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Blueprint Templates

A blueprint template is a reusable blueprint foundation you can standardize and reuse across teams. It lets you publish a blueprint skeleton with shared metadata, inputs, outputs, and grains, then adapt it for specific use cases.

Beta Feature

Blueprint Templates is currently in beta. Behavior and schema details may change as the feature evolves.

To mark a blueprint as a template, add a template section with placeholders:

template:
  placeholders: []

When to use templates​

Templates are useful when you want consistency and speed while still allowing teams to customize implementation details.

Common examples:

  • Standardized infrastructure starters - provide a base VM, Kubernetes, or application deployment pattern that teams can reuse
  • Organization guardrails - enforce shared conventions (metadata labels, required inputs, common setup grains) in a single reusable blueprint definition

How templates work​

A template is a valid blueprint YAML file. It is authored and stored like any other blueprint, and includes the same blueprint sections (spec_version, metadata, inputs, outputs, grains, and so on).

The difference is the template block:

  • template.placeholders indicates this blueprint is intended to be used as a template
  • placeholders can be used to keep explicit extension points in the blueprint structure

This allows platform teams to maintain one reusable baseline while keeping room for per-template adaptations.

Template YAML structure​

spec_version: 2

description: Reusable blueprint template

template:
  placeholders: []

metadata:
  display-name: Template VM Deployment
  blueprint-labels:
    - key: Category
      value: VMaaS

inputs:
  agent:
    type: agent

outputs:
  status:
    value: '{{ .grains.health-check.outputs.status }}'

grains:
  initial-setup:
    kind: shell
    spec: ...

  vm-deployment:
    kind: terraform
    spec: ...

  health-check:
    kind: shell
    depends-on: vm-deployment
    spec: ...

Key sections​

SectionDescription
template.placeholdersMarks the blueprint as a template and defines placeholder slots.
metadataStandard catalog metadata such as display name, labels, and icon.
inputsParameters exposed to the end user (for example agent).
outputsValues exposed from deployed grains (for example health or endpoint status).
grainsThe reusable deployment flow that template consumers can adapt.

Example: template VM deployment blueprint​

The following example shows a VM deployment blueprint marked as a template:

spec_version: 2
description: An Ubuntu Template VM Deployment Blueprint is a standardized framework that automates the provisioning and configuration of virtual machines (VMs) across various cloud platforms and on-premises environments. It provides a reusable template for deploying VMs with predefined settings, such as operating system, resource allocation, and network configurations. This blueprint streamlines the deployment process, ensures consistency across environments, and accelerates time-to-deployment for applications and services that require VM infrastructure.

template:
  placeholders: []
  
metadata:
  blueprint-labels:
    - key: Category
      value: VMaaS
  display-name: Template VM Deployment
  icon:
    path: graphics/Ubuntu.svg

inputs:
  agent:
    type: agent

outputs:
  status:
    # placeholder. should be adapted if changed in the health-check
    value: '{{.grains.health-check.outputs.status}}'

grains:
  initial-setup:
    kind: shell
    spec:
      agent:
        name: '{{.inputs.agent}}'
      ...

  vm-deployment:
    kind: terraform
    spec:
      agent:
        name: '{{.inputs.agent}}'
      ...

  # placeholder for grain
  health-check:
    kind: shell
    depends-on: vm-deployment
    spec:
      agent:
        name: '{{.inputs.agent}}'
      ...