Output Formats¶

IAM Policy Validator supports multiple output formats for different use cases.

Available Formats¶

Format	Flag	Use Case
Console	`--format console`	Interactive terminal (default)
Enhanced	`--format enhanced`	Colorful detailed output
JSON	`--format json`	Automation and parsing
SARIF	`--format sarif`	Security tools integration
Markdown	`--format markdown`	Documentation
HTML	`--format html`	Reports and sharing
CSV	`--format csv`	Spreadsheet analysis

Console (Default)¶

Rich terminal output with colors and formatting.

iam-validator validate --path policy.json

Enhanced¶

More detailed colorful output with expanded information.

iam-validator validate --path policy.json --format enhanced

JSON¶

Machine-readable JSON for automation.

iam-validator validate --path policy.json --format json

Sample Output:

{
  "summary": {
    "total_policies": 1,
    "valid_policies": 0,
    "invalid_policies": 1,
    "total_issues": 2,
    "issues_by_severity": {
      "high": 1,
      "medium": 1
    }
  },
  "results": [
    {
      "policy_file": "policy.json",
      "is_valid": false,
      "issues": [
        {
          "severity": "high",
          "issue_type": "service_wildcard",
          "message": "Statement uses service wildcard 'iam:*' which grants all IAM permissions",
          "statement_index": 0,
          "action": "iam:*",
          "suggestion": "Replace with specific actions needed for your use case"
        },
        {
          "severity": "medium",
          "issue_type": "wildcard_resource",
          "message": "Statement applies to all resources (*)",
          "statement_index": 0,
          "suggestion": "Replace wildcard with specific resource ARNs"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Use Cases:

CI/CD pipelines that parse results programmatically
Integration with monitoring and alerting systems
Custom reporting tools and dashboards
Storing results in databases for historical analysis

SARIF¶

Static Analysis Results Interchange Format for security tools.

iam-validator validate --path policy.json --format sarif > results.sarif

Sample Output:

{
  "$schema": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/oasis-tcs/sarif-spec/master/Schemata/sarif-schema-2.1.0.json",
  "version": "2.1.0",
  "runs": [
    {
      "tool": {
        "driver": {
          "name": "iam-policy-validator",
          "informationUri": "https://github.com/boogy/iam-policy-validator",
          "rules": [
            {
              "id": "service_wildcard",
              "name": "ServiceWildcard",
              "shortDescription": {
                "text": "Checks for service-level wildcards"
              },
              "defaultConfiguration": {
                "level": "error"
              }
            }
          ]
        }
      },
      "results": [
        {
          "ruleId": "service_wildcard",
          "level": "error",
          "message": {
            "text": "Statement uses service wildcard 'iam:*'"
          },
          "locations": [
            {
              "physicalLocation": {
                "artifactLocation": {
                  "uri": "policy.json"
                },
                "region": {
                  "startLine": 5
                }
              }
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Compatible with:

GitHub Code Scanning (upload with github/codeql-action/upload-sarif)
VS Code SARIF Viewer extension
Azure DevOps Security Dashboard
SonarQube and other security platforms

Use Cases:

GitHub Security tab integration for pull request checks
Centralized security scanning dashboards
IDE integration for real-time feedback
Compliance reporting with standardized format

Markdown¶

Markdown format for documentation and PRs.

iam-validator validate --path policy.json --format markdown

Sample Output:

# IAM Policy Validation Report

## Summary

| Metric           | Value |
| ---------------- | ----- |
| Total Policies   | 1     |
| Valid Policies   | 0     |
| Invalid Policies | 1     |
| Total Issues     | 2     |

## Results

### policy.json

**Status:** Invalid

#### Issues

| Severity | Type              | Message                                                                   |
| -------- | ----------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| high     | service_wildcard  | Statement uses service wildcard 'iam:\*' which grants all IAM permissions |
| medium   | wildcard_resource | Statement applies to all resources (\*)                                   |

**Suggestions:**

- Replace `iam:*` with specific actions needed for your use case
- Replace wildcard with specific resource ARNs

Use Cases:

GitHub Pull Request comments (via --github-comment flag)
Documentation generation for policy audits
Embedding results in wiki pages or READMEs
Email reports for stakeholders

HTML¶

HTML report for sharing and archiving.

iam-validator validate --path policy.json --format html > report.html

Features:

Self-contained HTML file (no external dependencies)
Collapsible sections for large reports
Color-coded severity indicators
Sortable issue tables
Print-friendly styling

Use Cases:

Sharing validation results with non-technical stakeholders
Archiving compliance reports for audits
Embedding in internal documentation portals
Generating periodic security assessment reports

CSV¶

CSV export for spreadsheet analysis.

iam-validator validate --path ./policies/ --format csv > issues.csv

Sample Output:

policy_file,statement_index,severity,issue_type,message,action,resource,suggestion
policy.json,0,high,service_wildcard,"Statement uses service wildcard 'iam:*'",iam:*,*,"Replace with specific actions"
policy.json,0,medium,wildcard_resource,"Statement applies to all resources (*)","",*,"Replace with specific ARNs"
admin-policy.json,1,critical,full_wildcard,"Statement allows all actions on all resources",*,*,"Apply least-privilege"

Use Cases:

Import into Excel, Google Sheets, or other spreadsheet tools
Data analysis and trend tracking over time
Bulk issue triage and assignment
Integration with ticketing systems (Jira, ServiceNow)
Creating pivot tables for executive summaries

Format Selection Guide¶

Format	Best For	Output Destination
Console	Interactive development and debugging	Terminal
Enhanced	Detailed review with context	Terminal
JSON	CI/CD pipelines, automation, APIs	Files, stdout
SARIF	GitHub Security, IDE integration, security tools	Files, GitHub Actions
Markdown	Pull request comments, documentation	GitHub, wikis, docs
HTML	Reports for stakeholders, compliance audits	Browser, email, archives
CSV	Spreadsheet analysis, bulk processing, data export	Excel, databases