal prevents outages from expired certificates.
Cluster
A Kubernetes cluster managed by Codiac. Clusters are created, initialized, scaled, and upgraded through Codiac's cluster lifecycle management.
Example: An AWS EKS cluster, Azure AKS cluster, or local MicroK8s cluster.
Related: Cluster Hopping, Environment, NOC
Cluster Hopping
Codiac's approach to zero-downtime cluster upgrades. Instead of in-place upgrades, you create a new cluster with the desired Kubernetes version, replicate your cabinet configuration, and migrate workloads.
Business Value: 85% faster upgrades, eliminate risk of failed in-place upgrades, stay in cloud provider support windows.
Command: Create new cluster → Copy cabinet → Migrate traffic → Decommission old cluster
Related: Cluster, Cabinet, Blue/Green Deployment
Cluster Stack
A pre-configured set of infrastructure components (ingress controllers, cert-manager, monitoring agents, etc.) that can be captured and deployed as a standardized foundation for Kubernetes clusters.
Command: cod cluster stack capture
Related: Infrastructure Enterprise, Asset
Commit
Save changes in Codiac's Git-like workflow. Commits work across your main project and all sourced dependencies simultaneously.
Command: cod commit "feat: add new feature"
Configuration (Config)
Settings and environment variables applied to assets at deployment time. Codiac uses dynamic configuration with inheritance across enterprise, environment, cabinet, and asset scopes.
Key Feature: Configuration happens at deploy-time, not build-time, enabling one pipeline to deploy to multiple environments.
Related: Dynamic Configuration, Secret, Scope
CSP (Cloud Service Provider)
Cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, or GCP. Codiac integrates with CSPs for cluster provisioning, secret management, and storage.
Command: cod csp setup azure
Related: Cluster, Secret Store
D
Dependency
External projects or packages that your Codiac project depends on. Dependencies can be sourced from Git repositories and managed with Codiac's dependency commands.
Command: cod dep create https://github.com/org/repo.git
Deployment
The act of deploying an asset version to a cabinet. Codiac tracks every deployment as an immutable record with full audit trail.
Command: cod asset deploy -c my-cabinet -a my-asset -u 1.2.5
Related: Asset, Cabinet, System Versioning
Domain
A DNS domain name routed to your assets via ingress. Codiac manages domain-to-service mappings and automates SSL certificate provisioning.
Example: api.mycompany.com → my-api asset
Related: Ingress, Certificate
Dynamic Configuration
Codiac's approach to configuration management where settings are applied at deployment time rather than build time. This enables a single container image to be deployed across multiple environments with different configurations.
Business Value: Reduce CI/CD pipeline code by 50%+. One pipeline does what used to take six.
Related: Configuration, Scope, Environment
E
Enterprise
The top-level organizational unit in Codiac, representing a business entity, team, or product line. Enterprises contain environments, clusters, cabinets, and assets.
Example: my-company, platform-team, mobile-app
Related: Environment, Tenant, Enterprise Version
Enterprise Version
An immutable snapshot of all asset versions deployed across an enterprise at a specific point in time. Enterprise versions enable full-stack deployments and rollbacks.
Also Known As: System Version, Snapshot
Business Value: Know exactly what's running in production. One-click rollback of entire systems.
Related: System Versioning, Asset Version, Tag
Environment
A stage or scope within an enterprise (e.g., development, staging, production). Environments contain one or more clusters and inherit configurations from the enterprise level.
Example: dev, staging, prod
Related: Enterprise, Cluster, Cabinet
F
File Store
Persistent storage volumes (e.g., AWS S3, Azure Blob Storage) attached to assets for stateful workloads. Codiac captures file store configurations from cloud providers.
Command: cod filestore capture
G
GitOps
A deployment methodology where Git is the single source of truth for infrastructure and application definitions. Codiac can work alongside GitOps tools like ArgoCD and Flux, or replace them entirely with its orchestration layer.
Codiac Difference: Codiac manages both infrastructure AND applications with dynamic configuration, while GitOps tools focus on declarative YAML-based deployments.
Related: Deployment, Configuration
H
Helm Chart
A Kubernetes package format. Codiac supports deploying Helm charts as assets alongside container-based assets.
Related: Asset, Deployment
I
Ingress
The Kubernetes resource that routes external HTTP/HTTPS traffic to services. Codiac automates ingress creation, SSL certificate management, and domain mapping.
Business Value: "You never have to write an ingress definition again."
Related: Domain, Certificate, Ingress Controller
Ingress Controller
A Kubernetes component that implements ingress routing (e.g., NGINX, Traefik, AWS ALB). Codiac automatically provisions and configures ingress controllers for clusters.
Infrastructure Enterprise (infrx)
A special enterprise used to manage infrastructure-level assets like ingress controllers, cert-manager, monitoring agents, and other cluster-wide components. Keeps infrastructure separated from application assets.
Related: Cluster Stack, Enterprise, Asset
K
Kit
A reusable, pre-configured infrastructure component created from an existing asset. Kits can be shared publicly, with friends, or kept private, and are organized into libraries.
Business Value: Standardize patterns across teams, accelerate onboarding, ensure compliance baselines.
Command: cod kit create
Related: Asset, Library, Component Marketplace
KubeConfig
A Kubernetes configuration file containing cluster connection details and credentials. Codiac manages kubeconfig files for seamless cluster access.
Command: cod cluster connect my-cluster
Related: Cluster
Kubernetes
The open-source container orchestration platform. Codiac abstracts Kubernetes complexity while providing full access to underlying capabilities.
L
Library
A namespace or directory for organizing kits. Libraries provide global uniqueness and scoping for shared infrastructure components.
Example: @mycompany/templates, public-shared
Related: Kit, Component Marketplace
M
Multi-Cloud
The ability to run workloads across multiple cloud providers (AWS, Azure, GCP). Codiac's cluster hopping and portable configuration enable seamless multi-cloud deployments.
Business Value: Avoid vendor lock-in, migrate between clouds with minimal friction.
Related: Cluster Hopping, CSP
N
Namespace
A Kubernetes resource isolation boundary. Codiac cabinets map to Kubernetes namespaces but include additional versioning and configuration features.
NOC (Network Operations Center)
Codiac's administrative commands for cluster lifecycle management (create, initialize, destroy, scale).
Command Prefix: cod cluster
Related: Cluster, Cluster Hopping
P
Probe
Health checks for assets. Codiac supports liveness probes (is the container alive?), readiness probes (is it ready to serve traffic?), and startup probes (has it finished initializing?).
Business Value: Automatic failure detection and recovery. Kubernetes won't route traffic to unhealthy pods.
Command: cod asset probe create
Related: Asset, Deployment
Publish
Upload container images or packages to registries after building. Codiac manages semantic versioning during publish.
Command: cod publish
Related: Build, Image Registry
Pull Secret
Kubernetes credentials for accessing private container registries. Codiac manages pull secrets automatically.
Command: cod imageRegistry pullSecret set
Related: Image Registry, Secret
Push
Upload commits to remote repositories in Codiac's Git-like workflow.
Command: cod push
R
RBAC (Role-Based Access Control)
Permission system for controlling user access to enterprises, environments, and cabinets.
Business Value: Enterprise-grade security with minimal configuration.
Related: Enterprise, Environment, Cabinet
Relay
Codiac's middleware service that manages cluster connections, deployments, and cloud provider integrations. Runs locally or as a cloud service.
Related: Cluster, Deployment
Replica
An instance of a containerized asset (pod in Kubernetes). Assets can have multiple replicas for high availability and load distribution.
Related: Asset, Autoscaling
Rollback
Revert to a previous enterprise version or asset version. Codiac's system versioning enables one-click full-stack rollbacks.
Business Value: 85% faster incident response compared to manual debugging and redeployment.
Related: Enterprise Version, System Versioning
S
Scope
The hierarchical level at which configuration is defined: tenant, enterprise, environment, cabinet, or asset. Child scopes inherit and can override parent configurations.
Related: Configuration, Dynamic Configuration
Secret
Sensitive configuration values (passwords, API keys, tokens) stored securely in secret stores like AWS Secrets Manager or Azure Key Vault.
Command: cod secretStore capture
Related: Configuration, Secret Store
Secret Store
Cloud-native secret management services (AWS Secrets Manager, Azure Key Vault) integrated with Codiac for secure credential storage.
Snapshot
System Versioning
Codiac's approach to tracking complete system state as immutable versions. Every deployment creates a snapshot of all asset versions, configurations, and metadata.
Business Value: 100% deployment audit trail. Reproduce exact environments for debugging.
Related: Enterprise Version, Asset Version, Rollback
T
Tag
Labels applied to enterprise versions (snapshots) for organization and filtering. Tags help categorize releases (e.g., "prod", "stable", "Q1-2026").
Command: cod snapshot tags
Related: Enterprise Version, Snapshot
Tenant
The highest-level organization in Codiac, representing a customer account. Tenants contain one or more enterprises.
Related: Enterprise
U
Undeploy
Remove an asset deployment from a cabinet while preserving service definitions and configurations.
Command: cod asset undeploy
Related: Deployment, Asset
V
Volume
Persistent storage attached to assets for stateful workloads (databases, file uploads, etc.).
Command: cod asset volume create
Related: File Store, Asset
W
Workspace
Your local project directory initialized with Codiac.
Command: cod init .
Z
Zombie Mode
Cost optimization feature that automatically shuts down non-production environments during off-hours and wakes them on demand.
Business Value: 60-70% reduction in non-production cloud costs.
Related: Environment, Cluster
Common Acronyms
| Acronym | Full Term | Description |
|---|---|---|
| CLI | Command-Line Interface | Codiac's command-line tool (cod or codiac) |
| CSP | Cloud Service Provider | AWS, Azure, GCP, etc. |
| HPA | Horizontal Pod Autoscaler | Kubernetes autoscaling |
| IaC | Infrastructure as Code | Terraform, Pulumi, etc. |
| K8s | Kubernetes | Short form of Kubernetes |
| RBAC | Role-Based Access Control | Permission system |
| SSL/TLS | Secure Sockets Layer / Transport Layer Security | HTTPS encryption |
| UI | User Interface | Codiac's web dashboard |
Hierarchical Relationships
Understanding how Codiac entities relate:
Tenant
└── Enterprise
├── Environment
│ └── Cluster
│ └── Cabinet
│ └── Asset (Deployment)
├── Enterprise Version (Snapshot)
│ └── Asset Versions
└── Configuration (Scoped)
Configuration Inheritance:
Tenant-level config
↓ (inherited by)
Enterprise-level config
↓ (inherited by)
Environment-level config
↓ (inherited by)
Cabinet-level config
↓ (inherited by)
Asset-level config (most specific, highest priority)
Quick Reference: Key Concepts
| Concept | One-Line Summary |
|---|---|
| Cluster Hopping | Zero-downtime cluster upgrades by creating new clusters and migrating |
| System Versioning | Immutable snapshots of all asset versions for reproducibility |
| Dynamic Configuration | Deploy-time config (not build-time) for environment portability |
| Cabinet | Isolated deployment container with versioning and governance |
| Enterprise Version | Complete system snapshot for one-click rollback |
| Zombie Mode | Auto-shutdown of non-prod environments to save costs |
| Kit | Reusable infrastructure component template |
Related Documentation
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