CloudBurn

CloudBurn is a proactive FinOps platform engineered for modern engineering teams who build with Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) tools like Terraform and AWS CDK. It directly tackles the all-too-common nightmare of unpredictable and spiraling cloud bills by shifting cost governance left, directly into the developer workflow. The core mission is to empower developers and platform engineers with real-time, actionable cost intelligence before code merges and deploys, transforming cloud cost management from a reactive, finance-led burden into a proactive, engineering-led practice. By seamlessly integrating with GitHub, CloudBurn automatically analyzes pull requests, calculates the precise dollar impact of infrastructure changes, and posts a clear cost report as a comment. This creates an immediate feedback loop, enabling teams to catch misconfigurations—like accidentally provisioning a dozen expensive instances—while the change is still under review. For startups and scaling companies, this isn't just about cost savings; it's about fostering a culture of financial responsibility and innovation, where every engineer has the visibility to make cost-aware architectural decisions, leading to immediate ROI and sustainable, efficient growth.

Automated Pre-Deployment Cost Analysis

CloudBurn automatically scans every pull request containing Terraform or AWS CDK changes, generating a detailed, line-item cost report in seconds. It compares the proposed infrastructure against the current state, showing the exact monthly cost delta for each new or modified resource. This eliminates manual spreadsheet estimation and provides developers with instant, contextual feedback on the financial impact of their code, right where they work.

Seamless GitHub Integration

The platform is built for developer velocity and integrates 100% through GitHub. Setup is secure and permission-based, handled directly via the GitHub Marketplace. Once installed, CloudBurn works silently in the background, requiring no complex configuration or context switching. Cost reports appear as native PR comments, making cost awareness a natural part of the existing code review and CI/CD process without disrupting team workflow.

Real-Time AWS Pricing Data

CloudBurn pulls from the latest AWS pricing APIs to ensure every estimate is accurate and up-to-date. The analysis accounts for specific instance types, regions, and service configurations (like Fargate vCPU/memory allocations), providing precise cost calculations. This means teams can trust the numbers they see, enabling confident decision-making based on current market rates, not outdated or generalized estimates.

Proactive Cost Anomaly Prevention

By surfacing cost changes during the PR review phase, CloudBurn acts as an early warning system against budget-busting mistakes. It helps prevent costly misconfigurations—such as selecting an overly large instance type, forgetting to enable auto-scaling, or provisioning redundant resources—from ever reaching production. This proactive catch saves significant rework, avoids surprise bills, and establishes a scalable foundation for automated FinOps.

Enabling Developer-Led FinOps

Engineering teams can embed cost accountability directly into their development lifecycle. Developers gain autonomy and immediate feedback on their infrastructure choices, allowing them to optimize for cost-efficiency alongside performance and reliability. This shifts the FinOps model from a central gatekeeping function to a distributed, empowered practice, accelerating development while controlling spend.

Preventing Costly Deployment Mistakes

For teams managing complex, frequently changing infrastructure, CloudBurn is a critical safety net. It automatically flags high-cost changes in PRs, such as the accidental deployment of multiple t3.xlarge instances instead of t3.micros. Catching these errors pre-merge prevents them from spinning up in production and accumulating thousands in unnecessary costs before the next billing cycle.

Streamlining Infrastructure Code Reviews

Platform and DevOps engineers can enhance their code review process with concrete financial data. Instead of vague concerns about cost, reviewers can point to the exact dollar impact of a proposed change. This makes reviews more objective, data-driven, and efficient, helping teams balance architectural best practices with economic feasibility directly in the pull request conversation.

Gaining Visibility for Startups Scaling on AWS

Fast-growing startups need to scale their cloud infrastructure efficiently. CloudBurn provides clear visibility into how each new feature or service expansion will affect the monthly AWS bill. This allows founders and engineering leaders to forecast costs accurately, make informed scaling decisions, and ensure that cloud spend grows in a controlled, predictable manner alongside the business.

How does CloudBurn calculate cost estimates?

CloudBurn calculates estimates by analyzing the infrastructure diff (from terraform plan or cdk diff) and querying the official AWS Price List API using the specific resource attributes like instance type, region, and storage configuration. It calculates the projected monthly cost based on 730 hours of usage (24/7 operation) for compute resources and applicable pricing models for other services, providing a highly accurate forecast.

What permissions does CloudBurn require on GitHub?

CloudBurn requests standard permissions to read repository contents and pull requests, and to write comments on them. This allows it to access the plan/diff output from your CI workflow and post the cost analysis report. Billing and setup are handled entirely through GitHub's secure marketplace infrastructure, so CloudBurn never stores your payment information directly.

Can CloudBurn analyze costs for existing infrastructure?

The primary focus of CloudBurn is on analyzing changes through pull requests to prevent cost surprises. It compares the proposed state against the current state to show the delta. For a comprehensive view of existing infrastructure costs, you would typically use a tool like the AWS Cost Explorer, which CloudBurn complements by preventing future cost growth.

Is there a free tier or trial available?

Yes, CloudBurn offers a Community plan that is free to use forever. They also provide a 14-day trial of the Pro plan, which includes advanced features. You can start the trial without a credit card directly from the GitHub Marketplace. This allows teams to experience the full value of automated pre-deployment cost analysis and prove its ROI before any commitment.