# Blueprints

> A blueprint defines how a resource is provisioned, managed, and torn down

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Site [llms.txt](/llms.txt)

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Published to the Catalog, blueprints make provisioning, orchestration, and lifecycle management in Cloud Management Platform repeatable, automated, and easy to control.

A blueprint defines the build process, discovery/sync logic, management actions, and teardown process for a [resource](/docs/cmp/use/resources/). A blueprint can also be configured not to create a resource when ordered, in which case it only defines the servers to build and the actions to run. See [Blueprints that do not create resources](/docs/cmp/use/blueprints/order/#blueprints-that-do-not-create-resources).

Open a blueprint by selecting its tile in the Catalog.

![Screenshot of a blueprint opened from the Catalog.](/img/cmp/use/blueprints/blueprint.png)

When a resource is ordered, build items can create server tiers, run remote scripts on servers, deploy a pod of containers, make networking changes (such as creating a virtual network or load balancer), email users, connect to external systems, run plugins, and deploy sub-blueprints that create any type of resource (or none). A resource can also be created through [discovery](/docs/cmp/use/blueprints/build/discovery-sync-configuration/).

After a resource is deployed, users can run [resource actions](/docs/cmp/use/orchestration/actions/resource-actions/) to manage it. These are defined either on the blueprint's Management tab (blueprint-specific) or under **Admin** > **Resource Actions** (general-purpose).

When a resource is deleted, actions defined on the blueprint's Teardown tab can clean up external resources, remove DNS entries, and perform other cleanup tasks.

Managers can duplicate a blueprint to create similar versions, and [export and import blueprints](/docs/cmp/use/blueprints/share-and-control-access/export-and-upload/) for version control or to share between development and production environments.

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Section pages:

- [Order blueprints](/docs/cmp/use/blueprints/order/): End users order blueprints from the Catalog, where they see only the blueprints they have permission to order
- [Build blueprints](/docs/cmp/use/blueprints/build/): Configure how blueprints build and deploy servers and resources
- [Customize the order form](/docs/cmp/use/blueprints/customize-order-form/): Tailor the blueprint order form with parameters, sizing options, and ordering for others
- [Share and control access](/docs/cmp/use/blueprints/share-and-control-access/): Control who can order blueprints, and export blueprints for sharing