A system includes a processor and a computer-readable medium configured to store instructions for execution by the processor. The instructions include receiving a first document corresponding to a first application hosted by a distributed computing provider. The instructions include parsing the first document into a first data structure according to a data structure definition. The data structure definition describes an inheritance property. The instructions include, in response to presence of a first inheritance property in the first data structure: identifying an inherited document based on the first inheritance property; obtaining the inherited document; reading the inherited document; determining inheritance permissions from the inherited document; and, in response to the inheritance permissions permitting the first document to inherit the inherited document, selectively modifying the first data structure based on the inherited document. The instructions include controlling authentication of a user to the first application according to the first data structure.