Implementing Compliance as Code#

Compliance as code encodes compliance requirements as machine-readable policies evaluated automatically, continuously, and with every change. Instead of quarterly spreadsheet audits, a policy like “all S3 buckets must have encryption enabled” becomes a check that runs in CI, blocks non-compliant Terraform plans, and scans running infrastructure hourly. Evidence generation is automatic. Drift is detected immediately.

Step 1: Map Compliance Controls to Technical Policies#

Translate your compliance framework’s controls into specific, testable technical requirements. This mapping bridges auditor language and infrastructure code.

Kubernetes Production Readiness Checklist#

This checklist is designed for agents to audit a Kubernetes cluster before production workloads run on it. Every item includes the verification command and what a passing result looks like. Work through each category sequentially. A failing item in Cluster Health should be fixed before checking Workload Configuration.

Cluster Health#

These are non-negotiable. If any of these fail, stop and fix them before evaluating anything else.

Regulatory Compliance Frameworks#

Regulatory compliance translates legal requirements into technical controls. Understanding which regulations apply to your system and mapping them to infrastructure and application design is a core engineering responsibility in regulated industries.

This guide covers four major frameworks and their practical implications for software architecture. These are not exhaustive compliance guides — they map the most impactful technical controls for each framework.

HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)#

HIPAA applies to organizations handling Protected Health Information (PHI) — any data that can identify a patient and relates to their health condition, treatment, or payment.