# Steampipe made huge leaps forward in 2022!

> Here's a month-by-month review of the highlights.

By Steampipe Team
Published: 2022-12-21


It's been a busy year. We launched Steampipe Cloud, pioneered "dashboards-as-code," enabled snapshots for both [Steampipe Cloud](https://steampipe.io/blog/using-steampipe-cloud-snapshots) and [Steampipe CLI](https://steampipe.io/blog/release-0-17-0), and -- with the help of our community -- expanded our suites of plugins and mods. The year began with 50 plugins and 18 mods. We end the year with [90 plugins](https://hub.steampipe.io/plugins) and [37 mods](https://hub.steampipe.io/mods), many of which use dashboards -- also new this year -- to visualize [benchmarks](https://hub.steampipe.io/mods?objectives=compliance) and [queries](https://hub.steampipe.io/mods?objectives=dashboards).

 Here are some of the highlights month-by-month.

## January

In the first week of the new year we quietly launched the initial preview of [cloud.steampipe.io](https://cloud.steampipe.io). From a cold start with Steampipe CLI you can see your first batch of query results in a few minutes. Steampipe Cloud can get you there in seconds. 

There's nothing to install, of course, but it's also easier to add plugins and set up connections. And once you've created a connection you can share it with team members in your [organization](https://steampipe.io/docs/cloud/organizations).

## February

Three new Terraform compliance mods -- for [AWS](https://hub.steampipe.io/mods/turbot/terraform_aws_compliance), [Azure](https://hub.steampipe.io/mods/turbot/terraform_azure_compliance), and [GCP](https://hub.steampipe.io/mods/turbot/terraform_gcp_compliance) -- enable  [belt-and-suspenders security](https://www.infoworld.com/article/3659794/do-your-aws-deployments-match-your-terraform-definitions-use-sql-to-find-out.html). 


## March

[Steampipe dashboards](https://steampipe.io/blog/release-0-13-0) arrive! We shipped an initial set of [Insights](https://hub.steampipe.io/mods?objectives=dashboard) mods with dozens of dashboards for AWS, Azure, and GCP. And we showed you how to use the *dashboards-as-code* system to visualize your own queries by [writing HCL + SQL](https://steampipe.io/docs/mods/writing-dashboards). 

## April

The entire suite of plugins is upgraded to version 3 of the [plugin SDK](https://github.com/turbot/steampipe-plugin-sdk) which adds support for two new column types: [inet](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/15/functions-net.html) and [ltree](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/ltree.html).

## May

[Steampipe v14](https://steampipe.io/blog/release-0-14-0) arrives. Now Steampipe uses Postgres 14 and runs plugins natively on Mac M1.

Benchmarks can now run automatically as dashboards. 

## June

[Steampipe v15](https://steampipe.io/blog/release-0-15-0) delivers progress bars for dashboards, [Open Telemetry](https://opentelemetry.io/) for better observability, and a bevy of quality-of-life improvements. 

The pace of community activity increases, with notable contributions from [François de Metz](https://github.com/francois2metz), [harlequin](https://github.com/harlequin), [Jelmer Borst](https://github.com/japborst), [Mark Heiges](https://github.com/mheiges), [Miles Smith](https://gitlab.com/wedtm), and [srgg](https://github.com/srgg).

## July

Gruntwork adopts Steampipe to deliver [continuous compliance as a service](https://steampipe.io/blog/gruntwork) to customers who deploy infrastructure using its IaC library.

Also, as in every month, a steady cadence of improvement. New plugins [Crowdstrike](https://hub.steampipe.io/plugins/turbot/crowdstrike), [Trivy](https://hub.steampipe.io/plugins/turbot/trivy), and [Vercel](https://hub.steampipe.io/plugins/turbot/vercel). A dozen new AWS tables. NIST 800-171 benchmark added to [AWS Compliance](https://hub.steampipe.io/mods/turbot/aws_compliance). Google OAuth support for Steampipe Cloud. New GitHub tables thanks to [japborst](https://github.com/turbot/steampipe-plugin-github/commit/684095bcb50309f898f8eeaae9dea034ccdf65f0). [net_http_request](https://steampipe.io/blog/steampipe-is-an-http-client) added to the [Net](https://hub.steampipe.io/plugins/turbot/net) plugin. [AWS Perimeter](https://hub.steampipe.io/mods/turbot/aws_perimeter) debuts. 

## August

[Steampipe v16](https://steampipe.io/blog/release-0-16-0) dramatically shrinks the memory footprint when running queries, benchmarks, and dashboards across hundreds of accounts. 

The [AWS Compliance mod](https://hub.steampipe.io/mods/turbot/aws_compliance) gains five new benchmarks: 
[GxP 21 CFR Part 11](https://hub.steampipe.io/mods/turbot/aws_compliance/controls/benchmark.gxp_21_cfr_part_11"),
[GxP EU Annex 11](https://hub.steampipe.io/mods/turbot/aws_compliance/controls/benchmark.gxp_eu_annex_11),
[NIST 800-171 Revision 2](https://hub.steampipe.io/mods/turbot/aws_compliance/controls/benchmark.nist_800_171_rev_2),
[CISA Cyber Essentials](https://hub.steampipe.io/mods/turbot/aws_compliance/controls/benchmark.cisa_cyber_essentials), and
[Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC)](https://hub.steampipe.io/mods/turbot/aws_compliance/controls/benchmark.ffiec).

## September

Benchmarks and dashboards can now run [in Steampipe Cloud](https://steampipe.io/blog/steampipe-cloud-mods). The Center for Internet Security releases AWS CIS v1.5, we break down the most important questions to ask, and how to answer them using the new [CIS v1.5 controls](https://steampipe.io/blog/cis-v15-aws-benchmark).

## October

[Hacktoberbest](https://steampipe.io/blog/hacktoberfest-2022-recap)! Thanks again to GitHub users akumar-99, aminvielledebatAtBedrock, anushas-dev, AnykeyNL, asfaltboy, ashishsecdev, breck7, daeho-ro, digitalisx, fabpot, francois2metz, giant995, hannesfant, heav1811, hiepph, iamksgokul, jdenoy, kaggrwal, lakshyatyagi24, MichaelGraff, michizhou, mikoiv, Mr-Destructive, raksit31667, Santhusha-bit, SaumyaBhushan, sneakernuts, sriram-km, sudocurse, and tnorthcutt.

In Steampipe Cloud you can now [take snapshots](https://steampipe.io/blog/using-steampipe-cloud-snapshots) of benchmarks and dashboards, then view them, save them, and share them with your team.

## November

The [v17 release](https://steampipe.io/blog/release-0-17-0) drops the other shoe. Now Steampipe CLI can take snapshots and push them up to Steampipe Cloud. To help you keep track of your cloud workspaces, you can now use [workspace profiles](https://steampipe.io/docs/managing/workspaces).

We publish a [case study](https://steampipe.io/blog/kpis-as-code) on CMD Solutions' *KPIs as code* approach to continuous assurance .

## December

This month we're heads down building some exciting new features that we're not *quite* ready to show. Thanks to all who used and supported Steampipe in 2022. Your engagement fuels our passion to keep innovating, and will continue to inspire us in the coming year.