net-kingdom/docs/architecture/net-kingdom_v0.1.md

---
id: net-kingdom-architecture
title: "NetKingdom architecture"
status: proposed
owner: net-kingdom
revision: "draft-3"
version: "0.1"
last_reviewed: "2026-08-31"
review_interval: 6m
---

# NetKingdom — Software Architecture Documentation (arc42)

## About this document

First-wave arc42 for NetKingdom: the estate's identity and tenancy
security core. Chapter 9 lists governing ADRs and standards; it does
not paste them.

---

## 1. Introduction and Goals

NetKingdom is the open security core for DevSecOps on Kubernetes. It
owns identity, tenancy posture, and the contracts that flex-auth,
key-cape, tenant-engine, and railiance workloads implement.

### 1.1 Requirements Overview

- One IAM profile, versioned, owned here.
- Tenancy described as graduated axes, not a single on/off switch.
- Workload packaging and credential vending have explicit boundaries.

### 1.2 Quality Goals

1. Provider-neutral identity contract.
2. Recursive multi-tenant authorization that implementers can declare.
3. Honest about what is not there yet (Tenancy Posture).

### 1.3 Stakeholders

| Role | Concern |
| --- | --- |
| net-kingdom | Canon owner for identity and tenancy. |
| flex-auth / key-cape / tenant-engine | Implementers of the contracts. |
| railiance-master | Workload packaging on the rail. |
| the-custodian | Federation; does not redefine these concepts. |

---

## 2. Architecture Constraints

N/A for this stub.

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## 3. System Scope and Context

**In:** IAM profile, tenancy posture, tenant/user-engine boundaries,
credential management, playbook capability contract, NetKingdom ADRs.
**Out:** publication (policy-nexus), rail runtime (railiance), estate
work-factory (the-custodian).

### 3.1 Business Context

Security here is dynamic and adversarial. The system exists so
implementers share one contract instead of copying a neighbour.

### 3.2 Technical Context

Consumers: flex-auth, key-cape, tenant-engine, audit-core, rApps.
Published today: Tenancy Posture
`/standards/tenancy-posture/v0.1/`.

---

## 4. Solution Strategy

N/A for this stub — recursive multi-tenant identity (ADR-0006) and the
IAM profile ownership rule (ADR-0011) are the spine.

---

## 5. Building Block View

### 5.1 Level 1 – System/Top-Level

N/A for this stub.

---

## 6. Runtime View

N/A for this stub.

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## 7. Deployment View

N/A for this stub.

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## 8. Cross-Cutting Concepts

N/A for this stub.

---

## 9. Architecture Decisions

| Publication id | Status | Decision or standard |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `netkingdom-tenancy-posture` | proposed | Graduated multi-tenancy posture. |
| `netkingdom-iam-profile-v0.3` | accepted | Current provider-neutral identity contract. |
| `netkingdom-posture-feedback-v0.1` | proposed | Governed posture feedback. |
| `netkingdom-emission-cadence-security-profile-v0.1` | proposed | NetKingdom evidence-cadence obligations; owner-instance migration pending. |
| `netkingdom-security-layer-model-v0.7` | accepted | Current security-layer interaction model. |
| `netkingdom-security-scenario-composition-v0.1` | proposed | Security scenario composition. |
| `netkingdom-security-zones-v0.1` | proposed | Security-zone vocabulary and boundaries. |
| `NK-ADR-0006` | accepted | Recursive multi-tenant identity and authorization. |
| `NK-ADR-0007` | accepted | Security orchestration boundary. |
| `NK-ADR-0008` | accepted | Object-storage STS credential vending. |
| `NK-ADR-0010` | accepted | Orchestration, dependency, and self-coherent intent. |
| `NK-ADR-0011` | accepted | IAM Profile ownership and version governance. |
| `NK-ADR-0012` | accepted | Playbook capability-contract ownership. |
| `NK-ADR-0013` | accepted | Tenant onboarding grouping taxonomy. |
| `NK-ADR-0014` | accepted | Tenant capability roles and tenant-engine ownership. |
| `NK-ADR-0015` | accepted | Railiance workload packaging and relational platform. |

Custodian ADR-008 is superseded by Tenancy Posture and is not current.

---

## 10. Quality Requirements

N/A for this stub.

---

## 11. Risks and Technical Debt

N/A for this stub. The IAM Profile publication id is now globally qualified.

---

## 12. Glossary

| Term | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| IAM Profile | Provider-neutral OIDC contract owned here. |
| Tenancy Posture | Graduated axes for describing multi-tenancy. |
| Tenant-engine | Lifecycle and capability roles for tenants. |