Invalid policy error when running a documentation example

[entrustgabri]

I am getting started with Cloud Custodian. I have taking a look at the AWS docs, and tried to reproduce an example found in the Filters documentation. It is a very simple policy:

- name: ec2-underutilized
  resource: ec2
  filters:
    - type: metrics
      name: CPUUtilization
      days: 4
      period: 86400
      value: 5
      op: less-than

For some reason, when I run custodian run --dryrun -s out ec2-underutilized I get the following error:

2023-10-03 17:44:36,980: custodian.commands:ERROR invalid policy file: ec2-underutilized error: Policy file top level data structure should be a mapping/dict, instead found:list 2023-10-03 17:44:36,981: custodian.commands:ERROR Found 1 errors. Exiting

I have been trying to find the cause of the error, but I have not been successful. What am I missing?

[ajkerrigan]

In a Cloud Custodian policy file, policies show up under a top-level policies key.

Some documentation examples (like the write your first policy section of getting started) include that policies key, while others include only the policy body.

For your example, the assumption is that an individual policy:

- name: ec2-underutilized
  resource: ec2
  filters:
    - type: metrics
      name: CPUUtilization
      days: 4
      period: 86400
      value: 5
      op: less-than

would be part of a policy file that could potentially contain multiple policies:

policies:

  - name: ec2-underutilized
    resource: ec2
    filters:
      - type: metrics
        name: CPUUtilization
        days: 4
        period: 86400
        value: 5
        op: less-than

  - name: ec2-other-policy
    resource: ec2
    filters:
      - ...

  ...and potentially more policies...

[entrustgabri]

I can't believe I didn't notice that, thanks!