Contexts

Contexts let you group related MolnOS resources under a shared name. A context represents a logical boundary around a piece of software—an app, a system, a project—giving you a way to organize and manage resources together without imposing rigid hierarchy.

What Is a Context?

A context is a named container with an optional intent (what it’s for) and freeform attributes (metadata). Resources like functions, databases, storage buckets, and sites can all belong to a context.

Unlike organizational models in major clouds (AWS accounts, GCP projects), contexts are a soft boundary. They don’t enforce strong isolation—they’re a way to keep things organized and provide meaning to your landscape. Additionally, these allow you to add a boundary to generate code and configuration to, using the AI generation capabilities in MolnOS.

A default context is always available.

Why Use Contexts?

• Organization: Group the functions, databases, and storage that make up a single application
• AI generation: The AI uses a context’s intent and attributes to understand what you’re building and generate appropriate code
• Lifecycle management: Delete all resources in a context at once when decommissioning
• Visibility: See at a glance what resources belong together

How It Works

API

Contexts are managed through the HTTP API at /contexts/* endpoints.

Create a Context

POST /contexts

{
  "name": "url-shortener",
  "intent": "A URL shortener API with analytics and custom short codes",
  "attributes": {
    "storage": "kv",
    "auth": "apiKey"
  }
}

• name (required) - Unique name, 1-64 characters
• intent (optional) - Human-readable description of purpose, up to 1000 characters
• attributes (optional) - Any JSON object with custom metadata

List Contexts

GET /contexts

Returns all contexts with a summary of associated resources.

Get Context Details

GET /contexts/{contextName}

Returns the context along with its associated resources.

Update a Context

PATCH /contexts/{contextName}

Update the intent or attributes:

{
  "intent": "Updated description of this context",
  "attributes": {
    "auth": "jwt",
    "features": ["rate-limiting"]
  }
}

Delete a Context

DELETE /contexts/{contextName}

Deletes the context. The default context cannot be deleted.

Delete All Resources in a Context

DELETE /contexts/{contextName}/resources

Removes all resources (functions, databases, storage, sites, etc.) associated with the context.

Resource Association

Resources are associated with contexts in three ways:

1. Via IaC: Resources defined in an IaC configuration are automatically registered to the context specified in that config
2. At creation: When deploying a function or creating a database table, pass a context parameter to associate it
3. Automatically: Resources created without an explicit context are placed in the default context

Supported Resource Types

Contexts can contain any other resource types.

Permissions

Context operations require appropriate permissions:

• contexts.context.create - Create new contexts
• contexts.context.get - List and view contexts
• contexts.context.update - Update context intent and attributes
• contexts.context.delete - Delete contexts
• contexts.context.delete-resources - Delete all resources in a context