Describe Components

Describing components is helpful to understand what the final, fully computed and deep-merged configuration of a component will look like across any number of Stacks. The more DRY a configuration is due to imports, the more derived the configuration is due to inheritance, the harder it may be to understand what the final stack configuration will be.

For example, if we wanted to understand what the final configuration looks like for a "vpc" running in the "production" stack, we could do that by calling the atmos describe components command to view the YAML output.

For more powerful filtering options, consider describing stacks instead.

The other helpful use-case for describing stacks is when developing polices for validation of Stacks and Components. OPA policies can enforce what is or is not permitted. Everything in the YAML output can be validated using policies that you develop.