Advanced Configuration Options

Name: CDK Insights
Author: CDK Insights

Complete guide to all available configuration options in CDK Insights. Customize analysis behavior, output format, performance, and filtering to match your specific needs.

Quick Reference

Configuration Options

Configuration Categories

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Core Analysis Settings

Control what gets analyzed and how

stackName

stringDefault: ""

Default stack name to analyze

Example:

"stackName": "MyProductionStack"

Use Case: Set default stack for repeated analysis

services

arrayDefault: []

Limit analysis to specific AWS services

Example:

"services": ["S3", "IAM", "Lambda"]

Use Case: Focus analysis on critical services only

ruleFilter

arrayDefault: []

Filter findings by rule categories

Example:

"ruleFilter": ["Security", "Cost Optimization"]

Use Case: Focus on specific compliance areas

synth

booleanDefault: false

Run cdk synth before analysis

Example:

"synth": true

Use Case: Ensure templates are up-to-date

Output Control

Customize output format and content

output

stringDefault: "table"

Output format for results

Example:

"output": "json"

Use Case: Integration with other tools

summaryOnly

booleanDefault: false

Only show summary in console

Example:

"summaryOnly": true

Use Case: Reduce output verbosity

redact

booleanDefault: false

Redact sensitive resource names

Example:

"redact": true

Use Case: Protect sensitive information in logs

withIssue

booleanDefault: false

Create GitHub issues for findings

Example:

"withIssue": true

Use Case: Automate issue tracking

Cache Configuration

Optimize analysis performance with caching

noCache

booleanDefault: false

Disable caching entirely

Example:

"noCache": true

Use Case: Force fresh analysis every time

cache.enabled

booleanDefault: true

Enable analysis result caching

Example:

"cache.enabled": true

Use Case: Speed up repeated analysis

cache.ttl

numberDefault: 3600000

Cache time-to-live in milliseconds

Example:

"cache.ttl": 7200000

Use Case: Balance freshness vs performance

cache.maxSize

numberDefault: 100

Maximum number of cache entries

Example:

"cache.maxSize": 200

Use Case: Control memory usage

Behavior Control

Control analysis behavior and error handling

failOnCritical

booleanDefault: true

Exit with error code if critical issues found

Example:

"failOnCritical": false

Use Case: Continue CI/CD pipeline despite critical issues

Complete Configuration Example

{
  "// Basic Configuration": {
    "stackName": "MyProductionStack",
    "output": "table",
    "services": [
      "S3",
      "IAM",
      "Lambda",
      "EC2"
    ],
    "ruleFilter": [
      "Security",
      "Cost Optimization"
    ]
  },
  "// Cache Settings": {
    "cache": {
      "enabled": true,
      "ttl": 7200000,
      "maxSize": 200
    },
    "noCache": false
  },
  "// Analysis Control": {
    "synth": true,
    "summaryOnly": false,
    "redact": false,
    "withIssue": false
  },
  "// Behavior Control": {
    "failOnCritical": true
  },
  "// GitHub Integration": {
    "withIssue": true,
    "redact": true
  }
}

This example shows a comprehensive configuration covering all major categories. Copy and customize for your specific needs.

Performance Optimization Tips

Use Service Filtering

High Impact

Limit analysis to only the services you care about

"services": ["S3", "IAM"]

Enable Caching

High Impact

Cache results to speed up repeated analysis

"cache": { "enabled": true, "ttl": 7200000 }

Use Rule Filtering

Medium Impact

Focus on specific compliance areas

"ruleFilter": ["Security", "Cost Optimization"]

Enable Synthesis

Medium Impact

Ensure templates are up-to-date before analysis

"synth": true

Use Summary Mode

Low Impact

Reduce output verbosity for faster processing

"summaryOnly": true

CLI Flags vs Configuration Options

📄 Configuration File Options

These options can be saved in your .cdk-insights.json file for persistent settings.

cdk-insights config set output json
cdk-insights config set services "S3,IAM"

🚀 CLI-Only Flags

These flags are only available at runtime and cannot be saved to configuration files.

cdk-insights scan --yes --ci
cdk-insights scan --all --no-cache

Note: The --yes and --ci flags are CLI-only options that cannot be saved to your configuration file. Use them directly in your commands or scripts.

Environment Variables

CDK_INSIGHTS_LICENSE_KEY

License key for AI-powered analysis features

export CDK_INSIGHTS_LICENSE_KEY="your-license-key"

CI

Enable CI mode for automated environments

export CI=true

AWS Credentials

AWS credentials for CDK operations (if not using AWS CLI)

export AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID="your-access-key"
export AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY="your-secret-key"
export AWS_DEFAULT_REGION="us-east-1"

Ready to Customize Your Analysis?

Create a .cdk-insights.json file in your project root and start customizing CDK Insights for your specific needs.

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