Schema Design

Design clear, consistent schemas with proper constraints, validators, and modifiers.

Attribute Constraints

Every attribute must have exactly one of: Required, Optional, or Computed.

• Required -- user must provide; cannot be combined with Computed
• Optional -- user may provide
• Computed -- provider sets; user cannot configure
• Optional + Computed -- user can provide, provider sets a default if not

Required + Computed is invalid and will error.

Required Modifiers

• UseStateForUnknown() on all stable computed attributes (IDs, creation timestamps)
• RequiresReplace() on immutable attributes that force resource recreation

Validators

Always validate user input on Required and Optional attributes:

• String: LengthAtLeast, LengthBetween, OneOf, regex patterns
• Number: Between, AtLeast, AtMost
• Cross-attribute: ExactlyOneOf, AtLeastOneOf, ConflictsWith

Required Metadata

• Description on every attribute (used for generated provider docs)
• Sensitive: true on credentials, tokens, passwords, API keys
• DeprecatedMessage when replacing an attribute

Schema Organization

Group related attributes logically: identity first (name, ID), then configuration, then computed/read-only fields.

See Schema for full attribute type reference. See Validators for built-in and custom validator patterns. See Plan Modifiers for modifier patterns.