Strata

Overview

The Strata VS Code extension brings the power of the Strata CLI into your editor, enabling you to validate, build, and deploy infrastructure configurations without leaving VS Code.

Strata solves the problem of managing multiple nearly-identical environments. Instead of copy-pasting Terraform folders for each environment (dev, staging, prd, etc.), Strata treats environments as data, not code. Define your infrastructure once in YAML, and deploy to any number of environments with a single command.

What it does:

• 🔍 Validate your YAML configuration in real-time with inline error highlighting
• 📊 Explore your infrastructure workspace with intelligent tree views (files, repositories, environments, audit trail)
• 🏗️ Build deployment artifacts without applying changes (dry-run mode)
• 🚀 Deploy to your infrastructure with one-click or CLI integration
• 🔗 Monitor drift between your configuration and live deployments
• 📜 Track all changes via integrated audit trail
• 💬 Chat with the Strata AI assistant to ask questions about your workspace

Features

Core Capabilities

• ✅ Real-time YAML Validation

  • Inline diagnostics with line numbers and fix suggestions
  • Validates against Kubernetes-style schema with 15+ model types
  • Cross-file reference resolution (@repo/path patterns)
  • Runs on save or on-type (configurable)

• 🗂️ Workspace Explorer

  • Workspace health & readiness status
  • Repository browser with git integration (latest release/quality-gate tags)
  • Environment management view
  • File browser with validation badges

• 🔨 Build & Deploy

  • Dry-run mode to preview changes before applying
  • Stage-based deployment (deploy one stage at a time)
  • Terraform plan visibility
  • Build artifact inspection

• 📋 Multi-View Workspace Navigation

  • Workspace — readiness checklist (8-phase onboarding guide)
  • Files — YAML files with validation badges
  • Repositories — git repos with tag metadata
  • Environments — deployment targets and drift status
  • Tools — terraform, ansible, git, docker availability
  • Audit Trail — deployment history and changes

• 💬 Chat Integration

  • Ask Strata assistant questions about your workspace
  • Get status, validation results, build/deploy instructions
  • Repository release status queries

• 🎯 Code Lens

  • Clickable "Validate", "Build", "Deploy" actions above YAML documents
  • Disabled by default; enable in settings

• 🔗 Schema Wiring

  • One-click schema export and VS Code integration
  • Enables autocomplete and validation in YAML editor
  • Automatic schema discovery for all Strata model types

• 📊 Dependency Graph

  • Visualize file references and cross-repo dependencies
  • Identifies missing or circular dependencies

Advanced Features

• 🔐 Secret Management

  • Integrated with Azure Key Vault, HashiCorp Vault, Bitwarden, and others
  • Auto-generate secrets on first build
  • Safe handling of sensitive values in outputs

• 🔒 Deployment Locking

  • Prevents concurrent deployments
  • Configurable lock backends (local, Azure, Terraform Cloud, Consul)

• 🌍 Multi-Environment Composition

  • Merge environment files with override tracking
  • Built-in policy engine (12+ built-in policies)
  • Lifecycle hooks (27+ phases)

• 📦 SBOM Generation

  • Generate CycloneDX SBOMs from deployments
  • Scan dependencies across Python, Node.js, Go, .NET, Java, Ruby, Rust, PHP
  • Supply-chain compliance and inventory reporting

Installation

From VS Code Marketplace

1. Open Extensions in VS Code (Ctrl+Shift+X)
2. Search for "Strata"
3. Click Install

From VSIX File (Development)

cd src/vscode
npm run compile          # Build the extension
vsce package           # Create .vsix file
# Install via Extensions panel > "Install from VSIX..."

Prerequisites

• VS Code 1.90.0 or later
• Strata CLI installed (strata command must be in PATH)
  • Install via: pipx install xyz-strata or uv run strata
  • Or configure strata.cliPath in settings if in a non-standard location

Quick Start

1. Initialize a Strata Workspace

View > Command Palette > "Strata: Initialize Workspace"

This creates .strata/solution.json in your workspace root and opens the getting-started walkthrough.

2. Wire YAML Schemas

View > Command Palette > "Strata: Export & Wire Schemas"

This enables autocomplete and inline validation for all .yaml files in your workspace.

3. Check Workspace Readiness

Open the Strata view in the activity bar (icon on the left sidebar):

• View the Workspace tab to see the 8-phase readiness checklist
• Follow the recommended steps in the Guide

4. Validate Your Configuration

1. Open any .yaml file in your workspace
2. The extension auto-validates on save (configurable)
3. Errors appear in the Problems panel with fix suggestions
4. Or run "Strata: Validate Current File" from the Command Palette

5. Build & Deploy

View > Command Palette > "Strata: Build (Dry Run)"
View > Command Palette > "Strata: Deploy (Dry Run)"

Or right-click in the editor and select Strata: Build or Strata: Deploy.

Commands

Main Commands

Environment & Diagnostics

Workspace Exploration

Other

Views

Workspace View

Shows workspace health, readiness phases, and the active profile.

Features:

• Current profile name
• Phase checklist (Init → Configure → Validate → Build → Deploy → etc.)
• Recommended next actions
• Button to open the getting-started guide

Files View

Lists all YAML files in the workspace with validation badges.

Badges:

• ✅ Valid
• ⚠️ Warning (non-blocking issues)
• ❌ Error (validation failed)

Actions:

• Click to open file
• Right-click > Validate to validate the file
• Right-click > Show Status to see detailed errors

Repositories View

Shows all configured remote repositories with git metadata.

Features:

• Latest release tag (matches v*.*.* pattern)
• Latest quality-gate tag (if defined)
• Repository path and git origin
• Tag creation date and commit SHA

Tools View

Checks availability of required external tools.

Status indicators:

• ✅ Available (with version)
• ❌ Not found / Not installed

Tools checked:

• terraform
• ansible
• git
• docker
• uv (Python package manager)

Environments View

Displays deployments and their status.

Features:

• Deployment file path
• Current status (Deployed / Drifted / Unknown)
• Profile used
• Environment name
• Last deployment timestamp

Actions:

• Right-click > Show Status to fetch live deployment state
• Right-click > Detect Drift to check for infrastructure drift

Audit Trail View

Displays deployment history with changeset details.

Features:

• Timestamp of each deployment
• Operation (build / deploy / destroy)
• Files changed
• Errors (if any)

Actions:

• Right-click > Resend to SIEM to forward entry to audit sinks
• Right-click > Show Details to view full change metadata

Configuration

Settings

Access via Settings (Ctrl+,) and search for "strata".

strata.cliPath

Type: string
Default: "strata"
Description: Path to the Strata CLI executable.

Set to "uv run strata" if using a uv-managed development environment.

{
  "strata.cliPath": "uv run strata"
}

strata.validateOnSave

Type: boolean
Default: true
Description: Automatically validate YAML files when saved.

strata.validateOnType

Type: boolean
Default: false
Description: Validate YAML as you type (debounced, 1.5s delay).

⚠️ Warning: Can impact editor responsiveness on large files or slow systems. Use with caution.

strata.showCodeLens

Type: boolean
Default: true
Description: Display inline "Validate / Build / Deploy" code lens above YAML documents.

strata.showStatusBar

Type: boolean
Default: true
Description: Show workspace readiness and active profile in the VS Code status bar.

strata.autoExportSchemas

Type: boolean
Default: false
Description: Automatically export and wire JSON schemas when a Strata workspace is opened.

strata.showFileDecorations

Type: boolean
Default: true
Description: Show validation badges (✓/⚠️/❌) on Strata files in the Explorer.

strata.defaultProfile

Type: string
Default: ""
Description: Profile to activate automatically when the workspace opens.

Leave empty to use the last active profile.

Tasks

Use Strata in VS Code tasks for CI/CD pipelines.

Task Type: strata

{
  "version": "2.0.0",
  "tasks": [
    {
      "type": "strata",
      "label": "Strata: Validate All",
      "command": "validate",
      "problemMatcher": ["$strata-validate"],
      "group": {
        "kind": "build",
        "isDefault": false
      }
    },
    {
      "type": "strata",
      "label": "Strata: Deploy Dev",
      "command": "deploy",
      "file": "deploy/dev.yaml",
      "dryRun": true,
      "group": {
        "kind": "build",
        "isDefault": false
      }
    }
  ]
}

Task Properties

Chat Participant

Use the Strata chat participant to ask questions about your workspace.

In VS Code Chat

@strata <message>

Available Commands

Troubleshooting

"strata: command not found"

Problem: The extension cannot find the Strata CLI.

Solution:

1. Ensure Strata is installed: pipx install xyz-strata or uv sync
2. If installed in a virtual environment, set strata.cliPath:
   • For uv projects: "strata.cliPath": "uv run strata"
   • For virtualenv: "strata.cliPath": "/path/to/venv/bin/strata"

"No strata workspace found"

Problem: The extension doesn't see a .strata/solution.json file.

Solution:

1. Open the Strata view in the activity bar
2. Click "Initialize Workspace"
3. Or run: strata sln init in the terminal
4. Reload VS Code (Ctrl+Shift+P > "Reload Window")

Validation runs slowly

Problem: On-save validation is slow on large files or slow systems.

Solution:

1. Disable strata.validateOnType (should already be false by default)
2. Increase debounce delay (internal setting, not user-configurable yet)
3. Or disable strata.validateOnSave and validate manually

Schema autocomplete not working

Problem: YAML editor doesn't show autocomplete suggestions.

Solution:

1. Run "Strata: Export & Wire Schemas"
2. This wires the schemas for the YAML extension
3. Schemas are cached in .vscode/strata-schemas.json (auto-generated)

Authentication errors (Azure Key Vault, Vault, etc.)

Problem: Errors when accessing secret stores during validation.

Solution:

1. Ensure you're authenticated:
   • Azure: az login
   • HashiCorp Vault: Set VAULT_ADDR and VAULT_TOKEN
   • AWS: Configure ~/.aws/credentials
2. Run "Strata: Run Doctor" to check connectivity
3. Check the Output panel for detailed error messages

"View shows empty tree"

Problem: A tree view (Files, Repositories, Environments, etc.) is empty.

Solution:

1. Click Refresh at the top of the view
2. Check that your .strata/solution.json is valid: strata validate .strata/solution.json
3. Check the extension output: View > Output > select "Strata" from dropdown

Extension takes a long time to activate

Problem: Strata panel doesn't appear immediately when opening a workspace.

Solution:

1. Extension only activates when .strata/solution.json is detected
2. Initialize workspace: "Strata: Initialize Workspace"
3. Reload VS Code after creating .strata/solution.json

Weird validation errors with "@repo/path" references

Problem: Cross-repository references show as "file not found" errors.

Solution:

1. Verify repositories are registered: strata repo list
2. Check that remote paths exist: strata repo status
3. Use strata validate --deep to validate cross-repo references
4. Activate a profile first: strata profile activate <name>

Development

Building from Source

cd src/vscode

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Compile TypeScript
npm run compile

# Watch for changes (development)
npm run watch

# Run tests
npm run test

# Package as VSIX (for distribution)
npm run package

Testing

npm run test

Tests use mocha and are located in tests/.

Extension Structure

src/vscode/
├── src/
│   ├── extension.ts           # Entry point
│   ├── strataClient.ts        # CLI wrapper
│   └── providers/             # View providers, code lens, chat, etc.
├── tests/                     # Unit tests
├── resources/                 # Icons, walkthrough markdown
├── package.json               # Extension manifest
├── tsconfig.json              # TypeScript config
└── README.md                  # This file

Debugging

1. Press F5 to start the debug session
2. A new VS Code window opens with the extension loaded
3. Use the Debug Console to inspect logs

Known Limitations

• ⚠️ Large files — Validation on-type may be slow for files > 1000 lines
• ⚠️ Circular dependencies — Circular @repo references are detected but not resolved
• ⚠️ Terminal integration — Console REPL is launched in VS Code's integrated terminal; some features may behave differently than in a native shell
• ⚠️ Remote workspaces — Limited testing on VS Code Remote (SSH, Dev Containers). Use uv run strata for best results.

Support & Contributing

• Issues & Feature Requests: GitHub Issues
• Discussions: GitHub Discussions
• Contributing: See CONTRIBUTING.md

License

AGPL-3.0-or-later

The Strata extension is part of the Strata project and is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 or later. See LICENSE for details.

Related Resources

• 📖 Full Strata Documentation
• 🚀 Getting Started Guide
• 📋 Architecture Decisions (ADRs)
• 🎓 Examples & Tutorials