> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://developer.harness.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://developer.harness.io/harness-platform/3.0/harness-platform-resources/governance/policy-as-code/policy-as-code-for-infrastructure.md).

# Policy as Code for Infrastructure

Harness provides governance using Open Policy Agent (OPA), Policy Management, and Rego policies.

You can create a policy and apply it to all [infrastructure definitions](/continuous-delivery/new-to-continuous-delivery/overview.md#infrastructure-definition) in your Account, Org, or Project. The policy is evaluated on infrastructure-level events:

* **On Save** — evaluated when an infrastructure definition is created or updated.
* **On Run** — evaluated when a pipeline that references the infrastructure definition is executed.

For more details, see the [Harness Governance Quickstart](/harness-ai/use-harness-platform/governance/policy-as-code/harness-governance-quickstart.md).

### Prerequisites <a href="#prerequisites" id="prerequisites"></a>

* [Harness Governance Overview](/harness-ai/use-harness-platform/governance/policy-as-code/harness-governance-overview.md)
* [Harness Governance Quickstart](/harness-ai/use-harness-platform/governance/policy-as-code/harness-governance-quickstart.md)
* Policies use the OPA authoring language Rego. For more information, see [OPA Policy Authoring](https://academy.styra.com/courses/opa-rego).

### Step 1: Add a policy <a href="#step-1-add-a-policy" id="step-1-add-a-policy"></a>

1. In Harness, go to **Account Settings** → **Policies** → **New Policy**.
2. Enter a **Name** for your policy and click **Apply**.
3. Add your Rego policy in the editor.

   You can write your own Rego policy or use a sample from the **Library** panel. Select the **Library** tab, choose **Entity: Infrastructure** from the dropdown, and pick one of the built-in samples:

   Harness ships a sample policy for infrastructure definitions:

   * **Infrastructure – Block runtime input for connector and namespace:** Prevents infrastructure definitions from using runtime inputs (`<+input>`) for the connector or namespace fields.

   Below is the Rego policy for this sample.

**Block runtime inputs for connector and namespace**

This policy denies infrastructure definitions that use runtime inputs for the `connectorRef` or `namespace` fields. This ensures that teams explicitly set these values rather than deferring them to pipeline execution time.

```
package infra

deny[msg] {
  input.infrastructureEntity.spec.connectorRef == "<+input>"
  msg := "Runtime input is not allowed for connector"
}

deny[msg] {
  input.infrastructureEntity.spec.namespace == "<+input>"
  msg := "Runtime input is not allowed for namespace"
}
```

4. Click **Save**.

### Step 2: Add the policy to a policy set <a href="#step-2-add-the-policy-to-a-policy-set" id="step-2-add-the-policy-to-a-policy-set"></a>

After creating your policy, add it to a Policy Set before it can be enforced on infrastructure definitions.

1. Go to **Policies** → **Policy Sets** → **New Policy Set**.
2. Enter a **Name** and optional **Description** for the Policy Set.
3. In **Entity type**, select **Infrastructure**.
4. In **On what event should the Policy Set be evaluated**, select **On Save**, **On Run**, or both depending on when you want the policy enforced.
   * **On Save** — the policy is evaluated every time a user creates or updates the infrastructure definition.
   * **On Run** — the policy is evaluated when a pipeline that uses the infrastructure definition is executed.
5. Click **Continue**.

   <div data-gb-custom-block data-tag="hint" data-style="info" class="hint hint-info"><p>Existing infrastructure definitions are not automatically evaluated against new policies. Policies are applied only when an infrastructure definition is saved (created or updated) or when a pipeline referencing it is run.</p></div>
6. In **Policy evaluation criteria**, click **Add Policy**.
7. In the **Select Policy** dialog, choose the scope (**Project**, **Org**, or **Account**) and select the policy you created.
8. Select the severity and action for policy violations:
   * **Warn & continue** — a warning is displayed if the policy is not met, but the infrastructure definition is saved and you can proceed.
   * **Error and exit** — an error is displayed and the infrastructure definition is not saved if the policy is not met.
9. Click **Apply**, then click **Finish**.
10. The Policy Set is automatically set to **Enforced**. To disable enforcement, toggle off the **Enforced** button.

### Step 3: Apply the policy to an infrastructure definition <a href="#step-3-apply-the-policy-to-an-infrastructure-definition" id="step-3-apply-the-policy-to-an-infrastructure-definition"></a>

After creating and enforcing your Policy Set, it is automatically evaluated whenever an infrastructure definition event matches the configured trigger.

1. Go to **Deployments** → **Environments** → select an environment → **Infrastructure Definitions**.
2. Create or edit an infrastructure definition and click **Save**.
3. Based on your selection in the Policy Evaluation criteria:
   * If the infrastructure definition meets the policy, it is saved successfully.
   * If the infrastructure definition violates the policy and the severity is **Warn & continue**, it is saved with a warning.
   * If the infrastructure definition violates the policy and the severity is **Error and exit**, the save is blocked and an error is displayed.

### OnSave enforcement for Git-backed infrastructure definitions <a href="#onsave-enforcement-for-git-backed-infrastructure-definitions" id="onsave-enforcement-for-git-backed-infrastructure-definitions"></a>

When an infrastructure definition is stored in Git, commits made directly to the Git repository bypass the Harness UI save flow. Harness now evaluates **onSave** policies when a Git-backed infrastructure definition changes via a webhook, and surfaces the result in the infrastructure details drawer. An **Infrastructure Validation Failed** badge appears when the latest commit violates an **onSave** policy. If a pipeline execution references this infrastructure definition, Harness fails the execution at the infrastructure resolution step.

Go to [Enforce onSave policies on Git entities](/harness-ai/use-harness-platform/governance/policy-as-code/enforce-policies-on-git-backed-entities.md) to understand how this enforcement works across all Git-backed entity types.

### See also <a href="#see-also" id="see-also"></a>

* [Harness Governance Overview](/harness-ai/use-harness-platform/governance/policy-as-code/harness-governance-overview.md)
* [Policy Samples](/harness-ai/use-harness-platform/governance/policy-as-code/sample-policy-use-case.md)