# `cube_validate()`

**Category:** Validation and inspection
**Status:** experimental

## Purpose

Diagnose the logical header, backend, metadata, coordinates, and temporal
contract of an `ocean_cube` without sorting, deduplicating, or repairing it.

## Real signature

```r
cube_validate(x, strict = FALSE)
```

The result is an `oceancube_validation` data frame with one row per check.
`strict = TRUE` assembles the complete report and then raises an
`oceancube_validation_error` if any check fails. The NetCDF path never reads a
complete data payload.

## Backend and dimensions

Memory and lazy local NetCDF cubes are supported. Validation preserves the
canonical `longitude × latitude × depth × time × variable` object and returns
a report rather than a transformed cube.

## Minimal executable check

```r
library(oceancube)
stopifnot(identical(names(formals(cube_validate)), c("x", "strict")))
```

Use `cube_inspect()` next for a compact descriptive summary.