CloudBurn is an open-source AWS cost optimization toolkit. It scans your infrastructure — both IaC templates (Terraform, CloudFormation) and live AWS resources — to find cost savings opportunities using a library of built-in rules. Whether you're reviewing code before deployment or auditing a running AWS account, CloudBurn surfaces actionable findings so you can reduce waste without guesswork.
How CloudBurn is structured
The CLI, GitHub Action, and MCP server depend on the SDK, which runs on top of the Rules library. Rules encode the cost optimization checks, the SDK exposes them programmatically, the CLI provides a terminal interface, and the GitHub Action runs IaC scans inside your GitHub workflows. The MCP plugin exposes read-only tools to AI agents, while the VS Code extension runs the CLI against saved workspace files. The GitHub App sits alongside them: it prices the AWS cost impact of CDK diffs, CloudFormation templates, and Terraform plans directly on your pull requests.
Find the right starting point
| I want to... | Go here |
|---|---|
| Scan IaC files from the terminal | CLI documentation |
| Scan IaC in GitHub pull requests | GitHub Action documentation |
| Run cost checks from an AI agent | MCP Plugin |
| See cost findings in my editor | VS Code Extension |
| Find savings in my live AWS account | CLI documentation |
| Integrate cost checks into my app | SDK documentation |
| Understand what CloudBurn checks | Rules documentation |
| See cost changes on pull requests | GitHub App documentation |
| Have CloudBurn run scans for me | Cost Optimization |
| Explore spend in a connected AWS account | AWS Cost Tree |
| Investigate billed network cost increases | AWS Network Costs |
| Share AWS accounts and scans with my team | Workspaces and members |
Open source
The free, open-source toolkit — run it yourself, anywhere.
CLI
The CloudBurn CLI is a terminal tool for scanning Terraform and CloudFormation templates and discovering cost issues in live AWS accounts.
To run the IaC scan on pull requests, use the CloudBurn GitHub Action from the GitHub Marketplace. It annotates findings, posts a sticky comment, and can fail the job by severity.
MCP plugin
The CloudBurn plugin gives AI agents a local MCP server and a skill for scanning IaC, discovering live AWS resources, and explaining findings. Its four tools are read-only.
VS Code extension
The CloudBurn extension scans saved Terraform and CloudFormation files with your installed CLI. Findings appear inline and in Problems, with links to rule explanations and remediation.
SDK
The CloudBurn SDK lets you run cost optimization rules programmatically — embed scans in CI pipelines, custom tooling, or any Node.js application.
Rules
Rules are the checks CloudBurn runs. Each rule targets a specific resource type and describes a concrete cost savings opportunity.
CloudBurn Platform
The paid, managed layer on top of the open-source toolkit, launching soon (join the waitlist). Connect AWS accounts through an IAM role you deploy (the AWS managed ReadOnlyAccess policy plus write access to your results bucket), run optimization scans with results in your own S3 bucket, explore AWS spend, share findings with your team in a workspace, and get cost reports on pull requests, all from app.cloudburn.io instead of operating the tooling yourself.
GitHub App
The CloudBurn GitHub App prices AWS cost changes from CDK diffs, CloudFormation templates, and Terraform plans posted on your pull requests, including usage-based costs driven by your own monthly assumptions.