CloudBurn

About CloudBurn

CloudBurn is a proactive cost intelligence platform designed for engineering and infrastructure teams using Terraform or AWS CDK. It fundamentally shifts the paradigm of cloud cost management from reactive bill-shock to proactive, pre-deployment decision-making. The core problem it solves is the costly delay between deploying infrastructure and discovering its financial impact, which typically happens weeks later on the monthly AWS bill. By then, resources are already running, money is spent, and making changes is complex and risky.

CloudBurn integrates directly into the developer workflow, specifically within GitHub pull requests. When a developer proposes changes to infrastructure-as-code, CloudBurn automatically analyzes the diff using real-time AWS pricing data. It then generates a detailed cost report and posts it as a comment in the pull request. This report shows a clear, line-item breakdown of the monthly cost impact for each new or modified resource, comparing it to the existing state. This creates an essential feedback loop, enabling teams to discuss, understand, and optimize costs during the code review phase—when changes are cheapest and easiest to implement. Its primary value proposition is preventing expensive infrastructure mistakes before they ever reach production, transforming cost visibility from a finance-led, backward-looking exercise into an integral part of the engineering process.

Features of CloudBurn

Automated Pull Request Cost Analysis

CloudBurn automatically triggers a cost analysis on every pull request containing Terraform or AWS CDK changes. There is no manual intervention required from developers or FinOps teams. The system detects the infrastructure diff, processes it, and posts a comprehensive cost report directly within the GitHub conversation. This seamless integration ensures that cost considerations are never an afterthought and are consistently evaluated as part of the standard code review lifecycle for every infrastructure change.

Real-Time, Resource-Level Cost Breakdown

The platform provides granular, actionable cost data. Its reports do not show vague, aggregated estimates. Instead, they list each individual resource affected by the change—such as specific EC2 instances or Fargate tasks—alongside its current cost, its proposed new monthly cost, and the delta. Each resource includes a detailed breakdown showing the exact AWS pricing component, region, and usage type used for the calculation, providing complete transparency and traceability for every dollar in the forecast.

Integration via GitHub Actions

CloudBurn leverages the native extensibility of GitHub through custom Actions. Teams install a dedicated Action for their IaC tool (e.g., "Terraform Plan PR Commenter" or "AWS CDK Diff PR Commenter") into their CI/CD workflow. This Action captures the plan or diff output and securely sends it to CloudBurn for pricing analysis. This design keeps billing and permissions 100% managed through GitHub, requiring no separate AWS credentials or complex IAM setup for the CloudBurn service itself.

Proactive Cost Guardrails & Visibility

The tool establishes a proactive financial feedback loop directly within the engineering team's workflow. By surfacing cost data at the point of creation, it empowers developers to make cost-aware decisions. Teams can set informal guardrails or formal approval gates based on the cost delta reported in the PR. This shifts cost optimization left in the development cycle, preventing the deployment of misconfigured or unnecessarily expensive resources and stopping cost overruns before they occur.

Use Cases of CloudBurn

Preventing Costly Misconfigurations in Development

A developer working on a new feature inadvertently specifies a t3.xlarge EC2 instance in a Terraform module when a t3.micro would suffice for testing. Without CloudBurn, this would deploy unnoticed, adding over $130 monthly to the bill. With CloudBurn, the cost report in the PR immediately flags the $133.15 monthly increase, prompting a discussion during review and allowing the developer to correct the instance type before merging, preventing the waste.

Enabling Informed Architectural Decisions During Code Review

A team is debating two different architectural approaches for a new service: using EC2 instances versus AWS Fargate. By creating pull requests for each implementation, CloudBurn provides immediate, comparable monthly cost estimates for both scenarios right in the GitHub discussion. This allows the team to weigh performance, operational overhead, and cost objectively during the design phase, leading to a more optimal and financially sound decision.

Streamlining FinOps for Engineering Teams

FinOps practitioners struggle with manual spreadsheets and lagging cost data. CloudBurn automates the initial cost estimation process, providing developers with immediate financial context. This reduces the back-and-forth between engineering and finance, allows FinOps to focus on strategic initiatives rather than forensic bill analysis, and embeds financial accountability directly into the teams that control the spending.

Managing Infrastructure Scaling and Updates

When a team needs to scale up a production database instance or upgrade to a newer, more powerful instance family, the cost implications are often unclear. CloudBurn analyzes the Terraform change that modifies the instance type and provides a precise forecast of the new monthly cost. This allows for budget approval and financial planning to be completed in parallel with the technical change, ensuring no surprises.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does CloudBurn calculate the costs?

CloudBurn calculates costs by analyzing the output of your terraform plan or cdk diff command. It parses the resource definitions and configurations from this output and queries real-time AWS Pricing API data for your specific region. It then computes the estimated monthly cost based on standard on-demand pricing for the resources as they are configured to run 24/7, providing a clear and consistent forecast.

Is my Terraform plan or AWS CDK code sent to CloudBurn servers?

Only the essential diff output, containing resource types and configurations necessary for pricing, is sent securely from the GitHub Action to CloudBurn's analysis service. Your full source code or repository access is not required or accessed. The integration is designed with security in mind, handling all authentication and permissions through your GitHub installation.

Can CloudBurn analyze costs for existing infrastructure?

The primary focus of CloudBurn is on analyzing changes proposed in pull requests. It compares the proposed state against the current state (often the main branch) to show the delta. For a comprehensive view of existing infrastructure costs, you would use AWS Cost Explorer or similar tools. CloudBurn is specifically for pre-deployment change analysis.

What happens after the 14-day Pro trial ends?

After the 14-day Pro trial, you can choose to subscribe to the Pro plan for continued access to all features, including unlimited cost analyses. If you choose not to subscribe, your account will automatically revert to the free Community plan, which offers core functionality with certain usage limits, allowing you to continue using CloudBurn at no cost forever.