Filters

Filters allow you to narrow down the applicability of a collector/check/track/campaign to a specific set of entities in the Software Catalog. Depending on the collector/check/track/campaign you are working on and the method that you choose to use to configure them - YAML or No-Code UI (NCUI) - there will be different syntax or options available to you. The following sections go over this in detail.

Check filter

You can add a filter either from a No-Code UI or from YAML file.

No-Code UI

When adding a check in No-Code UI one of the steps will allow you to choose the filters, and will show you the list of entities to which the filters will apply.

YAML

When adding a check in YAML you can do it as in the code snippet below.

tip

To be able to easily see what entities your filter will apply to you can create a check in the No-Code UI and then export the YAML.

id: example_check_with_filter
rule:
  all:
    - factRef: catalog:default/entity_descriptor
      path: $.metadata.description
      operator: exists
      value: true
ownerEntityRef: group:default/backstage
name: Example Check With Filter
description: This is a sample check with a check-level filter set.
filter:
  catalog:
    kind:
      - component
    spec.type:
      - service
passedMessage: 'Pass: The entity has a description set in its metadata.'
failedMessage: 'Failed: The entity does not have a description set in its metadata.'

Learn more about check filters here

Track filters

You can add a filter either from a No-Code UI or from YAML file.

No-Code UI

When adding a track in No-Code UI one of the steps will allow you to choose the filters, and will show you the list of entities to which the filters will apply.

YAML

When adding a track in YAML you can do it as in the code snippet below.

tip

To be able to easily see what entities your filter will apply to you can create a track in the No-Code UI and then export the YAML.

- id: test-certified
  name: Test Certified
  ownerEntityRef: group:default/example-owner
  description: >
    Improve quality and reliability of your software component by measuring the use of testing best practices.
  documentationURL: https://www.backstage.io
  filter:
    catalog:
      metadata.tags: java
  levels:
    - ordinal: 1
      checks:
        - id: github_actions_tests_passing
          name: CI/CD Tests passing
          description: >
            The last tests run in GitHub Actions was successful.

Learn more about track filters here

Collector filter

You can add a filter either from a No-Code UI or from YAML file.

No-Code UI

When configuring a collector in No-Code UI one of the steps will allow you to choose the filters, and will show you the list of entities to which the filters will apply.

YAML

When adding a collector in YAML you can do it as in the code snippet below.

---
frequency:
  cron: '0 * * * *'
collects:
  - factName: branch_protections
    type: BranchProtections
    branch: master
    filter:
      - spec.lifecycle: 'production'
        spec.type: 'website'
    cache: false

Learn more about collector filters by picking the collector of your interest here. Then navigate to the filters subsection of that specific collector.

Campaign filter

You can add a filter either from a No-Code UI.

No-Code UI

When adding a campaign in No-Code UI one of the steps will allow you to choose the filters as well as you will see a list of entities to which it will apply.