Federated Inventory
You build a federated inventory by linking asset data across separate accounts without copying records. Teams set up cross-account read roles so a central catalog queries local lists directly. Most teams start by granting broad read roles to a shared scanner service. When those roles are too wide, one bad query can expose private tables across accounts. How a federated inventory works in practice A central catalog needs to know what databases, servers, and clusters exist in each account. Copy
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You build a federated inventory by linking asset data across separate accounts without copying records. Teams set up cross-account read roles so a central catalog queries local lists directly. Most teams start by granting broad read roles to a shared scanner service. When those roles are too wide, one bad query can expose private tables across accounts.
How a federated inventory works in practice
A central catalog needs to know what databases, servers, and clusters exist in each account. Copying all resource metadata into one giant database creates stale records and sync errors. Instead, each cloud account keeps ownership of its local asset list and tags. The central system uses cross-account identity trust to read those local lists on demand.
First, admins create an identity trust between the main catalog account and each member account. They assign a read-only role in each member account for the central scanner. Next, the central app assumes that role when it needs to check current resources. It queries the local APIs or catalog tables and joins the results in memory. Teams get a unified view of all assets while each team manages its own account.
Where native cross-account roles fall short
Native cloud roles solve the basic problem of who can log in across accounts. They let the central service log in without sharing static keys or long-lived passwords. They also keep resource tags close to the teams that actually build the apps.
Still, native setup rules only check identity at the start of a session. Once a user or service assumes a federated role, the cloud provider steps back. The native role cannot inspect individual queries or commands while they run in flight. If an engineer uses that shared role to inspect a database, they get full visibility. They might run a wide query that returns emails, phone numbers, or card numbers. Native role policies also fail to log the exact statements run inside each database session. Security teams see that a role was assumed, but they miss the actual data queries.
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Securing live sessions across federated accounts
To fix this gap, teams must separate resource discovery from live data queries. A catalog scanner only needs to read resource names, owners, and network tags. Engineers and automated tools need much stricter controls when they query the actual data stores.
Instead of giving engineers broad cross-account roles, teams should control access at the command level. Every query against a listed database should pass through a check before it runs. Masking rules can rewrite matched fields like national IDs or emails in query results. Approval rules can pause risky commands until a peer reviews the request in chat. Detailed audit logs should record every query and connect it to a real user identity. This approach keeps the catalog open for discovery while keeping the underlying data safe.
Check database and API queries on the wire
Identity tools, roles, and network rules decide who opens a session. Setup alone cannot check what each query does or mask sensitive values in a response once a session starts. When workflows touch Postgres, MySQL, SQL Server, MongoDB, ClickHouse, Kubernetes APIs, SSH, or internal HTTP APIs, hoop.dev runs beside those services as an open-source proxy, a sidecar for your Postgres or API. It inspects requests coming in and results going back on the wire.
Your login details and client tools stay as they are while hoop.dev guardrails refuse bad deletes or drops before they run. On responses, hoop.dev data masking rewrites matched sensitive values in memory. Furthermore, hoop.dev holds SOC 2 Type II, is MIT licensed, and writes every query and decision to an audit trail that generates evidence for HIPAA, GDPR, and PCI DSS. See the source on GitHub.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a centralized and a federated inventory?
A centralized catalog copies all asset data into one master database on a schedule. A federated setup leaves data in local accounts and queries it live when needed.
Do cross-account roles protect sensitive data inside databases?
No, cloud roles only control which services or users can log in to an account. They do not filter query results or rewrite emails and card numbers in tables.
How do teams audit actions across multiple federated accounts?
Teams map every session back to a single user in their main identity provider. They also log every command and query at the database level rather than role logins.