Automated summary
This skill makes the agent act as an Alibaba Cloud network architect that designs VPC, CEN, Express Connect topologies and justifies load balancer choices.
Strengths
- Covers the full Alibaba Cloud connectivity stack: VPC peering, multi-region CEN, Express Connect and Smart Access Gateway.
- Forces a clear split between confirmed facts and inference, and requires flagging connectivity paths that were never verified.
- Defines a concrete minimum output contract (assumptions, VPC topology, CEN design, load balancer rationale, open questions).
- Includes sharp guidance on CLB vs SLB vs ALB vs NLB and on stateful security groups versus stateless network ACLs.
Limitations
- Relies on external references (workflow-and-output, official-sources) whose content is not included in SKILL.md.
- Produces architecture recommendations only, not Terraform, CLI or JSON configuration.
- Scoped to Alibaba Cloud networking services, with no multi-cloud comparison and no detailed cost analysis.
Use it when you need to decide on an Alibaba Cloud network topology, especially multi-VPC, multi-region or hybrid on-premises connectivity.
Avoid it for hands-on deployment or infrastructure-as-code work, or when the target cloud is not Alibaba Cloud.
Security analysis
SafeThe skill is pure architectural guidance text with a read-only tool allowlist (Read, Grep, Glob). It contains no executable commands, no network calls, no credential handling, and no instructions to modify or delete anything. The referenced files (workflow-and-output.md, official-sources.md) are not included in the submission, so they cannot be verified, but nothing in SKILL.md itself is risky.
No concerns found
How this analysis is madeExamples
We have VPCs in Hangzhou, Singapore and Frankfurt that need to talk to each other, plus a shared-services VPC. Design the topology with CEN and tell me which bandwidth packages I need and what to validate before go-live.We're exposing a public HTTPS API with cookie-based session stickiness and WAF in front, plus a low-latency TCP game server. Which Alibaba Cloud load balancers should I use for each and why?Our office needs private access to resources in an Alibaba Cloud VPC without going over the public internet. Compare Smart Access Gateway and Express Connect for this case and flag the open questions.name: alibaba-network-architect description: Design Alibaba Cloud network topology — VPC peering, CEN for multi-VPC/multi-region connectivity, Express Connect for private circuits, SLB/ALB/NLB/CLB load balancer selection, and Smart Access Gateway for branch offices. allowed-tools: Read Grep Glob metadata: author: "github: Raishin" version: "0.1.0" updated: "2026-05-08" category: networking
Alibaba Cloud Network Architect
Purpose
Act as the Alibaba Cloud network architect who designs secure, scalable, and observable network topologies with explicit rationale for every connectivity and load balancing decision.
When to use
Use this skill for:
- VPC design, subnet segmentation, security group and ACL configuration
- CEN (Cloud Enterprise Network) design for multi-VPC and multi-region connectivity
- Express Connect for private circuit (dedicated line) connectivity
- Load balancer selection: CLB vs SLB vs ALB vs NLB
- Smart Access Gateway for branch office SD-WAN connectivity
- Cross-account and cross-region network topology
Lean operating rules
- Prefer official Alibaba Cloud documentation and live evidence over memory or inference.
- Separate confirmed facts from inference. If a connectivity path was not verified, say so.
- Challenge vague security group rules, overly broad CIDR ranges, and untested failover paths.
- Keep answers scoped, traceable, and explicit about trade-offs and open questions.
- Load references only when needed; do not pull all deep guidance into short answers.
Key networking guidance
- VPC peering is per-region only. For cross-region connectivity, CEN (Cloud Enterprise Network) is required — it is Alibaba's Transit Gateway equivalent.
- CEN connects VPCs across regions and accounts via a transit router. Bandwidth packages must be purchased for cross-region traffic.
- Express Connect provides private dedicated circuit connectivity between on-premises and Alibaba Cloud VPCs.
- CLB = legacy classic load balancer (layer-4 and layer-7). SLB = standard managed load balancer. ALB = advanced layer-7 with cookie-based session persistence, URL routing, and WAF integration. NLB = high-performance layer-4 for TCP/UDP with ultra-low latency.
- Smart Access Gateway = SD-WAN appliance or software client for branch office private connectivity.
- Security groups are stateful; Network ACLs are stateless. Apply both for defense-in-depth.
References
Load these only when needed:
- Workflow and output contract — use when executing the full network design or formatting the final topology output.
- Official sources — use when grounding Alibaba Cloud network service behavior or feature claims.
Response minimum
Return, at minimum:
- the connectivity requirements and assumptions,
- the VPC topology recommendation,
- the CEN design for cross-region/cross-account paths,
- the load balancer type selection rationale,
- the open questions that must be resolved before implementation.
From the file to a first result
The download contains exactly the content displayed on this page. This copy may differ from the latest version in the source repository.
View the source and supporting filesThis download contains SKILL.md only. Any scripts, references, templates and dependencies are not included. Get the required files from the source, preserving their directory structure, before continuing.
1. Download the file
Download SKILL.mdFrom the root of a test project, save the file as .skill-downloads/alibaba-cloud-network-architect-mrx3xxlo/SKILL.md, or use the command below. This folder is for inspecting the skill before installation.
Command for macOS/Linux or WSL: requires a POSIX shell and curl. On Windows without WSL, use the download button and create the folder manually.
mkdir -p '.skill-downloads/alibaba-cloud-network-architect-mrx3xxlo' && curl --fail --show-error --location 'https://skills-guides.com/api/skills/alibaba-cloud-network-architect-mrx3xxlo/download' --output '.skill-downloads/alibaba-cloud-network-architect-mrx3xxlo/SKILL.md.part' && mv '.skill-downloads/alibaba-cloud-network-architect-mrx3xxlo/SKILL.md.part' '.skill-downloads/alibaba-cloud-network-architect-mrx3xxlo/SKILL.md'2. Check prerequisites
Read SKILL.md before using it. If it references scripts or external services, inspect them and prepare the required access in your test environment.
Tools declared by the author (check availability in your agent): Read Grep Glob
No recognized prerequisites section in this file. This does not mean it is self-contained: libraries, tools and access requirements may be mentioned elsewhere in the content or source repository.
The platforms on this page are catalog indications. The paths below follow tool documentation; they do not prove this skill has been run in those tools. No minimum tool version is confirmed for this listing.
3. Load the skill
After inspection, copy the complete folder into your project using one of the commands below, then open a new tool session. The command stops if a folder with the same name already exists: compare the files before replacing it.
Claude Code
test -f '.skill-downloads/alibaba-cloud-network-architect-mrx3xxlo/SKILL.md' && test -s '.skill-downloads/alibaba-cloud-network-architect-mrx3xxlo/SKILL.md' && mkdir -p '.claude/skills' && test ! -e '.claude/skills/alibaba-network-architect' && cp -R '.skill-downloads/alibaba-cloud-network-architect-mrx3xxlo' '.claude/skills/alibaba-network-architect'OpenSkills
OpenSkills must already be installed. The local install/read procedure is checked with OpenSkills 1.5.0, which requires Node.js ≥ 20.6.0. Catalog slugs are not resolved automatically.
Official OpenSkills installationopenskills install './.skill-downloads/alibaba-cloud-network-architect-mrx3xxlo'openskills read 'alibaba-cloud-network-architect-mrx3xxlo'Reading should display the installed file content and its base directory. It does not run the skill or install its dependencies.
For an agent that reads AGENTS.md, then sync the index. This command changes AGENTS.md: review the diff before using it.
openskills syncManual method or another tool: attach SKILL.md to a conversation, or open it in an agent that can read files. Include any required supporting resources. No universal folder is recognized by every tool.
4. Try a first task
Use a short, synthetic input: an API endpoint, a small document or an interface brief. In a new conversation, attach the file or give the agent its path, then adapt this request:
Read .skill-downloads/alibaba-cloud-network-architect-mrx3xxlo/SKILL.md and apply its instructions to this example: [describe a test input]. Identify any missing files, dependencies or access. Produce the result requested by the skill without inventing data or running unreviewed scripts.Expected result: output matching the skill instructions, or a precise list of missing prerequisites. A read confirmation alone does not validate a first use. If an external resource is unavailable, that path remains untested.
Configure a Chat Channel with SecretRefs
DevOps
Set up chat channels using non-interactive commands, with secrets only as SecretRefs. Covers gather, mutate, repair, and prove steps for reliable delivery.
Investigate ClickHouse CI Failures
DevOps
Investigate a ClickHouse CI failure end-to-end from a PR or S3 report URL. Fetches failed tests, classifies flaky vs real regression, and checks for existing issues/fixes.
Ansible PR Review
DevOps
Reviews an Ansible PR following the project's standardized process, including changelog checks, test coverage validation, and feedback tracking.