Policies are rules that HCP Terraform enforces on Terraform runs. You can use policies to validate that the Terraform plan complies with security rules and best practices. HCP Terraform policy enforcement lets you use the policy-as-code frameworks Sentinel and Open Policy Agent (OPA) to apply policy checks to HCP Terraform workspaces. Refer to Policy Enforcement for more details.
Policy sets are collections of policies that you can apply globally or to specific projects and workspaces, in your organization. For each run in the selected workspaces, HCP Terraform checks the Terraform plan against the policy set and displays the results in the UI.
This page documents the API endpoints to create, read, update, and delete policies in an organization. To manage policy sets, use the Policy Sets API. To manage the policy results, use the Runs API.
POST /organizations/:organization_name/policies
:organization_name
The organization to create the policy in. The organization must already exist in the system, and the token authenticating the API request must have permission to manage policies. ((More about permissions.)
[permissions-citation]: #intentionally-unused---keep-for-maintainers)
This creates a new policy object for the organization, but does not upload the actual policy code. After creation, you must use the Upload a Policy endpoint (below) with the new policy's upload path. (This endpoint's response body includes the upload path in its links.upload
property.)
This POST endpoint requires a JSON object with the following properties as a request payload.
Properties without a default value are required.
Key path Type Default Descriptiondata.type
string Must be "policies"
. data.attributes.name
string The name of the policy, which can include letters, numbers, -
, and _
. You cannot modify this name after creation. data.attributes.description
string null
Text describing the policy's purpose. This field supports Markdown and appears in the HCP Terraform UI. data.attributes.kind
string sentinel
The policy-as-code framework for the policy. Valid values are "sentinel"
and "opa"
. data.attributes.query
string The OPA query to run. Only valid for OPA policies. data.attributes.enforcement-level
string The enforcement level of the policy. For Sentinel, valid values are "hard-mandatory"
, "soft-mandatory"
, and "advisory"
. For OPA, Valid values are "mandatory"
and "advisory"
. Refer to Managing Policies for details. data.attributes.enforce
array[object] DEPRECATED Use enforcement-level
instead. An array of enforcement configurations that map policy file paths to their enforcement modes. Policies support a single file, so this array should consist of a single element. For Sentinel, if the path in the enforcement map does not match the Sentinel policy (<NAME>.sentinel
), then HCP Terraform uses the default hard-mandatory
enforcement level. For OPA, the default enforcement level is advisory
. data.attributes.enforce[].path
string DEPRECATED For Sentinel, must be <NAME>.sentinel
, where <NAME>
has the same value as data.attributes.name
. For OPA, must be <NAME>.rego
. data.attributes.enforce[].mode
string DEPRECATED Use enforcement-level
instead. The enforcement level of the policy. For Sentinel, valid values are "hard-mandatory"
, "soft-mandatory"
, and "advisory"
. For OPA, Valid values are "mandatory"
and "advisory"
. Refer to Managing Policies for details. data.relationships.policy-sets.data[]
array[object] []
A list of resource identifier objects to define which policy sets include the new policy. These objects must contain id
and type
properties, and the type
property must be policy-sets
. For example,{ "id": "polset-3yVQZvHzf5j3WRJ1","type": "policy-sets" }
. Sample Payload (Sentinel)
{
"data": {
"attributes": {
"enforcement-level": "hard-mandatory",
"name": "my-example-policy",
"description": "An example policy.",
"kind": "sentinel"
},
"relationships": {
"policy-sets": {
"data": [
{ "id": "polset-3yVQZvHzf5j3WRJ1", "type": "policy-sets" }
]
}
},
"type": "policies"
}
}
Sample Payload (OPA)
Note: We have deprecated the enforce
property in requests and responses but continue to provide it for backward compatibility. The below sample uses the deprecated enforce
property.
{
"data": {
"attributes": {
"enforce": [
{
"path": "my-example-policy.rego",
"mode": "advisory"
}
],
"name": "my-example-policy",
"description": "An example policy.",
"kind": "opa",
"query": "terraform.main"
},
"relationships": {
"policy-sets": {
"data": [
{ "id": "polset-3yVQZvHzf5j3WRJ1", "type": "policy-sets" }
]
}
},
"type": "policies"
}
}
Sample Request
curl \
--header "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
--header "Content-Type: application/vnd.api+json" \
--request POST \
--data @payload.json \
https://app.terraform.io/api/v2/organizations/my-organization/policies
Sample Response (Sentinel)
{
"data": {
"id":"pol-u3S5p2Uwk21keu1s",
"type":"policies",
"attributes": {
"name":"my-example-policy",
"description":"An example policy.",
"enforcement-level":"advisory",
"enforce": [
{
"path":"my-example-policy.sentinel",
"mode":"advisory"
}
],
"policy-set-count": 1,
"updated-at": null
},
"relationships": {
"organization": {
"data": { "id": "my-organization", "type": "organizations" }
},
"policy-sets": {
"data": [
{ "id": "polset-3yVQZvHzf5j3WRJ1", "type": "policy-sets" }
]
}
},
"links": {
"self":"/api/v2/policies/pol-u3S5p2Uwk21keu1s",
"upload":"/api/v2/policies/pol-u3S5p2Uwk21keu1s/upload"
}
}
}
Sample Response (OPA)
{
"data": {
"id":"pol-u3S5p2Uwk21keu1s",
"type":"policies",
"attributes": {
"name":"my-example-policy",
"description":"An example policy.",
"kind": "opa",
"query": "terraform.main",
"enforcement-level": "advisory",
"enforce": [
{
"path":"my-example-policy.rego",
"mode":"advisory"
}
],
"policy-set-count": 1,
"updated-at": null
},
"relationships": {
"organization": {
"data": { "id": "my-organization", "type": "organizations" }
},
"policy-sets": {
"data": [
{ "id": "polset-3yVQZvHzf5j3WRJ1", "type": "policy-sets" }
]
}
},
"links": {
"self":"/api/v2/policies/pol-u3S5p2Uwk21keu1s",
"upload":"/api/v2/policies/pol-u3S5p2Uwk21keu1s/upload"
}
}
}
GET /policies/:policy_id
:policy_id
The ID of the policy to show. Refer to List Policies for reference information about finding IDs. Sample Request
curl --request GET \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/vnd.api+json" \
https://app.terraform.io/api/v2/policies/pol-oXUppaX2ximkqp8w
Sample Response
{
"data": {
"id": "pol-oXUppaX2ximkqp8w",
"type": "policies",
"attributes": {
"name": "my-example-policy",
"description":"An example policy.",
"kind": "sentinel",
"enforcement-level": "soft-mandatory",
"enforce": [
{
"path": "my-example-policy.sentinel",
"mode": "soft-mandatory"
}
],
"policy-set-count": 1,
"updated-at": "2018-09-11T18:21:21.784Z"
},
"relationships": {
"organization": {
"data": { "id": "my-organization", "type": "organizations" }
},
"policy-sets": {
"data": [
{ "id": "polset-3yVQZvHzf5j3WRJ1", "type": "policy-sets" }
]
}
},
"links": {
"self": "/api/v2/policies/pol-oXUppaX2ximkqp8w",
"upload": "/api/v2/policies/pol-oXUppaX2ximkqp8w/upload",
"download": "/api/v2/policies/pol-oXUppaX2ximkqp8w/download"
}
}
}
PUT /policies/:policy_id/upload
:policy_id
The ID of the policy to upload code to. Refer to List Policies for reference information about finding the policy ID. The ID also appears in the response when you create a policy.
This endpoint uploads code to an existing Sentinel or OPA policy.
Note: This endpoint does not use JSON-API's conventions for HTTP headers and body serialization.
Note: This endpoint limits the size of uploaded policies to 10MB. If a larger payload is uploaded, an HTTP 413 error will be returned, and the policy will not be saved. Consider refactoring policies into multiple smaller, more concise documents if you reach this limit.
Request BodyThis PUT endpoint requires the text of a valid Sentinel or OPA policy with a Content-Type
of application/octet-stream
.
curl \
--header "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
--header "Content-Type: application/octet-stream" \
--request PUT \
--data-binary @payload.file \
https://app.terraform.io/api/v2/policies/pol-u3S5p2Uwk21keu1s/upload
PATCH /policies/:policy_id
:policy_id
The ID of the policy to update. Refer to List Policies for reference information about finding IDs.
This endpoint can update the enforcement mode of an existing policy. To update the policy code itself, use the upload endpoint.
Request BodyThis PATCH endpoint requires a JSON object with the following properties as a request payload.
Properties without a default value are required.
Key path Type Default Descriptiondata.type
string Must be "policies"
. data.attributes.description
string null
Text describing the policy's purpose. This field supports Markdown and appears in the HCP Terraform UI. data.attributes.query
string The OPA query to run. This is only valid for OPA policies. data.attributes.enforcement-level
string The enforcement level of the policy. For Sentinel, valid values are "hard-mandatory"
, "soft-mandatory"
, and "advisory"
. For OPA, Valid values are "mandatory"
and "advisory"
. Refer to Managing Policies for details. data.attributes.enforce
array[object] DEPRECATED Use enforcement-level
instead. An array of enforcement configurations that map policy file paths to their enforcement modes. Policies support a single file, so this array should consist of a single element. For Sentinel, if the path in the enforcement map does not match the Sentinel policy (<NAME>.sentinel
), then HCP Terraform uses the default hard-mandatory
enforcement level. For OPA, the default enforcement level is advisory
. data.attributes.enforce[].path
string DEPRECATED For Sentinel, must be <NAME>.sentinel
, where <NAME>
has the same value as data.attributes.name
. For OPA, must be <NAME>.rego
. data.attributes.enforce[].mode
string DEPRECATED Use enforcement-level
instead. The enforcement level of the policy. For Sentinel, valid values are "hard-mandatory"
, "soft-mandatory"
, and "advisory"
. For OPA, Valid values are "mandatory"
and "advisory"
. Refer to Managing Policies for details. Sample Payload
{
"data": {
"attributes": {
"enforcement-level": "soft-mandatory"
},
"type":"policies"
}
}
Sample Request
curl \
--header "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
--header "Content-Type: application/vnd.api+json" \
--request PATCH \
--data @payload.json \
https://app.terraform.io/api/v2/policies/pol-u3S5p2Uwk21keu1s
Sample Response
{
"data": {
"id":"pol-u3S5p2Uwk21keu1s",
"type":"policies",
"attributes": {
"name":"my-example-policy",
"description":"An example policy.",
"kind": "sentinel",
"enforcement-level": "soft-mandatory",
"enforce": [
{
"path":"my-example-policy.sentinel",
"mode":"soft-mandatory"
}
],
"policy-set-count": 0,
"updated-at":"2017-10-10T20:58:04.621Z"
},
"relationships": {
"organization": {
"data": { "id": "my-organization", "type": "organizations" }
},
},
"links": {
"self":"/api/v2/policies/pol-u3S5p2Uwk21keu1s",
"upload":"/api/v2/policies/pol-u3S5p2Uwk21keu1s/upload",
"download":"/api/v2/policies/pol-u3S5p2Uwk21keu1s/download"
}
}
}
GET /organizations/:organization_name/policies
:organization_name
The organization to list policies for. Query Parameters
This endpoint supports pagination with standard URL query parameters; remember to percent-encode [
as %5B
and ]
as %5D
if your tooling doesn't automatically encode URLs.
page[number]
Optional. If omitted, the endpoint will return the first page. page[size]
Optional. If omitted, the endpoint will return 20 policies per page. search[name]
Optional. Allows searching the organization's policies by name. filter[kind]
Optional. If specified, restricts results to those with the matching policy kind value. Valid values are sentinel
and opa
Sample Request
curl \
--header "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
https://app.terraform.io/api/v2/organizations/my-organization/policies
Sample Response
{
"data": [
{
"attributes": {
"enforcement-level": "advisory",
"enforce": [
{
"mode": "advisory",
"path": "my-example-policy.sentinel"
}
],
"name": "my-example-policy",
"description": "An example policy.",
"policy-set-count": 0,
"updated-at": "2017-10-10T20:52:13.898Z",
"kind": "sentinel"
},
"id": "pol-u3S5p2Uwk21keu1s",
"relationships": {
"organization": {
"data": { "id": "my-organization", "type": "organizations" }
},
},
"links": {
"download": "/api/v2/policies/pol-u3S5p2Uwk21keu1s/download",
"self": "/api/v2/policies/pol-u3S5p2Uwk21keu1s",
"upload": "/api/v2/policies/pol-u3S5p2Uwk21keu1s/upload"
},
"type": "policies"
},
{
"id":"pol-vM2rBfj7V2Faq8By",
"type":"policies",
"attributes":{
"name":"policy1",
"description":null,
"enforcement-level": "advisory",
"enforce":[
{
"path":"policy1.rego",
"mode":"advisory"
}
],
"policy-set-count":1,
"updated-at":"2022-09-13T04:57:43.516Z",
"kind":"opa",
"query":"data.terraform.rules.policy1.rule"
},
"relationships":{
"organization":{
"data":{
"id":"hashicorp",
"type":"organizations"
}
},
"policy-sets":{
"data":[
{
"id":"polset-FYu3k5WY5eecwwdt",
"type":"policy-sets"
}
]
}
},
"links":{
"self":"/api/v2/policies/pol-vM2rBfj7V2Faq8By",
"upload":"/api/v2/policies/pol-vM2rBfj7V2Faq8By/upload",
"download":"/api/v2/policies/pol-vM2rBfj7V2Faq8By/download"
}
}
]
}
DELETE /policies/:policy_id
:policy_id
The ID of the policy to delete. Refer to List Policies for reference information about finding IDs. Status Response Reason 204 No Content Successfully deleted the policy 404 JSON API error object Policy not found, or user unauthorized to perform action Sample Request
curl \
--header "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
--header "Content-Type: application/vnd.api+json" \
--request DELETE \
https://app.terraform.io/api/v2/policies/pl-u3S5p2Uwk21keu1s
The GET endpoints above can optionally return related resources, if requested with the include
query parameter. The following resource types are available:
policy_sets
Policy sets that any returned policies are members of.
RetroSearch is an open source project built by @garambo | Open a GitHub Issue
Search and Browse the WWW like it's 1997 | Search results from DuckDuckGo
HTML:
3.2
| Encoding:
UTF-8
| Version:
0.7.4