Glossary

Quick-reference definitions of Kosli terms and concepts.

A reference list of Kosli terms. For a narrative explanation of how these concepts fit together, see How Kosli works.

Artifact

A software deliverable (binary, container image, archive) reported to Kosli and identified by its SHA256 fingerprint. Kosli uses the fingerprint to link an artifact’s build-time origin to its runtime presence.

Attestation

A record that a specific control or check was performed on an Artifact or Trail, along with its result. Built-in types include snyk, junit, sonar, pullrequest, and generic. Custom types support jq-based compliance evaluation.

Audit Package

A downloadable tar file containing metadata and evidence for a Trail, Artifact, or Attestation. Used for audit investigations and compliance reviews.

Binary Provenance

The chain of custody that links an artifact’s fingerprint to its origin, build evidence, and runtime deployment history.

Control

A repeatable, verifiable activity that mitigates one or more risks. Controls span build, release, runtime, and lifecycle phases.

Deployment Diff

For an artifact running in an Environment, a pointer to the artifact it replaced there: the previous artifact from the same Flow, its commit, and the commit range between the two. Computed per Flow from snapshot start events. See Snapshot artifacts and deployment diffs.

Environment

A Kosli representation of a runtime system you want to monitor (Kubernetes cluster, ECS service, Lambda function, S3 bucket, server directory, Docker host, Azure Web App).

Environment Policy

A set of compliance requirements defining what may run in an Environment. Non-compliant artifacts are flagged. Trusted third-party artifacts can be allowlisted.

Environment Snapshot

A point-in-time capture of the artifacts running in an Environment. Kosli traces each running artifact back to the Flow and Trail that produced it.

Evidence Vault

Secure storage for evidence files attached to attestations (test reports, scan output, approval records). Retrievable on demand for audits.

Flow

A model of a repeatable business or software process (e.g., a CI pipeline, a Terraform workflow) for which you want to track changes and monitor compliance.

Flow Template

The compliance definition for a Flow. It specifies the artifacts and attestations that every Trail in the Flow must contain to be considered compliant. Each Trail can override its Flow’s template.

Organization

The account that owns Kosli resources (Flows, Environments, Policies). Most teams work within a shared organization that maps to their company. Members are invited with specific roles that control access.

Risk

A condition or event in the software delivery lifecycle that could compromise the integrity, security, or compliance posture of your software.

Trail

A single execution of a Flow (e.g., one CI build, one pull request). Each Trail has a unique identifier you choose, such as a git commit SHA or PR number.

Trail Evaluation

The process by which Kosli checks a Trail against its Flow Template to determine whether all required artifacts and attestations are present and compliant.