---
title: "Group equivalence checks"
description: "Check that a file matches across every node in a group."
product: "Guardian"
edition: "Classic"
type: "workflow"
url: "https://docs.cloudhouse.com/guardian/classic/tech-articles/group-equivalence-checks/"
---
# Group equivalence checks

Policies allow you to define desired configuration state. Group Equivalence Checks allow the user to determine if there are any mismatches when applying a policy to many files.

Applies to: `Guardian Classic`

## Group equivalence checks

This check is a powerful one to define on a node group.

The functionality is determined as such:

1. Suppose you have a single CI you wish to monitor across all your nodes in a Node Group, you may contextually right-click on the node view page for that CI, followed by ‘Add to Policy’. You can add it to an existing policy, or create a new one.

    ![Group equivalence checks](https://docs.cloudhouse.com/guardian/classic/assets/images/import-guardian/group-equivalence-checks-2022-12-02/group-equivalence-checks.png)

2. Select ‘Group Equivalence’ if you’re choosing to build a new policy from the context menu.

    ![Group equivalence checks 1](https://docs.cloudhouse.com/guardian/classic/assets/images/import-guardian/group-equivalence-checks-2022-12-02/group-equivalence-checks-1.png)

3. The policy will check that the file will be an exact match across all the same files in the node group, and will complain as a policy failure should there be a mismatch in any of the nodes in the node group that this policy is applied to.