CloudBurn

About CloudBurn

CloudBurn is a specialized FinOps and developer productivity tool designed to shift cloud cost management left in the software development lifecycle. It is engineered for engineering teams utilizing Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) frameworks, specifically Terraform or AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK), to provision and manage AWS resources. The core value proposition of CloudBurn is to prevent expensive infrastructure misconfigurations from ever reaching production by providing real-time, pre-deployment cost visibility directly within the developer's existing workflow. Traditional cloud cost monitoring occurs reactively, often weeks after deployment when the bill arrives, making remediation costly and complex. CloudBurn fundamentally changes this paradigm by integrating seamlessly with GitHub. It automatically analyzes pull requests containing IaC changes, calculates the precise monthly AWS cost impact using live pricing data, and posts a detailed, line-item cost report as a comment in the code review. This empowers developers and reviewers to have informed discussions about cost-efficiency alongside code quality, security, and performance, enabling proactive optimization when changes are trivial to make. By embedding cost intelligence into the CI/CD pipeline, CloudBurn transforms cloud financial management from a reactive, finance-led activity into an automated, engineering-led practice, ensuring cost control is a continuous and collaborative effort.

Features of CloudBurn

Automated Pre-Deployment Cost Analysis

CloudBurn automatically triggers a cost analysis on every pull request that modifies Terraform or AWS CDK configurations. There is no manual intervention required; the tool seamlessly integrates via GitHub Actions to capture the infrastructure diff (terraform plan or cdk diff output) and processes it. This feature ensures that no infrastructure change, regardless of size, escapes financial scrutiny before it is merged and deployed, establishing a consistent and mandatory cost review gate.

Real-Time, Resource-Level AWS Pricing

The tool does not rely on static or estimated pricing tables. CloudBurn fetches real-time pricing data from AWS Price List API for the specific region and service configuration defined in your code. The cost report breaks down the financial impact per resource, showing the current cost (if any) and the new projected monthly cost, providing an unambiguous, line-item view of what each EC2 instance, RDS database, or Fargate task definition will cost.

Integrated GitHub Pull Request Comments

Upon analysis, CloudBurn posts a comprehensive, neatly formatted cost report directly as a comment within the GitHub pull request interface. This places the cost conversation exactly where technical discussions are already happening—among developers, DevOps engineers, and reviewers. The report includes a summary table and detailed breakdowns, making cost data a natural part of the code review checklist without requiring context switching to another dashboard.

Proactive Cost Anomaly Prevention

Beyond simple reporting, CloudBurn acts as an early warning system against cost spirals. By highlighting significant cost increases—such as accidentally provisioning a t3.xlarge instead of a t3.micro—it prevents "surprise bill" scenarios. This feature empowers teams to catch and rectify costly misconfigurations, like over-provisioned resources or unintended use of premium services, during the lowest-cost phase of development: before the infrastructure is ever provisioned.

Use Cases of CloudBurn

Enabling Developer-Led FinOps

CloudBurn operationalizes the FinOps principle of enabling engineering teams to take ownership of cloud costs. It gives developers immediate feedback on the financial consequences of their architectural choices as they code. This transforms cost optimization from a periodic, centralized audit into a continuous, decentralized practice, fostering a culture of cost-awareness where engineers can make smarter, more economical design decisions autonomously.

Streamlining Infrastructure Code Reviews

For team leads and senior engineers reviewing pull requests, CloudBurn provides critical financial context that is typically absent. Reviewers can assess not only if the code is correct and secure but also if it is cost-effective. They can ask questions like, "Is this instance size justified?" or "Could we use a cheaper storage class?" based on concrete dollar figures, leading to more holistic and valuable code reviews.

Preventing Costly Deployment Mistakes

The tool is exceptionally effective at catching accidental, high-cost configurations that slip through manual reviews. Common examples include using overly large instance types, forgetting to enable auto-scaling, misconfiguring data transfer settings, or provisioning resources in an incorrect, more expensive region. CloudBurn surfaces these as clear dollar-amount risks, allowing teams to fix them with a simple code change before deployment.

Accelerating Project Estimation and Planning

When planning new features or services that require infrastructure, teams can use CloudBurn to generate accurate cost estimates during the development phase. By creating a draft pull request with the proposed IaC changes, teams can instantly see the projected monthly run-rate, facilitating more accurate budgeting, resource justification, and architectural comparisons without needing complex spreadsheet models or waiting for a full deployment.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does CloudBurn calculate the costs?

CloudBurn calculates costs by first parsing the output of your Infrastructure-as-Code tool's diff command (terraform plan or cdk diff). It identifies the specific AWS services, their configurations (instance types, storage sizes, etc.), and the target region. It then queries the official AWS Price List API in real-time to fetch the exact On-Demand pricing for those resources. The tool computes a projected monthly cost based on 730 hours of usage (24/7 operation) and presents a detailed breakdown for each added, modified, or removed resource.

Is my code or cloud credentials exposed to CloudBurn?

No, CloudBurn is designed with security as a priority. The tool operates via a GitHub App that you install. Your Terraform plan or CDK diff output is sent securely to CloudBurn's backend for analysis. Importantly, CloudBurn never requires or accesses your AWS credentials, secrets, or direct cloud account permissions. The analysis is performed based on the configuration details in the plan output and public AWS pricing data.

What IaC tools and cloud providers does CloudBurn support?

Currently, CloudBurn provides native and dedicated support for two major Infrastructure-as-Code frameworks: HashiCorp Terraform and the AWS Cloud Development Kit (AWS CDK). The cloud provider support is focused exclusively on Amazon Web Services (AWS), as the tool leverages the AWS Price List API for its real-time calculations. Support for additional providers or frameworks would depend on future development and community demand.

What is the difference between the Community and Pro plans?

Based on the provided context, CloudBurn offers a Community plan and a Pro plan with a 14-day trial. The Community plan is free forever and provides core functionality, likely including basic cost analysis on pull requests. The Pro trial unlocks advanced "Pro features," which typically might include historical cost trend analysis, custom cost policy checks (e.g., flagging resources over a cost threshold), integration with Slack or other chat tools, more detailed reporting, and support for private repositories or larger teams. The Pro plan is billed via a subscription through GitHub.