> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.infraglide.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.infraglide.com/visual-canvas-and-pipeline-designer/container-nodes.md).

# Container Nodes & Resource Grouping

A **container node** is a structural canvas element that visually encloses child resources and participates in nesting / inheritance rules. Resource nodes represent provisionable cloud components.

***

### Overview

### ![alt text](/files/BHei8cXGZ7mf6eJN18DJ)

### Node Types on the Canvas

| Node Category       | Description                                                               |
| ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Resource Nodes**  | Ordinary cloud resources (VMs, buckets, databases, networking components) |
| **Container Nodes** | Structural boundaries (VPC, Subnet, Region, Security Tiers)               |

Logical grouping is done with provider container types (and related hierarchy rules).

***

### Common Container Canvas Types

* **Generic / layout:** Region, Zone, Group containers
* **AWS:** VPC, Subnet, Region, Availability Zone, Security Tier, Auto Scaling Group
* **GCP:** VPC Network, Subnet, Region, Zone
* **Azure:** Virtual Network (VNet), Subnet, Container Group

Container items in the Component Library show a **Container** badge with a dashed border.

***

### How Containers Work

1. When you drop or move a node, the designer computes which container's bounds contain the child's **center point**.
2. It picks the **innermost valid** parent according to container hierarchy and invalid-nesting rules.
3. Parent linkage is stored on the node as parent relationship and nesting level metadata.
4. Moving a container moves its descendants with it.
5. Containers are **resizable** — dimensions persist on save.

#### Collapsed Containers

Containers can be **collapsed** to save canvas space:

![alt text](/files/3DzqA7blxWtCcAxZuOFT)

* When collapsed, the container renders at a fixed compact height (\~96 px), showing only the header/label.
* Child nodes inside a collapsed container are **hidden** (not deleted) — they reappear when you expand.
* The pre-collapse dimensions are saved so expanding restores the exact original size.
* Spatial hierarchy (parent/child relationships) is preserved while collapsed — children retain their `parentId` even when hidden.

To collapse or expand a container, use the **collapse control** in the container's chrome/header area.

***

### Why Containers Matter

Placing a resource inside the right container:

* Keeps the topology readable (network tiers, regions, zones).
* Drives **spatial / location inheritance** (region, zone, subnet, VPC, and similar).
* Complements connection-based inheritance for fields such as network IDs.

See [Inheritance & Dynamic Grouping](/visual-canvas-and-pipeline-designer/dynamic-inheritance.md) for field-level behavior and the **Inherited** badge.

***

### Node Action Bar

Hover a node to open the **action bar** (appears directly above or beside the node):

![alt text](/files/MO6DD8sOFnsIQOEdzjEd)

| Action            | Description                                                                       |
| ----------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Configuration** | Open the properties modal to edit resource config                                 |
| **Delete**        | Remove from canvas (and from saved graph on next save)                            |
| **Overflow (…)**  | Additional actions: **Duplicate**, force-replace marks (non-containers), and more |

#### Multi-Select Actions

When multiple nodes are selected, a floating bar appears with:

* Selection count
* **Extract module** — group selected resources into a module
* **Delete selected** — remove all selected nodes

***

### Node Actions Dropdown

In addition to the action bar, some nodes show an **overflow dropdown menu** (⋯ icon) for less-common actions. Click the overflow icon on the action bar to open it. Available options depend on the node type and pipeline state.

![alt text](/files/nws8GkQnBfh5vHGppxCf)

#### Duplicate Node

![alt text](/files/EQ9kXtzsMcSIsQ470cBV)

The **Duplicate** action clones a canvas node (or an entire container with all its nested children) and places the copy offset to the right of the original.

![alt text](/files/RvPpj5GIAlKt7izPLNDx)

* **Resource nodes:** Duplicates a single resource with all its configuration values copied.
* **Container nodes:** Duplicates the container **and all nested child resources** inside it, preserving the full hierarchy.
* The duplicated node is automatically selected after creation.
* A **"Duplicated successfully"** toast confirms the action (e.g. "Container and 3 nested resources duplicated.").
* After duplicating, open **Configuration** on the copy to review and adjust any fields that should differ from the original.

***

### See also

* [Component Library](/visual-canvas-and-pipeline-designer/component-library.md)
* [Inheritance & Dynamic Grouping](/visual-canvas-and-pipeline-designer/dynamic-inheritance.md)
* [Connectors & Dependency Mapping](/visual-canvas-and-pipeline-designer/connectors.md)


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