ChatAndBuild Template Governance
Define reusable DevOps templates with clear inputs, defaults, and validation.
When to Use
- You need consistent scaffolding for CI/CD, infrastructure, or service setup.
- You want to reduce copy-paste drift across repositories or teams.
- You need a controlled approach to evolving shared template versions.
Workflow
- Identify repeated workflow or infrastructure patterns to templatize.
- Define template parameters, defaults, and required validations.
- Separate stable base logic from optional environment-specific extensions.
- Add usage examples and migration notes for adopters.
- Establish versioning and deprecation policy for safe updates.
Template Patterns
Cookiecutter/Yeoman for project scaffolding. Use Cookiecutter (Python) or Yeoman (Node) to generate new projects from a template. Prompts collect parameters; template engine fills placeholders. Good for new repos, microservices, or app boilerplates. Version templates via git tags.
GitHub template repositories. Mark a repo as template; users click "Use this template" to create a copy. No runtime tooling required. Combine with .github/template or cookiecutter.json for parameterized generation. Document required manual steps (e.g. secrets, env setup).
Reusable workflow templates. GitHub Actions reusable workflows, GitLab CI includes, or similar. Define once, call from multiple repos with inputs and secrets. Version via branch or tag; consumers pin to a version. Reduces drift across team pipelines.
Terraform modules as templates. Package infrastructure as modules with variables and outputs. Use source with version constraint (?ref=v1.2.0). Publish to registry or private git. Document required variables and example module blocks.
Template Governance
Versioning strategy. Use semver: major for breaking changes, minor for additive, patch for fixes. Tag releases. Consumers pin to major version; document upgrade path for major bumps.
Deprecation announcements. Announce deprecation at least one minor version ahead. Add deprecation notice in template output and docs. Provide migration guide and support window.
Migration guides for breaking changes. For each breaking change: what changed, why, step-by-step migration, rollback option. Include before/after examples. Test migration path before release.
Common Pitfalls
- Templates that drift from real usage. Templates become outdated when real projects fork and evolve. Periodically sync template from a canonical consumer; or derive template from working project.
- No validation of template parameters. Invalid inputs cause cryptic failures. Validate at generation time: required params, format (URL, enum), ranges. Fail fast with clear errors.
- Breaking consumers with silent updates. Changing defaults or removing params breaks consumers. Treat template as API; use deprecation and versioning. Never change behavior in patch without explicit opt-in.
- Over-parameterization. Too many options make templates hard to use and maintain. Prefer convention over configuration; add parameters only when multiple consumers need different behavior.
Output Format
## Template Scope
- Target: <pipeline/infra/service>
- Consumers: <teams/repos>
- Pattern: <Cookiecutter/GitHub template/reusable workflow/Terraform module>
## Inputs
- Required: <param list with types and validation>
- Optional: <param list with defaults>
- Deprecated: <params with migration path>
## Validation Rules
- <rule 1>
- <rule 2>
## Versioning and Governance
- Current version: <semver>
- Deprecation policy: <notice period, support window>
- Breaking change process: <announcement, migration guide>
## Adoption Checklist
- [ ] Example usage works end-to-end
- [ ] Backward compatibility reviewed
- [ ] Versioning plan documented
- [ ] Migration guide for last breaking change
Constraints
- Keep templates composable and avoid hidden side effects.
- Do not hardcode secrets, credentials, or account-specific identifiers.
- Prefer explicit parameter contracts over implicit conventions.