Help a developer compare declared defaults, environment overrides and observed JSON configuration. Preserve precedence and redaction rules, expose shadowed values, and attach every explanation to its source file or variable name. Export a drift report that an assistant can consume without receiving secret values.
Standard libraries only. Four stages, approximately eight hours. Go implementations are exercised by the grader.
Build it
- Load named configuration layers
- Resolve precedence with provenance
- Compare effective values
- Export redacted CI evidence
python3 scripts/project_test.py configuration-drift-explainer --init /tmp/configuration-drift-explainer-work
python3 scripts/project_test.py configuration-drift-explainer --stage 1 --path /tmp/configuration-drift-explainer-work --strict
python3 scripts/project_test.py configuration-drift-explainer --all --solution --strictThe fresh starter fails until you implement it. Reference-solution runs never grant learner completion certificates.
Run your own configuration
cd projects/configuration-drift-explainer/solution
go run . --input fixtures/config.json --out /tmp/drift.json
python3 -c 'import json; r=json.load(open("/tmp/drift.json")); print([c["key"] for c in r["changes"] if c["kind"] != "equal"])'
go build -o /tmp/drift-explainer .
/tmp/drift-explainer --input fixtures/config.json --checkInput schema: layers:[{name,values:{key:scalar}}], observed:{key:scalar}, optional sensitive:[key]. Later layers win. This explicitly flat contract does not merge nested objects or expand shell variables. Use named source identifiers, never secret values, in layer names.
The version-1 report records equal, changed, missing and unexpected values plus ordered precedence history. Automatic redaction recognizes password, secret, token, api-key and credential key names; sensitive supplies additional exact keys. Redaction covers current and historical values, including unexpected observed keys. Classification happens before redaction. This naming heuristic cannot detect secrets hidden in an innocently named value; explicit classification belongs to the caller.
The built binary returns 2 for --check drift. File exports use owner-only permissions on creation. See Go JSON for encoding behavior.
Completion evidence
python3 scripts/project_test.py configuration-drift-explainer --all --path /tmp/configuration-drift-explainer-work --strict --report /tmp/configuration-drift-explainer-result.jsonLocal reports are unsigned, self-reported evidence. The editable figures calculate illustrative values; the CLI runs the actual implementation.
