Remote Stack Imports Example

This example demonstrates how to import stack configurations from remote sources using go-getter URL schemes.

Overview

Atmos supports importing stack configurations from various remote sources:

• HTTP/HTTPS URLs - Raw files from web servers
• Git repositories - Using git:: prefix or platform shorthand
• S3 buckets - Using s3:: prefix
• Google Cloud Storage - Using gcs:: prefix

Example Structure

remote-stack-imports/
├── atmos.yaml                    # Atmos configuration
├── components/terraform/myapp/   # Simple mock component
└── stacks/
    ├── catalog/base.yaml         # Local base configuration
    └── deploy/demo.yaml          # Stack with remote imports

Try It

cd examples/remote-stack-imports

# View the stack configuration (includes remote imports)
atmos describe stacks

# Describe the component
atmos describe component myapp -s demo

Remote Import Examples

HTTP/HTTPS URL

import:
  - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cloudposse/atmos/main/tests/fixtures/remote-imports/shared.yaml

Git Repository

import:
  # HTTPS with specific ref
  - git::https://github.com/acme/infrastructure.git//stacks/catalog/vpc?ref=v1.2.0

  # GitHub shorthand
  - github.com/acme/infrastructure//stacks/catalog/rds?ref=main

Nested Imports from the Remote Source

Remote files can contain their own import: section. By default, those nested imports resolve from your local stacks.base_path. Use nested_imports: remote when the remote file and its imports should be resolved together from the same remote source:

import:
  - path: git::https://github.com/acme/infrastructure.git//stacks/orgs/acme/_defaults.yaml?ref=v1.2.0
    nested_imports: remote

With this setting, a nested import like catalog/_defaults resolves to stacks/catalog/_defaults.yaml in the remote repository.

S3 Bucket

import:
  - s3::https://s3.amazonaws.com/my-bucket/stacks/catalog/vpc.yaml

Best Practices

1. Pin Versions - Always use ?ref= with a specific tag or commit SHA for Git imports
2. Cache Considerations - Remote imports are cached locally
3. Authentication - Configure credentials for private repositories via environment variables
4. Fallback to Local - Consider vendoring critical imports for offline access
5. Choose Nested Import Resolution - Use the default nested_imports: local for remote files that expect local extension points, and nested_imports: remote for self-contained remote stack libraries

Learn More

• Stack Imports Documentation
• go-getter URL Formats