Deploy Prefix

Every deployment gets a unique 8-character hex prefix (e.g., a3f27b1d) that is prepended to new cloud resource names. This prevents name collisions between deployments sharing the same cloud account.

How It Works

1. On first plan or apply, Kyku generates a random 8-character hex prefix.
2. The prefix is stored in StateFile.metadata.prefix.
3. All new resources have the prefix prepended to their name: a3f27b1d-web-server.
4. The prefix persists across subsequent runs — it’s reused from state.

What Gets Prefixed

Resource name properties are proxied automatically:

const vm = new Vm({ id: 'vm-web', name: 'web-server' });
// In provider code:  resource.name === "a3f27b1d-web-server"

The prefix is applied via a deep proxy — nested references also get correct names:

const vm = new Vm({
  network: vpc,   // vpc.name is also proxied
  securityGroups: [sg], // sg.name is also proxied
});

Existing Resources

Resources already tracked in state keep their original cloud names (whether prefixed or not). Only resources not yet in state get the prefix applied. This ensures backward compatibility with existing deployments.

Custom Prefix

You can set a custom prefix via EngineOptions.deployPrefix:

const engine = new KykuEngine({
  deployPrefix: 'myteam',
});

Or use the --deploy-prefix flag if exposed by the CLI (otherwise, custom prefixes require using the engine API directly).

Impact on Providers

Providers don’t need changes — they receive resources with already-prefixed names via the proxy. All instanceof checks work correctly (the proxy preserves the prototype chain).

Name Length

The prefix adds 9 characters (8 hex + dash). Account for this when naming resources:

Provider	Name Limit	Safe Name Length
Hetzner	63 chars	54 chars
AWS VPC	varies	~50 chars
AWS ALB	32 chars	23 chars
GCP	62 chars	53 chars
DigitalOcean	255 chars	246 chars