How to organize objects with groups

Create groups to organize and manage collections of objects in Infrahub. Groups enable bulk operations, access control, and logical organization of your infrastructure data.

Prerequisites

Before starting this guide, ensure you have:

• Access to an Infrahub instance
• Objects already created that you want to group (for example, tags, devices, or locations)
• Appropriate permissions to create and modify groups

Step 1: Create a new group

Choose your preferred method to create a group:

Web Interface

Navigate to Object Management → Groups in the left menu.

Click New Group and provide:

• Group name (for example, TagConfigGroup)
• Optional description
• Group type (Standard or other available types)

GraphQL

Open the GraphQL interface at http://localhost:8000/graphql.

Execute this mutation to create a Standard Group:

mutation CreateGroup {
  CoreStandardGroupCreate (data: {name: {value: "TagConfigGroup"}}) {
    ok
    object {
      hfid
    }
  }
}

Save the returned hfid value - you'll need it for adding members.

Python SDK

from infrahub_sdk import InfrahubClientSync

client = InfrahubClientSync(address="http://localhost:8000")

# Create a new group
group = client.create(
    kind="CoreStandardGroup",
    name="TagConfigGroup"
)
group.save()

Step 2: Add members to the group

Add objects as members of your newly created group:

Web Interface

1. Select your group from the Groups list
2. Navigate to the Members tab
3. Click Add Members
4. Select the objects to include (for example, red and blue tags)
5. Click Save

GraphQL

First, retrieve the IDs of objects you want to add:

query {
  BuiltinTag (name__values: ["red","blue"]) {
    edges {
      node {
        id
        display_label
      }
    }
  }
}

Then add these objects to your group:

mutation UpdateGroupMembers {
  CoreStandardGroupUpdate(
    data: {
      hfid: ["<HFID returned by CreateGroup mutation>"],
      members: [
        {id: "<id of red tag>"},
        {id: "<id of blue tag>"}
      ]
    }
  ) {
    ok
  }
}

Python SDK

# Retrieve the group
group = client.get(kind="CoreStandardGroup", name__value="TagConfigGroup")

# Get the objects to add
red_tag = client.get(kind="BuiltinTag", name__value="red")
blue_tag = client.get(kind="BuiltinTag", name__value="blue")

# Add members to the group
group.members.add(red_tag)
group.members.add(blue_tag)
group.save()

Step 3: Verify group membership

Confirm that your objects have been successfully added to the group:

Web Interface

1. Navigate to Object Management → Groups
2. Select your group (TagConfigGroup)
3. Click the Members tab
4. Verify all expected objects appear in the list

GraphQL

Query the group to see its members:

query {
  CoreStandardGroup(name__value: "TagConfigGroup") {
    edges {
      node {
        name {
          value
        }
        members {
          edges {
            node {
              display_label
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Python SDK

# Retrieve and check group members
group = client.get(kind="CoreStandardGroup", name__value="TagConfigGroup")
members = group.members.get()

for member in members:
    print(f"Member: {member.display_label}")
  </TabItem>
</Tabs>

## Validation

Confirm your group is working correctly:

- ✓ Group appears in the Groups list
- ✓ All intended members are visible in the Members tab
- ✓ Group can be referenced in queries and operations
- ✓ Members inherit any group-level configurations

## Common operations with groups

### Remove members from a group

<Tabs>
  <TabItem value="web" label="Web Interface" default>

1. Navigate to your group's Members tab
2. Select the members to remove
3. Click **Remove from Group**

  </TabItem>

  <TabItem value="graphql" label="GraphQL">

Update the group with a new member list excluding the objects to remove:

```graphql
mutation RemoveGroupMembers {
  CoreStandardGroupUpdate(
    data: {
      hfid: ["TagConfigGroup"],
      members: [
        {id: "<id of remaining member>"}
      ]
    }
  ) {
    ok
  }
}

Delete a group

Web Interface

1. Select the group from the Groups list
2. Click the Delete button
3. Confirm the deletion

GraphQL

mutation DeleteGroup {
  CoreStandardGroupDelete(
    data: {
      hfid: ["TagConfigGroup"]
    }
  ) {
    ok
  }
}

Troubleshooting

If members aren't appearing in your group:

1. Verify the object IDs are correct
2. Check that objects exist and aren't deleted
3. Ensure you have permission to modify both the group and its members
4. Confirm the save/update operation completed successfully

If groups aren't visible:

1. Check your user permissions for group management
2. Verify the group was created in the correct namespace
3. Refresh the interface or clear browser cache

Next steps

• Use groups in artifact definitions
• Apply bulk operations to group members
• Configure permissions and roles