Structuring tags

When considering structuring tags for AWS resources, it's important to understand that tags are essentially key-value pairs without inherent hierarchical structure. However, you can implement a pseudo-structure or layering within your tagging strategy to enable more complex organization and visualization.

To create a structure similar to a hashmap, you can use prefixes or namespaces in your tag keys. For example, you might use a format like "organization:department:function" for your tag keys. This approach allows you to create a logical hierarchy within the flat key-value structure of tags.

To implement layering or topology in your tagging strategy, consider the following approaches:

1. Use consistent prefixes: Implement a standardized format for your tag keys, such as using lowercase letters and hyphens. You could also add a prefix to identify your organization, like "companyname-department-function".

2. Create tag families: Group related tags together by using common prefixes. For instance, all cost-related tags could start with "cost-", while all security-related tags could start with "security-".

3. Implement tag dependencies: Although tags don't have built-in dependencies, you can create logical relationships between tags in your strategy. For example, if you have a tag for "environment", you might require certain additional tags for production environments.

4. Use nested key-value pairs: While not natively supported, you can simulate nested structures by using delimiters in your tag values. For example, a tag key "metadata" could have a value like "owner:john|department:it|cost-center:123".

5. Leverage Resource Groups: AWS Resource Groups allow you to create logical groupings of resources based on tags or portions of tags, which can help in visualizing relationships between resources.

When implementing your tagging strategy, it's crucial to start small and iterate. Begin with your immediate priorities and expand the tagging schema as needed. Assign clear ownership and responsibilities for different aspects of the tagging strategy within your organization.

For visualization purposes, you can use the structured tag data to create custom dashboards or reports. Tools like AWS Resource Groups and Tag Editor can help consolidate and view data for applications that consist of multiple services, resources, and regions in one place.

Remember that while these approaches can help create a more structured tagging system, it's important to balance complexity with usability. Ensure that your tagging strategy remains clear and manageable for all stakeholders involved.

Sources
Building your tagging strategy - Best Practices for Tagging AWS Resources
Best practices and strategies - Tagging AWS Resources and Tag Editor
Defining needs and use cases - Best Practices for Tagging AWS Resources
What are tags? - Best Practices for Tagging AWS Resources