Q&A
Quick Summary - Common questions about Stacktic's approach, capabilities, and how it fits into your existing workflows.
🧠 Core Concepts
Q: Is Stacktic an AI?
Stacktic includes AI as a major component, but by design, it's much more than that.
At its core, Stacktic is a logic-driven automation framework that manages full-stack relationships across infrastructure, applications, and operations.
We train AI models to operate within Stacktic's automation framework — to create automations, validate results, and maintain compliance. Because the AI operates under strict logic constraints and must pass automated validation at every step, it cannot make assumptions, guesses, or uncontrolled decisions.
In short, AI powers Stacktic, but Stacktic defines the rules.
Q: Is Stacktic an AIOps platform? Does it compete with AI-driven future-Ops tools?
Yes — Stacktic qualifies as an AIOps platform, but in a production-grade sense rather than a "chat and suggestion" tool.
While typical AIOps systems focus on recommendations, Stacktic is enterprise-ready, designed for zero-guesswork operational automation.
Integration with Existing AIOps
Stacktic can work alongside traditional AIOps tools — those can provide analytics, recommendations, and debugging insights, while Stacktic serves as the single source of truth for production.
Key AIOps integrations and strengths:
| Capability | Purpose |
|---|---|
| SecOps Integration | Compliance, version control, dependency tracking |
| Stack Health Validation | Automated validation, signature control |
| Audit-Ready Reporting | Complete compliance documentation |
| AI Recommendations | Deterministic execution and verification |
Q: Is Stacktic problematic because engineers don't create their own configurations?
Quite the opposite.
In today's environment, engineers often produce fragmented configurations, especially when AI tools generate YAMLs, scripts, or policies with inconsistent standards and little documentation.
Stacktic Ensures:
- ✅ Zero human-error configurations with consistent standards and full documentation
- ✅ End-to-end traceability ensuring all outputs follow best practices and document every step on the way from knowledge sharing to depencies, versions and secuirty audit (stacktic is bad for job secuirty)
- ✅ Freedom and customization — engineers can push to the Stacktic branch, merge to main, or bring their own configurations
You can modify Stacktic-generated results, extend automation pipelines, or ignore them entirely — everything remains open and customizable.
Q: Is Stacktic really the most secure full-stack framework — and is that claim fact-based?
Yes — this claim is supported by Stacktic's design.
Stacktic is built on metadata-driven automation, applying hundreds of policies across stack layers and topologies to prevent human error.
Key Security Differentiators:
| Feature | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Dynamic Policy Automation | Security adjusts automatically as application design changes |
| Automated Microsegmentation | Network isolation configured by default |
| Audit & Vulnerability Reporting | Built-in compliance validation |
| Policy Awareness | Self-healing configurations |
| Continuous Compliance | Real-time enforcement |
These features make Stacktic's approach to operational security unique in today's automation landscape.
📖 See the Security Framework chapter for more details.
🚀 Capabilities & Value
Q: What do I get from Stacktic that I don't have today?
Immediate Benefits:
-
Fully Automated, Auditable Config
- Review, diff, and trust every configuration
- Complete transparency into all generated code
-
Accelerated Innovation
- Ideas to production in hours—not months
- Boost org-wide innovation and research velocity
-
LiveView Validation
- Deep checks into databases and APIs
- Auto-generated tests and health probes
-
Automated Guardrails
- Network policies for micro-segmentation
- Multi-layer RBAC
- Security controls most teams skip
-
CISO-Ready Security Posture
- Per-stack security reports
- Remediation guidance included
-
Stack Version Control
- Save, duplicate to staging, modify, roll back, and share
- Manage environments like code
-
Drift-Resistant Versioning
- Automations keep working even as YAMLs/schemas/dependencies change
-
Open Integration
- Works with existing automation and flows
- No vendor lock-in
-
Auto-Generated Documentation
- Runbooks, diagrams, and ops notes generated from the stack
- No more manual documentation
-
Relationship Intelligence
- Understands connections across layers
- Surfaces insecure components and stack-level improvements
Q: Can I use my own processes (e.g., CI), or do I have to use Stacktic for everything?
Your call. Stacktic is an open, modular platform.
Integration Options:
| Approach | Description |
|---|---|
| Bring Your Own CI/CD | Import a pre-built image, use external CI pipeline |
| Use Stacktic CI | Let Stacktic run CI for you with Kaniko |
| Hybrid | Use external code with Stacktic automation inside |
| Templates | Use our templates or bring your own |
Adopt as much—or as little—as you want.
Q: Can I automate my own logic with Stacktic?
Yes. Before it's a platform, Stacktic is a relationship-logic framework.
How It Works:
- Define attributes and links in a simple UI
- These compile into code conditions and automations
- Build a fully customized automation ecosystem
This allows you to create automation patterns specific to your organization's needs.
Q: Can Stacktic automate outside the Kubernetes ecosystem?
Yes. Stacktic is metadata-driven.
External Integrations:
- Managed Databases: Cloud-provider database services
- External Services: APIs, SaaS platforms
- Infrastructure Tools: Crossplane, Terraform, cloud APIs
- Any Component: If it has an API, Stacktic can automate it
🔧 Workflow & Integration
Q: How does Stacktic work alongside an IDP like Backstage?
Complementary. Use your IDP as is—or automate parts of it via Stacktic.
Stacktic is designed to run in parallel with existing platforms and components without conflicts.
Integration Patterns:
- Catalog Integration: Stacktic stacks appear in Backstage catalog
- Template Extension: Use Backstage templates with Stacktic automation
- API Integration: Backstage triggers Stacktic workflows
- Standalone: Run Stacktic independently
Q: Will this let Ops focus on higher-value work? What skills are needed?
Yes — Ops toil drops dramatically so the team can focus on reliability, cost optimization, and improvements.
Required Skills:
| Skill Level | Description |
|---|---|
| General Dev + Ops Familiarity | Understand basic Kubernetes and application concepts |
| Stack Understanding | Know what you're deploying (e.g., Kafka, databases) |
| Review Capability | Ability to review automation outcomes |
| Customization | Modify configurations when needed |
Depth isn't required — understand the stack, review automation outcomes, customize when needed.
Special Cases:
- Data-Heavy Stacks (Kafka, sink DBs): DataOps mindset helps
- Complex Integrations: Understanding of APIs and webhooks
- Custom Automation: Logic and scripting knowledge
Q: Is Stacktic only for deployment, or also for operations?
Both. Stacktic covers the complete lifecycle.
Day 0: Initial Setup
- Provisioning
- Configuration
- Security setup
- Guardrails implementation
Day 1: Deployment
- Application deployment
- Service connectivity
- Initial validation
- Production cutover
Day 2: Operations
- Health checks and validation
- Security tests
- Versioning and updates
- Migrations
- Operational configuration
- Scaling and optimization
🔒 Control & Transparency
Q: What if I'm not comfortable fully automating my configuration?
You stay in control.
Control Mechanisms:
- Review Branch: Work in Stacktic branch before merging
- Diff Review: See exactly what changes before applying
- Customization: Modify, extend, or ignore any automation
- Best Practices: We ship security standards by default—you decide what to keep
Workflow:
Stacktic Branch → Review Diffs → Customize → Merge to Main → Deploy
You maintain full visibility and control at every step.
Q: How do I see exactly what Stacktic automates?
Complete transparency at every level.
Visibility Tools:
-
Info Panel
- Shows automation details per component
- Preview of generated files
-
Config Preview
- See what files will be generated
- Review before creation
-
Pull Requests
- GitHub PRs with full diffs
- Line-by-line comparison
-
Generated Docs
- Repository includes documentation
- Summarizes config and operations
-
Audit Reports
- Complete automation history
- Security and compliance validation
360° transparency into automation, outcomes, and ongoing operations.
📚 Next Steps
- 🚀 Get Started: Quick Start Guide
- 🏗️ Learn Architecture: Architecture Overview
- 🔐 Security Deep Dive: Security Framework
- 💬 Join Community: Community & Support
Have more questions? Contact us at support@stacktic.io or visit our documentation.