carina

name	carina
description	Manage infrastructure with Carina - a strongly typed infrastructure management tool. Use when working with .crn files, running carina validate/plan/apply/destroy, or managing cloud infrastructure.
metadata	{"author":"carina-rs","version":"0.3.0"}

Carina

Carina is a strongly typed infrastructure management tool written in Rust. It uses a custom DSL (.crn files) to define infrastructure as code.

Workflow

The standard workflow is:

1. Write .crn files defining your infrastructure
2. Validate syntax and types: carina validate
3. Plan changes: carina plan
4. Apply changes: carina apply

DSL Quick Reference

Provider Configuration

provider aws {
  region = aws.Region.ap_northeast_1
}

Resource Definition

Anonymous resource (ID derived from name attribute):

aws.s3.Bucket {
  name = "my-bucket"
}

Named resource with let binding (enables references between resources):

let main_vpc = aws.ec2.Vpc {
  name       = "main-vpc"
  cidr_block = "10.0.0.0/16"
}

aws.ec2.Subnet {
  name       = "public-subnet"
  vpc_id     = main_vpc.id
  cidr_block = "10.0.1.0/24"
}

Modules

let web = import "./modules/web_tier" {
  vpc_id = main_vpc.id
  subnet_ids = [subnet_a.id, subnet_b.id]
}

State Backend

backend s3 {
  bucket = "my-state-bucket"
  key    = "carina.state.json"
  region = "ap-northeast-1"
}

CLI Commands

Command	Description
carina validate [PATH]	Validate .crn files (syntax, types, schemas)
carina plan [PATH]	Show execution plan without applying
carina apply [PATH]	Apply changes to reach desired state
carina destroy [PATH]	Destroy all managed resources
carina fmt [PATH]	Format .crn files
carina init [PATH]	Download and install provider plugins
carina state show	Display current state
carina state lookup <RESOURCE> [ATTR]	Query specific resource attributes
carina docs	Display embedded documentation
carina docs --list	List all available documents
carina docs --search <QUERY>	Search documentation

Common Patterns

Plan with exit code for CI

carina plan --detailed-exitcode
# Exit 0 = no changes, Exit 2 = changes present

Save and apply a plan

carina plan --out plan.json
carina apply plan.json

Auto-approve apply

carina apply --auto-approve

Format check (CI)

carina fmt --check

Best Practices

• Always run carina validate before carina plan
• Use let bindings when resources reference each other
• Use anonymous resources (no let) when the binding is not referenced elsewhere
• Use modules for reusable infrastructure patterns
• Configure a remote backend (S3) for team collaboration
• Run carina init after adding or updating provider requirements

Detailed Documentation

For complete documentation, use carina docs to access version-accurate embedded docs:

carina docs --list                       # See all available documents
carina docs reference/dsl/syntax         # DSL syntax reference
carina docs guides/writing-resources     # Resource writing guide
carina docs guides/using-modules         # Module usage guide