Implement Group-level View for Terraform State Registry

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Implement Group-level View for Terraform State Registry

Overview

Currently, Terraform states can only be viewed and managed at the project level, requiring users to navigate between multiple projects to get a complete picture of their infrastructure. This issue proposes implementing a consolidated group-level view for the Terraform State Registry to improve management efficiency and visibility across projects.

Problem Statement

Organizations that manage infrastructure across multiple projects lack a unified view of their Terraform states. This fragmentation makes it difficult to:

• Monitor overall infrastructure health
• Identify problematic states across projects
• Efficiently manage infrastructure that spans multiple projects
• Ensure consistent state management practices

A group-level view would address these challenges by providing consolidated visibility and management capabilities.

User Stories

• As a DevOps manager, I want to see all Terraform states across my group's projects so I can understand our overall infrastructure footprint.
• As an infrastructure architect, I want to identify locked or outdated states across projects so I can proactively address potential issues.
• As a platform engineer, I want to view aggregated statistics about our Terraform states so I can report on infrastructure health to stakeholders.
• As a team lead, I want to navigate easily between group and project views so I can switch between high-level monitoring and detailed management.
• As a security analyst, I want to identify non-compliant states across projects so I can ensure infrastructure security standards are maintained.

Requirements

Functional Requirements

Group-level Dashboard

• Create a dedicated view for Terraform states at the group level
• Display states from all projects within the group (with appropriate permissions)
• Support for subgroups: option to include/exclude states from projects in subgroups
• Implement consistent UI patterns with the project-level view for familiarity

Aggregated Statistics

• Show total count of states across all projects
• Display distribution of states by status (active, locked, error)
• Visualize state usage by project (e.g., bar chart of state counts per project)
• Show recent activity timeline (state creations, modifications, locks/unlocks)
• Calculate and display resource counts across all states

Health Indicators

• Implement visual health status for each state:
  • Up-to-date (recently applied)
  • Outdated (not applied in X days, configurable threshold)
  • Locked (with lock duration and owner)
  • Error state (failed operations)
  • Drift detected (if drift detection is enabled)
• Provide summary health score for the group as a whole
• Allow sorting and filtering by health status

Navigation

• Create seamless navigation between group and project-level views
• Implement breadcrumb navigation for context awareness
• Allow direct linking to specific states from the group view
• Maintain filter/sort preferences when switching between views

Non-Functional Requirements

• Performance: Dashboard should load within 5 seconds for groups with up to 50 projects
• Scalability: Solution should support large groups with 100+ projects and 1,000+ state files
• Security: Respect existing permissions model (only show states from projects user has access to)
• Usability: Interface should be intuitive and follow GitLab design patterns

Technical Considerations

• Evaluate database query performance for aggregating data across multiple projects
• Consider caching strategies for performance optimization
• Review permission model implications for cross-project viewing
• Assess impact on API endpoints and potential rate limiting issues

Implementation Approach

1. Design database queries for efficient cross-project data aggregation
2. Develop backend API endpoints for group-level state information
3. Implement frontend components for the group dashboard
4. Create navigation structure between group and project views
5. Add health indicators and aggregated statistics

Success Criteria

• Users can view all Terraform states across their group's projects in a single interface
• Aggregated statistics accurately reflect the state of infrastructure across projects
• Health indicators correctly identify problematic states
• Navigation between group and project views is seamless and intuitive

Out of Scope

• Changes to the underlying Terraform state storage mechanism
• Modifications to how Terraform operations are performed
• Group-level operations on multiple states simultaneously (could be considered as a future enhancement)

Mockups

[Placeholder for UI mockups showing the group-level dashboard with aggregated statistics and health indicators]