Principle on C2 Platform

Open, unless

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

C2 Platform starts from openness. Reuse of code, patterns, documentation, and working examples should be the default across Dutch government organizations. A closed alternative must be motivated by security, privacy, legal, or contractual constraints.

This principle matters because it lowers delivery costs, reduces vendor lock-in, and makes collaboration between government organizations and ICT suppliers easier. It also supports the reuse of reference implementation examples, Ansible content, and shared documentation.

Engineer Autonomy

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

C2 Platform assumes that engineers should be able to build, test, and improve automation without waiting for separate infrastructure teams for every change. A strong development environment is therefore not a convenience but a structural requirement.

This principle supports shift-left engineering. It shortens feedback loops, improves learning, and makes teams less dependent on scarce shared environments.

Related Core Concepts

Development Environment

The environment engineers use to build, test, and learn platform automation without long delays.

Everything as Code

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

C2 Platform treats repeatable work as code. Infrastructure, configuration, pipelines, and documentation should be stored in Git, reviewed, versioned, and changed through the same engineering workflow.

This principle intentionally absorbs what might otherwise be phrased as “automation first”. In the C2 Platform context, automation is not a separate preference layered on top of engineering; it is already expressed by treating repeatable work as code. The point is not only to automate tasks, but to make the full delivery model testable, reviewable, and reproducible.

Single Source of Truth

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

C2 Platform uses Git as the authoritative source for automation, configuration, and documentation. What is needed to build, review, or manage a system should be traceable to the repository instead of being spread across mailboxes, tickets, and manual runbooks.

This principle is the platform’s GitOps backbone. It makes collaboration more predictable, simplifies audits, and reduces ambiguity between engineers, managers, and suppliers.

Related Core Concepts

GitLab Ultimate

The collaboration and delivery platform that keeps code, review, and pipelines together.

Learn by Example

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

C2 Platform does not stop at abstract guidance. It offers working examples that engineers, managers, and suppliers can inspect together to understand what a good implementation looks like in practice.

This principle reduces reinvention and makes the platform easier to adopt. Reference implementations turn architecture, automation, and documentation into something concrete that can be copied and adapted.

Related Core Concepts

Reference Implementations

Working examples that show how C2 Platform patterns fit together in practice.