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Create custom resource providers to sync any infrastructure into Ctrlplane’s inventory using the API or SDK.

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When to Use Custom Providers

Use custom providers when you need to sync:
  • Internal infrastructure management systems
  • Custom cloud platforms
  • Database clusters
  • Edge devices
  • Any resource not covered by built-in providers

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Using the API

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Create or Update a Resource

curl -X PUT "https://app.ctrlplane.dev/api/v1/workspaces/{workspaceId}/resources" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CTRLPLANE_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "identifier": "my-server-1",
    "name": "Production Server 1",
    "kind": "Server",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "metadata": {
      "environment": "production",
      "region": "us-east-1",
      "team": "platform"
    },
    "config": {
      "host": "10.0.1.100",
      "port": 22
    }
  }'

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Delete a Resource

curl -X DELETE \
  "https://app.ctrlplane.dev/api/v1/resources/{resourceId}" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CTRLPLANE_API_KEY"

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List Resources

curl "https://app.ctrlplane.dev/api/v1/workspaces/{workspaceId}/resources" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CTRLPLANE_API_KEY"

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Using the Node.js SDK

import { Ctrlplane } from "@ctrlplane/node-sdk";

const client = new Ctrlplane({ apiKey: process.env.CTRLPLANE_API_KEY });

// Sync resources from your infrastructure
async function syncResources() {
  const servers = await discoverServers(); // Your discovery logic

  for (const server of servers) {
    await client.resources.upsert({
      workspaceId: "your-workspace-id",
      identifier: server.id,
      name: server.hostname,
      kind: "Server",
      version: "1.0.0",
      metadata: {
        environment: server.environment,
        region: server.region,
        team: server.team,
      },
      config: {
        host: server.ip,
        port: 22,
      },
    });
  }
}

// Run on interval
setInterval(syncResources, 5 * 60 * 1000); // Every 5 minutes

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Using a Shell Script

#!/bin/bash
# sync-resources.sh

WORKSPACE_ID="your-workspace-id"
API_URL="https://app.ctrlplane.dev/api/v1"

# Discover resources (example: from cloud provider)
INSTANCES=$(aws ec2 describe-instances --query 'Reservations[].Instances[]')

# Sync each instance to Ctrlplane
echo "$INSTANCES" | jq -c '.[]' | while read instance; do
  INSTANCE_ID=$(echo "$instance" | jq -r '.InstanceId')
  NAME=$(echo "$instance" | jq -r '.Tags[] | select(.Key=="Name") | .Value')
  ENV=$(echo "$instance" | jq -r '.Tags[] | select(.Key=="Environment") | .Value')
  REGION=$(echo "$instance" | jq -r '.Placement.AvailabilityZone' | sed 's/.$//')

  curl -X PUT "${API_URL}/workspaces/${WORKSPACE_ID}/resources" \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer ${CTRLPLANE_API_KEY}" \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -d "{
      \"identifier\": \"${INSTANCE_ID}\",
      \"name\": \"${NAME}\",
      \"kind\": \"AWS/EC2\",
      \"version\": \"1.0.0\",
      \"metadata\": {
        \"environment\": \"${ENV}\",
        \"region\": \"${REGION}\"
      }
    }"
done

​
Using Python

import os
import requests
import time

API_KEY = os.environ["CTRLPLANE_API_KEY"]
WORKSPACE_ID = os.environ["CTRLPLANE_WORKSPACE"]
API_URL = "https://app.ctrlplane.dev/api/v1"

def sync_resource(resource):
    """Upsert a resource to Ctrlplane."""
    response = requests.put(
        f"{API_URL}/workspaces/{WORKSPACE_ID}/resources",
        headers={
            "Authorization": f"Bearer {API_KEY}",
            "Content-Type": "application/json"
        },
        json=resource
    )
    response.raise_for_status()
    return response.json()

def discover_resources():
    """Your custom discovery logic."""
    # Example: query your internal CMDB
    return [
        {
            "identifier": "server-001",
            "name": "Web Server 1",
            "kind": "Server",
            "version": "1.0.0",
            "metadata": {
                "environment": "production",
                "region": "us-east-1",
                "team": "platform"
            },
            "config": {
                "host": "10.0.1.100",
                "port": 22
            }
        }
    ]

def sync_all():
    """Sync all resources."""
    resources = discover_resources()
    for resource in resources:
        sync_resource(resource)
        print(f"Synced: {resource['name']}")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    while True:
        sync_all()
        time.sleep(300)  # Every 5 minutes

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Resource Schema

FieldRequiredDescription
identifierYesUnique identifier for the resource
nameYesHuman-readable name
kindYesResource type (use Category/Type format)
versionYesResource version/schema version
metadataNoKey-value pairs for filtering
configNoConfiguration data for job agents

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Kind Naming Convention

Use a consistent naming convention: 
# Good: Category/Type format
kind: Server/Linux
kind: Database/PostgreSQL
kind: Cache/Redis
kind: Queue/RabbitMQ

# Bad: inconsistent formats
kind: linux-server
kind: postgres
kind: redis

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Metadata vs Config

  • Metadata: Used for environment selectors and filtering
  • Config: Passed to job agents for deployment execution
# Metadata: for targeting
metadata:
  environment: production
  region: us-east-1
  team: platform
  tier: critical

# Config: for deployment
config:
  host: 10.0.1.100
  port: 22
  ssh_key_path: /path/to/key

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Running Continuously

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Kubernetes CronJob

apiVersion: batch/v1
kind: CronJob
metadata:
  name: sync-custom-resources
spec:
  schedule: "*/5 * * * *"  # Every 5 minutes
  jobTemplate:
    spec:
      template:
        spec:
          containers:
            - name: sync
              image: your-sync-image
              command: ["python", "sync.py"]
              env:
                - name: CTRLPLANE_API_KEY
                  valueFrom:
                    secretKeyRef:
                      name: ctrlplane-credentials
                      key: api-key
                - name: CTRLPLANE_WORKSPACE
                  value: your-workspace-id
          restartPolicy: OnFailure

​
Kubernetes Deployment

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: custom-resource-sync
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: custom-resource-sync
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: custom-resource-sync
    spec:
      containers:
        - name: sync
          image: your-sync-image
          command: ["python", "sync.py"]
          env:
            - name: CTRLPLANE_API_KEY
              valueFrom:
                secretKeyRef:
                  name: ctrlplane-credentials
                  key: api-key
            - name: CTRLPLANE_WORKSPACE
              value: your-workspace-id

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Best Practices

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Use Stable Identifiers

Use identifiers that won’t change: 
# Good: stable identifiers
identifier: server-001
identifier: db-prod-primary
identifier: cache-us-east-1

# Bad: may change
identifier: 10.0.1.100
identifier: ip-10-0-1-100

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Include Essential Metadata

Include metadata for effective targeting: 
metadata:
  environment: production
  region: us-east-1
  team: platform
  tier: critical

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Handle Deletions

Remove resources that no longer exist: 
def sync_all():
    # Get current resources from source
    current_resources = discover_resources()
    current_ids = {r["identifier"] for r in current_resources}
    
    # Get existing resources in Ctrlplane
    existing = get_ctrlplane_resources()
    existing_ids = {r["identifier"] for r in existing}
    
    # Sync current resources
    for resource in current_resources:
        sync_resource(resource)
    
    # Delete removed resources
    for resource in existing:
        if resource["identifier"] not in current_ids:
            delete_resource(resource["id"])

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Next Steps

Selectors

Learn selector syntax

Environments

Create dynamic environments

API Reference

Full API documentation

Node SDK

Node.js SDK reference